Having been a student of psychology for nearly 30 years I became intrigued by the concept of implanting an idea in someone’s mind after watching the movie Inception about a decade ago. While there are certain “poetic liberties” used in the plot, having technology that doesn’t exist, the idea remained basically the same: Could I implant an idea into the mind of YouTuber and watch that idea become part of their belief system?
First Task: Select the proper guinea pig for this experiment.
I would eventually select Jerry Toney based upon several factors including his narcissism, pride, and anger. Since I had both a degree in psychology and a degree in theology Jerry seemed to be the perfect candidate to implant an idea that would grow into his own belief system.
Second Task: Select an idea that will take hold in Jerry’s mind.
Since I now had a suitable subject for my psychological experiment I needed an effective idea to plant into the mind of our beloved cult leader Jerry Toney. Having watched several of his videos I knew about his insatiable desire for the rapture of the Christian church. The doctrine of the rapture is where Jesus removes his believers right before a 7 year period of judgment upon the Earth. Jerry made it easy for me to select a date since he teaches that this event will take place on a Jewish Holiday called the Feast of Trumpets. Now that I have an idea to plant I would now need to provide some “evidence” to substantiate my argument.
Third Task: Prove the rapture date by using classic concepts and doctrines based on Eschatology.
While there are many different ideas and doctrines that exist about the “end times” I basically selected the ones that I could use for this project. According to the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, there are day counts that have a beginning, midpoint, and end with specific day counts in between. I decided the best way to present my idea as being credible to Jerry was in the form of a timeline. It was at this point I assigned my students the task of using the Bible to build such a timeline which the final rendering is below.
Forth Task: Create a pseudonym and give my fictitious cult follower a life on Facebook.
The name I chose was based on the names of a couple 80s TV sitcom characters. It’s really very easy to build a false Facebook page and send out friend requests, many of which were from Jerry’s friend’s list. Once everything was put together it’s time to make contact.
Fifth Task: Humbly ask the “man of god” his advice on a Christian matter.
I was off to find a picture of a neon beer sign for sale to use as a prop and asking if having such an item was a sin. Knowing Jerry’s position on alcohol I figured he would say I should get rid of it knowing completely well Jerry has pictures of neon beer signs hanging on his walls. Assuming most religious people are hypocrites it wouldn’t stop him from telling me that I needed to get rid of my neon artwork while he maintains custody of his.
Sixth Task: Present the idea and see if the idea takes hold in Jerry’s belief system.
After gaining Jerry’s trust from a submissive perspective it was time to present the idea that the rapture would be September 18, 2020. While this isn’t the true concept presented in the movie Inception it was close enough for my experiment. After all, this is the basic concept used in behavior modification in dealing with psychologists in a doctor/patient setting. I simply took something Jerry wanted and used the power of suggestion to see if he would believe a lie made up by a tenured associate professor teaching psychology at a university. The end result was that Darrell Bundy got his name mentioned on YouTube in front of over twenty-thousand people.
UPDATE: Clip of the above deleted video is seen below.
Jerry would go on to add his own dates making the timeline his own. Having no more need of Darrell’s counsel, securing what he desired, he would eventually unfriend and block Darrell. Because of Jerry’s anger, he has no tolerance for anything that challenges him or his beliefs. Being a narcissist he only has concern for himself making friends with those he can use for money or knowledge and removing those that aren’t there for “his bidding”.
Bonus Task: Keeping the fish on the line.
While I considered this experiment a success it didn’t stop me from seeing how far I could go with my ability to manipulate this man’s mind without overtly making contact with him. Stay tuned for a Part II which I plan to title based, off of a Rick & Morty episode, “You son of a bitch, I’m in.”
