Group Think
The most important thing one needs to establish quickly when whipping up a good conspiracy is to get as many people on board as fast as possible. Marketing specialists refer to those people who are the first to rush out and try something new as “Early Adopters”. Social scientists warn an organization with a corporate culture made up of individuals who prefer to go-along just to get-along run the risk of being paralyzed by “Group Think.” Both of these human tendencies often grow due to peer pressure. When everyone is expected to conform to what is accepted as the community norm that can be a good thing…say if the norm is keeping a vegetarian lifestyle. However, where conformity becomes very dangerous is when the hurt, insecure or mentally unstable prey on the weaknesses of others.
Psychologists tell us that even if someone knows something is not true, they will eventually believe it if they are repeatedly told it is true. An example of just how frail and pliable an untrained mind can get is illustrated by the impact Marshall Applewhite had on 39 well educated, good individuals from Rancho Santa Fe California in 1997. Over the course of several months, he convinced his followers to dress in black uniforms that had patches which read “Heavens Gate.” He then instructed them to take a lot of barbiturates and alcohol, place bags over their heads, don Nike tennis shoes and leave a few dollars for the Gods so after they took their own lives their souls would be transported to the then closely passing Comet Hale-Bopp. From there they were told their ethereal body would catch a stellar lift back to the spiritual world!
It’s hard to comprehend that anyone would be so gullible to believe all this, which is even more fantastic and unreasonable then the conspiracy the Truth team brewed up. Yet, res-ipsa-loquitor, because nobody was there to interject with some clear thinking, 39 naive individuals are now dead, providing us with a vivid reminder to be careful about who you listen to! Regardless of what Marshal Applewhite said, we can be quite certain those unfortunate souls did not go to Vaikuntha. In the same way, regardless of how much spam the Truth Team sends out, Srila Prabhupada was not poisoned! In fact, it’s more than not true. If you read this entire paper you will learn that it was completely impossible for Srila Prabhupada to have been poisoned by cadmium!
The poison inquisition really started getting traction when there were a few individuals so committed to perpetuating this con that they literally spent hundreds of hours listening to any tapes they could find to rouse up suspicion. It was no different than what ghost hunters do in a process referred to as Electronic Voice Phenomena EVP. They listen for sounds in an electronic hiss, feedback or un-grounded stray radio signals for any words or phrases they believe are communications coming from disembodied ghosts and spirits. Once the Truth team found some good mondegreens that could be interpreted as the word “poison”, all they had to do was plant the suggestion in the minds of those wandering on the dark side and – whamo… yea… I can hear it! Someone is whispering “Is the poison going down.”Oh, my… who said that!
Despite how much the conspiracy team tries to impress us with their integrity… this is clearly a case of planting the suggestion you are expected to hear into the ear of the person listening.
Sensory Illusions
Hearing is a two-step process. First, there is the auditory perception itself: the physics of sound waves making their way through your ear and into the auditory cortex of your brain. And then there is the meaning-making: the part where your brain takes the noise and imbues it with significance. What meaning your brain assigns to the sound is intricately tied into your personal experiences. When most of us hear an explosion we will immediately think an accident must have happened somewhere. When a police officer hears the same sound, he might think a crime is underway or perhaps a gun was fired. But if a Desert Storm vet hears the same loud sound, he may become extremely anxious, jump to his feet thinking he is under attack or that an IED just went off! Hearing is very much dependent on the conditioning of the one doing the listening.
Both our ears and our eyes can be easily fooled. The illustration provided here is an example of how our eyes can be fooled. Which women do you see, the old one or the young one? If I want to bias your vision, I would trace the image of the woman I want you to see and then you would immediately see her. This type of ambiguity is fantastic for catapulting conspiracy rumors into the devotee community! They found some ambiguous audio sounds, told us to listen for the word poison… and wahooo… We all heard it!
Thousands of devotees had probably heard these same tapes over the ten years before they were tainted with conspiracy allegations, yet prior to all these suggestions being made, nobody hears any of the whispers until someone went out to find them and exploit them. They did not alarm anyone until those with an evil agenda told us what to listen for! An unbiased study would just present the controversial sounds for people to evaluate without prejudicing the listener what to listen for. An example of a non-biased audio examination is provided here: Link: UnbiasedHearing
As this expose continues, the reader will start to see for themselves that we are not dealing with people who are squeaky-clean Eagle Scouts. We have already demonstrated that they really couldn’t care less what others have to say about this evil campaign. It’s clear those behind it will take advantage of whatever they can to disturb others with this crazy hallucination that began with an acorn of a rumor started by an alleged 13-year-old who later disappeared in Mexico! In regards to all the audio evidence, it leverages a very common human frailty regarding how our brains process sounds. Chicken Little ran around the barn telling all the other animals Srila Prabhupada was poisoned based on some barely audible sounds on a tape. Listen, listen she said… can you hear the word poison? When we were all told what to listen for, the poison conspiracy got off the ground with a leap. The garbled sounds nobody else every noticed were now being amplified, studied, and gossiped about all around the world – the game was on!
Before everyone just routinely denies having been played for fools, let’s now hear what the difference is between trying to make sense out of a random sound on your own, and how strong the power of suggestion is. Without prejudicing your brain beforehand, you are not likely to make any sense out the sound provided in the demonstration below. Once you are told what to listen for, it’s almost impossible NOT to hear what’s being said! Go ahead, try the following link. Stop the playback after you hear the sound before it gets to the 0:18-second mark, really try to figure out what on earth is being said. To give this demonstration a chance to be really effective, only proceed past the 0:18-second mark after you have admitted that it sounds like incoherent gibberish. Then when you proceed, it will become obvious just how much we can be led by the power of suggestion. Link: Prejudicial Hearing
Pareidolias and Mondegreens
Another more subtle and problematic thing that confuses the reliability of our perception is the way our brain will layer meaning on top of something that simply doesn’t support the derived understanding. The word used to describe how our brain automatically does this is Pareidolia, and we do it with both our eyes and our ears. The photos below are visual examples of pareidolia.
We do the same thing with sounds, although we may be less likely to realize it. Not hearing sounds clearly is also so common that there is a word for it: Mondegreen. Because humans can translate sounds into meaningful words, we developed a language that effectively communicates very complex ideas. Mondegreens happen when our ears are stimulated and our brain then layers meaning on it, like the sound of the explosion already explained above.
Mishearing words based on our conditioning is so common that there is a whole website dedicated to correcting the Mondegreens people hear in contemporary music. One of the most historic Mondegreens occurs when Jimmie Hendrix was in his own Purple Haze and sang “Scuse me while I Kiss the Sky” which many heard as “Kiss this guy”
For those who might be familiar with pop music, we offer the following Mondegreen to illustrate just how easy it can be to hear the word poison when it was never spoken. In 1984, the Eagles vocalist/drummer Don Henley composed the big hit song “The Boys of Summer.” However many of his sing-along friends did not hear the words correctly, so when he sang the lyric: After the boys of summer have gone, many thought he was singing: After the poison summer has gone.
It is so common for well-intended people to mishear the words to popular song lyrics, it is easy to see how certain individuals that are looking to crank up a big ugly conspiracy could seek out and find ambient sounds to foist a meaning on them. The conspiracy pushers have such a proclivity for such pareidolias and mondegreens. I will lampoon them here with how they might try to convince us what they think the “Lords Prayer” is all about.
“Our Father, who makes art in heaven, how do you know my name? Thy kingdom’s dumb; thy will is one on earth as it’s sits at seven. Give us this day our deli bread and forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who passed trash against us. And lead us not into Penn Station but deliver us from eagles for time is the Klingon, the flower and all gory forever. Amen
But Srila Prabhupada Said It!
Another effective way to propel a conspiracy forward in a society where the statements of the Spiritual Master are accepted without dispute is to write a book with the title: “Someone Has Poisoned Me”, based on a contrived understanding that he said it as though it were an assertive fact. The logic of this treachery is that anyone who dares doubt the words of the guru would be scorned, ridiculed and exiled… right? Well, that’s at least how the Truth Team hopes people will respond, but considering what we already know, trusting these guys on an issue like this would be irresponsible.
When Srila Prabhupada spoke about rascal scientists and cheating gurus, he would often express his contempt for them with the expression “We Kick On Their Face.” Yet we all know that he never actually went up to someone and kicked them in the mouth since this was merely said figuratively and not to be taken literally. The word poison is often used in a similar way when someone unknowingly eats food that later disagrees with their belly. When their stomach swells it’s very common for the suffering epicurean to declare: “I feel like I have been poisoned”. Nobody was plotting to kill them, but they did suffer a strong adverse reaction that led to this common expression. This explains why nobody went out looking for a killer when Srila Prabhupada used the word poison.
But when Chicken Little discovered this, it became an opportunity to convince us with absolute certainty that when Srila Prabhupada used the word poison, he meant it literally. When Chicken Little showed Jerky Turkey Lurky a book filled with half-truths, distortions, bad research, prejudicial thinking and a completely misleading title like: “Someone Has Poisoned Me!”, they both caused such a big disturbance that the whole barn became alarmed! However, did anyone even check closely to see if Srila Prabhupada actually came right out and said that in an accusatory way? We are presented hundreds of pages of propaganda to convince us that he did… but instead of telling the reader how to interpret what was said, the more honest thing would be to present it clearly to them, letting each individual decide for themselves what was actually being expressed. At this point, I have not seen anything convincing where Srila Prabhupada unambiguously declared: “Someone Has Poisoned Me!”
The closest thing we find to support that line of reasoning begins when the Kaviraja asks Prabhupada to reveal what mental distress he is experiencing. In his response to that question, His Divine Grace refers to previous discussions they had earlier regarding his health, his symptoms and what they might be able to do about it. Only portions of those conversations were recorded, and according to the Truth Team, they have only shown us where they “believe” Srila Prabhupada used the word poison on four different occasions. Well, right away we can eliminate one of those occasions since our ever-vigilant-for accuracy translators were so anxious to get the word poison in the dialog; they added it even when it wasn’t there! Nowhere in the following text does Srila Prabhupada use the word poison in English, Hindi or Bengali… so why was it added in the first given translation?. Oops again!
205: Srila Prabhupada: Nahin, aise koi bola je… debe-sa hi ja hota hai. Shayad koi kitab men likha hai.
Google Translate: No, no one said that.. ..that is only how it would happen. Probably written in a book.
NAV: No, not said, but when one is given poison, it happens like this. It’s written in book.
HIR: No, some people say like this, that..it is like that when it is given. Perhaps it is written in some [..] book.
Based on the evidence provided by the Truth Team, we can understand Srila Prabhupada only used the word poison three times. In all three cases he never assertively declared: “Someone Has Poisoned Me.” With careful analysis we find that the first two times he says poison, he is clearly referring to someone else who used the word poison. Judge for yourself:
001: Srila Prabhupada: Keu bole jekeu poison kore diyeche. Hoy to tai.
NAV: Someone says that I’ve been poisoned. It’s possible.
HIR: Someone says that someone gave poison. Maybe it’s true.
004: Srila Prabhupada:Koi bolta hai je koi mujhko poison kiya gaya hai.
NAV & HIR: Someone says that someone has given poison.
The last time Srila Prabhupada utters the word poison is in his response to the Kaviraja when he is encouraged to reveal what is bothering him. The answer we get is reflective only of the previous conversations where others had already introduced the word poison into the conversation.
410: Srila Prabhupada:Vahi bat..je koi hamko poison kiya.
Google Translate: The same thing ..if someone poisoned me
NAV: That same thing I said, that someone has poisoned me.
The only place that Srila Prabhupada asserts himself clearly in regards to the poison issue comes up when Tamala Krishna directly asks him “..it is said that you were poisoned.” Srila Prabhupada immediately answered “No. Not that I am poisoned.” In this case, the GBC got it right. But the “We-Got-A-Big-Agenda Spoof Team” can’t just let that clear answer stand for itself, so they rhetorically ask:
“So can we always apply the strict rules of English language when interpreting the words spoken by Srila Prabhupada?” -KGBG p140
Well here’s how Srila Prabhupada would answer that cheap attempt to negate what he clearly said:
“When one does not touch the direct meaning but tries to divert attention by misinterpretation, he engages in chala.” (imaginary interpretations) – CC. Madhya 6.177
So now just read the following passage for yourself. Is Srila Prabhupada clearly stating that he has been poisoned by someone or is he denying it?
Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? You said before that you.., it is said that you were poisoned?
Prabhupada: No.This kind of symptoms are seen when a man is poisoned. He said like that. Not that I am poisoned. – Nov. 9, 1977, Vrndavana
These Truth Guys are so confused they do all they can to lead everyone to believe that one day Srila Prabhupada sat up and definitively asserted: “Someone has poisoned me”. But later they concede that he was referring to comments that were made by OTHERS speaking about how he was being poisoned.
Srila Prabhupada did not say that the medicine was poisonous – He said that He heard others speaking of how He was being poisoned. –SHPM p. 380
Limitations of the Spectrograph
“Voice spectrograph analysis accurately determines even barely audible whispers with a confidence level of greater than 90% is used by law enforcement agencies and as evidence in court for decades now. – SHPM p 16.
Once again we discover that what is being presented as true is actually a very misleading statement. Yes, voice prints have been accepted as evidence in courts since 1989, but not necessarily in the way we have been led to believe. Where spectrographs are most helpful is in properly assigning a person’s name to a recorded voice, especially if that person is attempting to deny that he or she was the one who said for example: “We will create a rumor that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned!”
The way this is traditionally done would be to have the person who is suspected of being the one who made that statement repeat it in a controlled environment, and then the two audio tracks are compared against each other electronically. But that is not how voice analysis is being used in this scandal. Instead, what has been done is the spectrograph has been used to tell us what was being said from barely audible random sounds presented by a blabbermouth Chicken Little. To really do that accurately they would have to compare those sounds with a recording of the person who allegedly made them whispering the same words so that the two tracks could be compared. Instead, audio engineers spent hours turning dials and tweaking their instruments to provide all sorts of charts and graphs which lead us to believe that their electronic ears heard exactly what they were hired to prove. But this is not a hard science… it is a very touchy-feely type of audio artistry. Law enforcement audio forensic engineer George Blackwell was honest enough to admit this very point:
“As in handwriting analysis, one calls upon other skills besides engineering for this type of work. At this point, I relied heavily upon my 25 years of experience in musical training and in recording voices for commercials and narrations.” George Blackwell then describes how he adjusted the pitch, filters, and equalizer to obtain a variety of listening conditions. His conclusions, it must be noted, however, were based ultimately upon listening with the human ear and did not include more sophisticated analytical methods. – SHPM p.11
Audio engineers can enhance sounds using circuits to bring out different aspects of the audio spectrum. Visual editors do the same thing; either to accent or suppress shadows or to bring out highlights or contrasts in a digital image. When done with an audio sample, sounds can even be dropped out or exaggerated by a talented technician. We have all effectively done this very thing ourselves in a limited way whenever we adjust the bass and treble on our audio system. It’s not as if the guy driving down the street with the obnoxiously loud bass boom box in his back seat is listening to a different version of rapper P Dog Lilly’s disco thump beat than everyone else. The amplifier and megabase speakers are designed to exaggerate the very low frequencies so much that when brother hip-hop drives by, every window in the neighborhood rattles and all the girls run out! I am being a bit playful here simply to help the non-technical reader understand that anything can be manipulated to produce whatever one wants by someone experienced in adjusting the filters. This is also done in the visual world where some games require you to look at a game card with a red plastic filter, which allows you to see the otherwise invisible word.
Speech recognition has become such an integral part of our electronic world that today many phones respond to voice commands. Windows 10 comes with software that allows you to dictate what you want to be typed on the page, and it will do it! Anyone who has used this technology knows that often the computer doesn’t properly hear what is said. It is quite certain that if the alleged whispers were cranked up and played for normal voice recognition software to translate, it would not type out the words we are being told for certain were spoken. Children have been playing Dick Tracy since he showed up in the 1931 comic strips, but in the real world you need more than a good imagination to convince others something actually occurred.
Download the full book (PDF) at this link.