Magic, Media, and the Mirage of FCC RF Safety Guidelines

Ever wondered how the worlds of magic and media are related to FCC RF exposure safety guidelines? Brace yourself for an intriguing voyage that draws parallels between the art of magic by misdirection and the development of these regulations - a seemingly disparate pairing that's both fascinating and enlightening. We'll dissect the absurdities in the testing methodologies and the potential health risks they present, showing how misdirection, a technique common in magic, creates a mirage of safety, sans real substance. 

In the second half, we shift our focus to the captivating realms of magic and its various techniques - verbal and physical misdirection, gaze control, time misdirection, psychological misdirection, and red herrings, to name a few. We enlighten you on how these techniques toy with our attention and perception to conjure up enthralling illusions. We wrap up with a call-to-action for all listeners - emphasizing the significance of supporting content creators, and how you can contribute. Get ready for a deep dive into the mesmerizing intersections of magic, media, health, and the human mind. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hollywood 1987, as my wife and I approached the iconic magic castle in Hollywood. Its Victorian facades stood tall, a historic beacon amidst the city's modern hustle. Established in 1963 as a private club for magicians and magic enthusiasts, this mansion has been the world center of illusion and wonder for decades. That evening we navigated its secret passageways, enjoyed performances from world renowned magicians. We had a great evening. What I learned about magic, and specifically magic by misdirection, gives me a unique perspective on the absurd but magically accepted FCC RF exposure safety guidelines. Really, what does magic by misdirection have to do with RF safety guidelines Coming up?

Speaker 2: 1:20

EMF Remedy is dedicated to helping you understand which electromagnetic threats are present in your home and whether, in the context of your current home, when you're considering for purchase or building a new home with comprehensive protection designed in, EMF Remedy can help you reduce your family's exposure to harmful man-made electromagnetic radiation.

Speaker 1: 1:59

Today's discussion has broad implications, broader than just RF safety guidelines. Let's get into it. A few weeks ago I got a call from one of my brothers. He said he was in Los Angeles and had reservations for that night at the magic castle in Hollywood. He knew I was a former member and wanted to have a plan of attack. How do we enjoy as much as possible in one visit? So I chatted with him. I outlined a strategy that he and I have to tell you he and his wife had a great time. He didn't see it all.

Speaker 1: 2:43

Of course that's not really possible in a first visit, but afterward, after sufficient green matcha or green tea, which, as you know, is my favorite for introspection, I found myself thinking about years ago, my membership at the castle, thinking about times past, how honestly thinking about my soon to be wife and how she looked in that lovely blue gown 37 years ago. And, of course, the thing I think about all the time the poisoning of the world with non native EMF, electromagnetic poisoning, especially with radio frequency or RF radiation. What occurred to me is how the nonsensical RF safety guidelines came about, how the entire process is very much like a magic trick no kidding, specifically, a technique used in performing magic, called magic by misdirection. I think magic by misdirection explains how a lot of what's going on in the world today is conjured up, is brought into being. We'll get into more of that in the conclusion. Okay, so what in the world does magic have to do with RF safety? That's the question. What in the world does magic have to do with RF safety guidelines? This will be a discussion in three parts. First, what passes for RF safety in the US today. We're going to discuss that in some detail. Second, how magic by disc this easy for me to say how magic by misdirection works on the stage and in life. And finally, we're going to talk about, well, the conclusion to all this, how maybe it's applicable in a broader realm, but at least want to help you understand how it's been used in things having to do with EMF. So part one what passes for RF safety in the US today? This will be the reader's digest version, so to speak, for my opinion. So this is how it works. If you want to, by the way, if you want to verify what I'm saying, I think you should you should do your own research. Check out, for example, the book called Disconnect the Truth About Cellphone Radiation by Dr Debra Davis. Now, dr Davis doesn't use my magic by misdirection analogy, but she does describe what passes for RF safety testing In a nutshell. Here's how RF safety guidelines work right now.

Speaker 1: 6:21

Although evidence abounds to the contrary, there is a mantra Heat is the only possible way to create harm. It's been known for decades. This isn't true. A giant plastic head is filled with salt, sugar and water, then heated by a cell phone during use. As long as the big plastic head isn't heated any more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit duringa six-minute phone call, the device being tested is considered safe. Did you get all that?

Speaker 1: 7:04

Never mind, there's no evidence that it's okay to cook your brain with microwave radiation, just like in a microwave oven, and raise the temperature 1.6 degrees in six minutes. Never mind, some calls are longer than six minutes. Never mind, they have to exclude the ear and consider it to be not a part of the head. In fact, it's considered an appendage yes, that is the word appendage like an arm or a leg for purposes of this test. Never mind, the giant head understates the degree of heating for 89% of males, all babies and children and, of course, the vast majority of women. Never mind, the FCC is a captured agency and doesn't even actually perform the testing. Never mind that when phones begin to fail even this ridiculous test, they change things so the phone could be held away from the head during testing. Really, they put in a spacer to create additional distance from the head. Never mind that some phone models make it to market which can't even pass this flawed testing methodology because they heat too much. Never mind concerns about blood brain barrier permeability, digital dementia, calcium efflux, cataracts, altered brain metabolism, cardiac effects, microwave heating, tinnitus and many other effects. Oh and of course, cancer. Never mind all of this.

Speaker 1: 9:13

It's okay to cook your brain just a little in a short while and there's no harm. Besides, everyone's doing it. This is how our safety guidelines work and it's laughable, right when I state plainly the way it works. It's laughable. So I want to review quickly here. All the electromagnetic, chemical and physiological intricacies of the head and the brain can be captured by a giant plastic head filled with water, salt and sugar. Right, all of the electromagnetic, chemical, physiological intricacies of the head and brain can be captured by a giant plastic head filled with water, salt and sugar. One size fits all. There's no need for smaller plastic heads representing the other 89% of males, all babies and children and, I would assume, the vast majority of women.

Speaker 1: 10:22

If it doesn't heat, it doesn't harm. It's okay to heat 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in six minutes. That's not heating. Did you get that? It's okay to heat 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in only six minutes? That's not heating. Some phones failed testing so they reclassified the ear as no longer a part of the head or failed, so it's okay to hold the phone away from the head during testing. The FCC doesn't actually perform the testing. No need to consider any of the now long established health effects of RF exposure. All right, so that is the end of part one.

Speaker 1: 11:21

Now let's talk about how magic by misdirection works. Yep, it is true. When I was a young man, I was a regular member of the Magic Castle. Regular member as opposed to in those days it was called, I think it was associate member. If you had lots of money, which I didn't you could be an associate member and anyone can join. You just have to pay the dues For less money. If you could prove by interviewing with a member of the board and the interview included performance. So if you could perform magic to their satisfaction to convince them you were a magician, then you could become a regular member.

Speaker 1: 12:14

So how did I get interested in magic and am I still doing it and all that stuff? Yeah, so when I was a child I don't know if it was first grade, maybe second grade the school I was attending invited a magician in to entertain the children. And well, you know, children are sometimes easily induced and I thought magic was really cool. Now I'm not talking, I am not talking about black magic or, you know, doing anything for evil intent, more like the delightful surprise when the magician reveals that he knew your card or your card is now sitting on the ceiling of the room or the coin has disappeared from his hand. You know I'm talking about that kind of magic and, yep, it was of interest to me when I was a kid. And card tricks, coin tricks, you know, fun and entertaining.

Speaker 1: 13:15

So what is the Magic Castle? Well, it is a huge Victorian mansion that houses the Academy of Magical Arts. It's located in Hollywood. It used to also be associated with a monthly magazine and a television program called the Magician. I think it was Bill Bixby. The mansion is huge. It features numerous performance areas, bar, dining areas, secret rooms and passageways. The structure has been expanded and renovated over the years. It's really kind of a labyrinth labyrinth like complex, much larger on the inside than it might appear from the outside, and it has a strict dress code emphasizing formal attire to maintain the elegant ambiance of the club, kind of like dress up for an elegant New Year's Eve party, only year round. So for men, a suit and tie are required and you know what, taxidos are not out of place, and for women, evening wear, and nowadays they're allowing a dressy skirt and top cocktail dress, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 14:32

So yeah, I was a young man, I think I was on a business trip to LA. I think I might have been interviewing with Xerox. That's what I was doing Back in around 84, I think and I met with a member of the board and I performed for him and what I did is a routine that made it not only look like but it actually sounded like I was passing coins right through the table that we were sitting at, one after another, and it was compelling enough that he said, boy, no, you can join. Obviously I was not passing coins through the table, not regarding. You know, notwithstanding what it looked like and even Sounded like, that isn't what I was doing and the kind of magic that I was interested in. It wasn't really doing what it appeared to be doing and kind of that's the nut of what we're talking about today Not really doing what it appears to be doing. So magic by misdirection was the title of a book I used on about the psychology of deception as it pertain to, you know, party tricks like coin tricks and whatnot, not talking about how to rule the world. Maybe, like it's me like, is being used today. I've long since lost interest in the magical arts, by the way, but I'm here to tell you that magic by misdirection is Inseparable from a magic performance. As I describe how it works, keep in mind what's going on in the world today.

Speaker 1: 16:38

Magic by misdirection is a fascinating technique that's been the secret sauce, if you will, behind many mind-boggling illusions. So imagine being in the audience. You're watching a magician perform their artistry and being completely spellbound by the tricks they're pulling off. Now magic by misdirection is the art of making you look One way while the real action is Happening somewhere else entirely. Misdirection is all about manipulating your attention, diverting it away from the magician's secret moves or the method behind the trick. So picture this a Magician asks you a question, cracks a clever joke, spins a captivating story. All the while they're performing their sleight of hand and you're none the wiser. This is what we call Verbal misdirection.

Speaker 1: 17:31

But it doesn't stop there. Magicians are masters of physical misdirection to. They'll use bodily movements, dramatic gestures, sometimes flashy prompts, to grab your attention and pull it away from the crucial action of the trick. You might see a magician waving their hand, flourishing a silk cloth or creating a distraction like a burst of smoke or a sudden, unexpected noise. It's all part of the grand illusion. And then there's something called gaze control. Magicians are expert at using their eyes and gaze to direct your attention. By looking intently at a specific point or an object, they're essentially guiding your focus while they pull off their magic elsewhere. It's okay to think about current events and recent and the recent unpleasantness as I'm explaining all of this.

Speaker 1: 18:28

By the way, Timing is everything in misdirection. So time misdirection is a technique when magicians control the rhythm of a trick to take advantage of your expectations. They might pause briefly to do something seemingly unrelated just before the crucial moment, causing you to completely miss how the trick is actually done. But it goes even deeper into the realm of psychology, magicians can play tricks on your mind. Through Psychological misdirection. They exploit your cognitive biases and your expectations, leading you to believe you're seeing one thing when in reality something else entirely is Happening right before your eyes. If that weren't the case, all those magic tricks wouldn't work. And finally, there are red herrings. Magicians are known to throw in elements or props that serve no real purpose in the trick, so these are designed to confuse or distract you, making it even more challenging for you to figure out the method behind their magic.

Speaker 1: 19:43

Misdirection is the cornerstone of magic. It's what allows magicians to create that sense of wonder and awe, making the impossible seem entirely possible. It's all about understanding the psychology of perception and attention and exploiting the limits of human observation to craft a magical experience that's both memorable and Endlessly entertaining. So the next time you're at a magic show, remember that what you see isn't always what's happening. Verbal misdirection, physical misdirection, gaze control, time misdirection, psychological misdirection and red herrings. So let's quickly run through once again RF safety testing against our new lens of magic.

Speaker 1: 20:38

By misdirection, all the electromagnetic, chemical and physiological intricacies of the head and brain can be captured by a giant plastic head filled with water, salt and sugar. Pure misdirection, right. Obviously you can't capture all that complexity with the big plastic head. One size fits all. There's no need for a smaller plastic head representing the other 89% of all males, all babies, all children and the vast majority of women. Pure misdirection, right. And the controversy here? Notice how this works. This is clever.

Speaker 1: 21:26

The controversy here that you might need a smaller head for women and children only serves to reinforce the notion of using the plastic head, which is total nonsense. Do you get that? So any argument people might bring up and say well, you know, you're averaging that radiant energy over a huge head when babies have smaller heads and we don't want to expose them, we need a smaller head. That all only reinforces the notion of the plastic head, not model, being legitimate. Do you get that? If it doesn't heat, it doesn't harm. Verbal misdirection. It's a nice alliteration, but no truth to be found here. It focuses the attention on the wrong thing, all right. Next, it's okay to heat 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in six minutes. That's not heating. It's okay to heat. That's not heating. Again, total misdirection. And any arguing about whether it should be 1.8 degrees or two degrees or one degree only reinforces the legitimacy of the plastic head methodology. Any argument about duration maybe we should look at how the temperature rises over 10 minutes instead of six, for example, how long you cook the head just reinforces the validity of the fake testing argument. Are you getting this so?

Speaker 1: 23:08

Directing all the attention here does away with all the legitimate concern with peer reviewed research, like we've discussed about blood brain barrier permeability, digital dementia, calcium efflux within the cell, cataracts, altered brain metabolism, cardiac effects, microwave hearing, tinnitus and many other effects. Oh, and of course, cancer. The next one some phones failed testing, so they reclassified the ear as no longer part of the head. Of course this got attention. Of course legitimate scientists howls, howled, but it all only served to reinforce the fake head test methodology. Should we include the ear or not? That isn't our intention, has been totally diverted, do you see? Should we include the ear or not? Focus is the attention on the wrong thing. All right, so more failed. So it's okay to hold the phone away from the head during testing. More howling, more reinforcement, but the entire process is flawed.

Speaker 1: 24:25

We could go on, but I think you get the picture. This is how we wound up with the illusion of safety without any substance. And you know what? When you go to a magic show, and we're in the third section now. We've talked about what the safety testing entails and what is magic by misdirection and how that applies, and now we're in our final segment. So this is how we wound up with the illusion of safety without any substance. When you go to a magic show, you want to be fooled because it's fun. People today want their convenience, amusement and stimulation. They don't want to know the truth about the obvious dangers of RF radiation exposure.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Misdirection is a technique traditionally linked to the world of magic and illusion, where performers redirect the audience's attention to conceal the true nature of a trick. While in entertainment this craft is harmless and often appreciated, the concept of misdirection has taken on more nefarious role in today's digital area, where it is used to distract, to deceive and to manipulate. The advent of social media, for example, has amplified the capacity for misdirection on a grand scale. Platforms like Facebook, twitter and Instagram, while offering avenues for genuine connection and information sharing, have also become breeding grounds for misinformation. Algorithm driven feeds can subtly guide users toward content that confirms biases, creating echo chambers. This kind of digital misdirection can have real world consequences by reinforcing false beliefs and promoting divisive narratives.

Speaker 1: 26:56

Misinformation campaigns, especially those proliferating official channels, underscore the malicious potential of misdirection. These organized efforts manipulate by spreading false information or distorting facts to sway public sentiment. By diverting the public's attention toward carefully crafted narratives and away from the full truth, such campaigns can lead to misguided decisions, heightened prejudices or even spark conflicts. The potency of this calculated misdirection has been observed in political campaigns, public health crises and various other areas where public opinion is paramount. Traditional media is not exempt from the pitfalls of misdirection. News outlets, driven by ratings and often influenced by external pressures, can sometimes emphasize certain stories while downplaying or ignoring others, creating a skewed perception of events. Such selective presentation can misguide the public, diverting attention from pressing issues or framing events in a way that might not reflect the full reality. In summary, while the concept of misdirection originated in the innocent realm of performance magic, its principles have been co-opted in more insidious ways in our digital age. The ability to guide and manipulate perception, especially on a mass scale, underscores the importance of critical thinking and media literacy in today's interconnected world.

Speaker 1: 29:13

I need your support. If this content is helpful, would you support our efforts? Link below or on the website. If you haven't already, please write a review for the podcast. Keith Cutter emfremedycom. See you next time.