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In 1944, CS Lewis warned the graduating class at Kings College, University of London about the human desire to be part of an “inner circle,” an elite, an exclusive group of those “in the know.” His lecture, titled “The Inner Ring” explained the dangers of becoming obsessed by the desire to gain social status through connection with perceived elites.  This dynamic is absolutely central to understanding the weaponization of loneliness . C. S. Lewis The craving to be part of an inner ring is virtually universal because of the natural human need to belong and to feel accepted.  But the dynamic of the inner ring is often a distortion and perversion of that natural desire.  It ends up as a form of snobbery in which gratification comes from excluding others. Worse, it causes behaviors that are destructive of others, as well as of self. This dynamic of taking delight in exclusion is obvious in “clubs” like the World Economic Forum, the European Union, Hollywood insiders, academia, and other elitist oligarchies.  But it can also happen in seemingly more squalid settings, such as the inner rings of gangs and cults.  One example might be the desire among misguided youth looking for acceptance in the violent but organized mobs of street “protestors” like Antifa.   In such cases, the fear of ostracism reaches a whole new level whereby those caught up in it no longer look for acceptance in the form of family and friends, but in a social pecking order that offers no warmth or true sense of belonging. In this condition you are condemned to forever walk on eggshells as you must be ever vigilant of not saying anything that could result in social rejection from your reference group. For a “popular” high school mean girl, the threat would be censure by her clique. For a celebrity, it could come from being potentially cancelled by the Hollywood blob. For a communist who misspeaks, the threat could come from party elites who sense a traitor in their midst. The list goes on. In every disparate case when people seek to be part of an inner ring, the goal is to be feel a part of some sort of secret club. But it’s a dead end. The result is a state of misery and even paranoia that results in being “triggered” when exposed to any other point of view.  The only solution is true friendship.

I recently sat down with two delightful and lovely young ladies for an interview about my book and thesis, the weaponization of loneliness. It was part of a new podcast of the Clare Boothe Luce Center called "GenZ Unplugged." I specifically focused on how the young women of Generation Z are especially affected by the uses of isolation as a social and political weapon. Check out my interview here: I covered a lot of ground in our 40 minute conversation with Hannah and Catherine, but we could have gone on for hours more. We talked about the effects of social media, of the sexual revolution, and how deeply embedded the fear of social isolation is, especially among young women. As I noted in my book, they will often shut up about what they believe -- or even lie about what they believe -- in order to feel accepted. If you'd just like to get a one minute gist, here's the short:

Do you keep your opinions to yourself because you’re afraid people will reject you? Do you sign on to a cause just because everyone around you acts like it’s the right thing to do? About The Weaponization of Loneliness “Terror can rule absolutely only over men who are isolated against each other. . . . Therefore, one of the primary concerns of all tyrannical government is to bring this isolation about.” – Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism Do you keep your opinions to yourself because you’re afraid people will reject you? Do you sign on to a cause just because everyone around you acts like it’s the right thing to do? Welcome to The Weaponization of Loneliness. Tyrants of all stripes want to tell you what to believe and how to live your life. They get away with it by using the most potent weapon at their disposal: your fear of ostracism. This book explains how dictators—from the French Revolution to the Communist Party of China to today’s globalists—aim to atomize us in order to control us. We fall for it because our need to connect with others and our fear of social rejection are so hardwired that they trigger our conformity impulse. These dynamics can even cause us to comply with evil orders. We all need a better understanding of how the merchants of loneliness—power elites in Big Tech, Big Media, Big Government, academia, Hollywood, and the corporate world— exploit our terror of social isolation. Their divide-and-conquer tactics include identity politics, political correctness, and mob agitation. Their media monopoly spawns the propaganda essential to demonization campaigns, censorship, cancel culture, snitch culture, struggle sessions, the criminalization of comedy, and the subversion of society’s most fundamental institutions. It all adds up to a machinery of loneliness. Ironically, people tend to comply with this machinery to avoid loneliness, but such compliance only isolates us further. The Weaponization of Loneliness also offers a message of hope. We can resist this psychological warfare if we have strong bonds in our families, faith communities, and friendships. Let’s resolve to talk to one another openly and often, especially about the consequences of giving in to social pressures and media hype. Indeed, totalitarians always seek to destroy private life because it is the very fount of freedom. Buy Now Sharyl Attkisson, Emmy Award winning investigative reporter "Stella Morabito cracks the code of one of today's most powerful political weapons: isolation. The Weaponization of Loneliness is an eye-opening and chilling look at how propagandists use the tool to enforce compliance and smear dissenters."

Starting a book club with interested friends and acquaintances is fun and easy.  Please first subscribe to this website. Some Tips on Starting a Book Club Starting a book club with interested friends and acquaintances is fun and easy. Please first subscribe to this website. Then, to register your club on this site, click on the “start a book club tab” below and fill in the form. You and your members will then have a built-in platform here to privately message your other club members with questions and comments on the materials between your meetings. There is also the option of “Stella’s Book Club Central,” which is open to questions and comments (as much as I can manage!) from all subscribers. If you’ve never started a book club before, continue reading below for tips. Who and What? Invite friendly people who would be interested in learning about the thesis of the weaponization of loneliness. Here’s a sample invitation: “Hi, _______! Would you like to join me and some other folks to form a book club to learn about the ways loneliness and isolation are used to divide and control people? It will be based on the book The Weaponization of Loneliness by Stella Morabito. The club is going to dive into her book first, and then look at other books, as well as articles, documentaries, and movies related to the theme. Here’s a link to the website www.stellasbookclub.com that will help you get more familiar with the project. I hope you can join us!” If you’re searching for local members, you can start a club on this website and designate it as “private" listing, but be sure it's visible to subscribers. Please list only the county and state where you expect to meet. That will give registered visitors to this site the option to “request to join” your club and introduce themselves to the leader who can then contact them and get acquainted. Once you’ve reached your limit of members, you can then change from "visible" to "hidden," if you like. How many people? I believe book clubs work best with 8-10 people, sometimes less and sometimes more, depending on level of commitment and expected absences. The leader should make sure everyone has a chance to participate and that the conversation doesn’t get monopolized by just one or two people. Where to meet? Enthusiastic leaders might be happy to host in their home for all meetings. Some clubs prefer to rotate hosting duties. Others will reserve a meeting room at their local library or other place such as a community center or café. When to meet? You decide the best times as well as the frequency of meetings. Most clubs meet once a month. If you decide on a 12-month commitment, that will allow you to get through The Weaponization of Loneliness and the eight most relevant books to the theme. There will also be recommended movies and documentaries and articles that supplement the readings. Beyond 12 months will allow you an even deeper dive. There are scores of multi-media materials related to this topic. Zoom option? Ideally, people will meet in person, but your club might like to include a Zoom option when or if this isn’t possible. Structure: You will find a guide to each session published on this website under the sub-tab “Guide to Sessions .” Each session will feature a brief summary and three or four study questions for discussion, as well as a few optional supplementary materials such as movie clips. The first four sessions will delve into the primary book, The Weaponization of Loneliness . If your club would like to condense your study of that book into fewer sessions, just make sure you allow enough time to cover the material. In any case, other materials will be introduced with the designation "fifth session." START A BOOK CLUB NOW!

Gain valuable insights from discussions that delve deep into human behavior, cultural trends, and thought-provoking ideas. Tune in to engage with compelling narratives and enrich your understanding of contemporary issues. Select Audio Interviews Check out Brandon Showalter’s Exploration of How Some Saw Transmania on the Horizon Years Ago If you are interested in how a mind virus can take over whole societies, the insanity of transgenderism is a perfect case study for... The Ingraham Angle, with Laura Ingraham Chris Stigall, KCMO Philadelphia Interview Dennis Prager Show Stella talks to Dennis Prager about her book. Dennis starts talking about The Weaponization of Loneliness at 1:05:35 Hillsdale Radio Hour with Garrett Gooldby The Ben Domenech Podcast, FOX News Check out Brandon Showalter’s Exploration of How Some Saw Transmania on the Horizon Years Ago Stella Morabito: The Government is Weaponizing Loneliness Against The Citizenry The Reckoning, with Timothy Shea David Craig on Return to Reason Chris Stigall KCMO Philadelphia “The Answer” Live from CPACv The Adult in the Room with Victoria Taft How the Metaverse Would Serve to Atomize and Dehumanize Us Mornings with Jimmy Lakey, KCOL Rory Sauter Show An Absolute Favorite Radio Host: Vicki McKenna! “The Brian McClain Show” on TNT Radio Interviews on my book, The Weaponization of Loneliness “The Jason Rantz Show,” KTTH Seattle With Sandy Rios, American Family Radio “The Right Take” with Mark Tapson, Horowitz Freedom Center, “The Weaponization of Loneliness” featuring Stella Morabito -- December 12, 2022 With Brian Thomas 55KRC in Cincinnati Long Story Short Podcast with Liz Callaway With Jimmy Barrett, Houston TX The Randy Tobler Show” News Talk St. Louis The George Eliason Show Mornings with Jimmy Lakey, KCOL Podcast with Andy Hooser Podcast with Leland Conway