Shifting Baseline Syndrome and the Acceptance of Insanity
Shifting Baseline Syndrome: Gradually Accepting Insanity and Repression Without Realizing It and How to Break It Down
How Society Accepts Insanity and the Wall Breakers Who Shatter the Illusion and Wall Facers Who Build Sustained Restoration
Primary Category: Editorial & Commentary
Intended Audience: General Public / Others
Author:
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
About This Article
Shifting Baseline Syndrome explains how societies gradually accept increasingly extreme and repressive conditions without realizing the extent of the change. This psychological phenomenon has led to historical tragedies, such as the slow erosion of Jewish rights in Nazi Germany, and is evident today in the normalization of censorship, political persecution, and economic instability in both Europe and the United States. Societies often fail to recognize these changes as they happen, making it difficult to resist them until it is too late.
However, throughout history, a rare group of individuals—Wall Breakers and Wall Facers—have emerged to disrupt this cycle and bring about change. Wall Breakers, like Donald Trump, shatter the illusions society has grown accustomed to, forcing people to confront uncomfortable truths. Meanwhile, Wall Facers, like Elon Musk, play the long game, working strategically to dismantle corrupt systems from within. These figures serve as instruments of reset, challenging the establishment and offering society a chance to reclaim its sanity before the shifting baseline drags civilization further into dysfunction.
Shifting Baseline Syndrome: Gradually Accepting Insanity and Repression Without Realizing It and How to Break It Down
How Society Accepts Insanity and the Wall Breakers Who Shatter the Illusion and Wall Facers Who Build Sustained Restoration
Throughout history, societies have shown a disturbing tendency to slowly accept increasingly extreme circumstances, behaviors, and restrictions that would have once been unthinkable.
This phenomenon, which is not unique to only humans, is known as shifting baseline syndrome, which occurs when each new level of abnormality becomes the new norm, allowing for gradual societal change without immediate resistance.
It explains how people tolerate escalating repression, how extreme ideas gain mainstream acceptance, and how societies can be manipulated into submission without realizing how far they’ve strayed from their original values.
How Shifting Baseline Syndrome Works
Shifting baseline syndrome is a psychological process where people’s perception of what is “normal” changes over time in response to gradual shifts in their environment. This concept was originally used in environmental science to describe how each generation perceives ecological decline as normal because they compare it only to the conditions they grew up with, rather than to historical conditions. However, this same mechanism applies to social and political change.
When people are exposed to incremental change, their minds adjust, and what once seemed extreme becomes more tolerable.
This adaptation happens in small steps, so that by the time people realize how much things have changed, the transformation is already deeply embedded in society. Because the shift happens so slowly, there is little outright resistance—each new phase feels just slightly different from the last, rather than an obvious break from previous norms.
Shifting Baselines and the Repression of the Jews in Nazi Germany
One of the most infamous examples of shifting baseline syndrome is how Jewish peoples and other marginalized groups were gradually stripped of their rights under Nazi rule. When Adolf Hitler first came to power in 1933, many Germans—including Jews—did not believe the situation would escalate into what it ultimately became. They believed in the system and assumed that things could not possibly get worse. However, they did.
The Nazi government did not immediately implement mass extermination camps. Instead, repression came in stages:
- Jews were first barred from certain professions.
- Then, their businesses were marked and boycotted.
- Next, laws stripped them of citizenship and other basic rights.
- Eventually, they were forced into ghettos, and only after years of conditioning did the world witness the horrors of the Holocaust.
Each step, though shocking, was accepted by many as just a small increase in discrimination from what had already been tolerated. Many Jews hoped the situation would stabilize or improve, but shifting baselines meant that the abnormal quickly became normal, and the population at large was conditioned to accept ever-increasing levels of repression.
Shifting Baselines in Modern-Day Europe and the United States
This psychological phenomenon is not limited to history—it is unfolding in real-time across the world.
In Europe, we see increasing restrictions on free speech, the criminalization of dissent, and state control over individual freedoms—all justified as necessary for safety, political correctness, or social harmony. Citizens accept these new norms because they arrive gradually, not as a sudden, radical shift.
In the United States, the past four years have provided a clear example of how shifting baseline syndrome operates. Political polarization reached unprecedented levels, extreme ideologies gained traction, and people accepted increasingly authoritarian policies on both ends of the political spectrum, while corruption in every corner of government was draining the treasury. Actions that would have once been considered outrageous—whether it was mass censorship, open borders and inviting the world’s criminals in, blatant misinformation, political persecution, or the normalization of street violence—became part of everyday discourse.
This gradual acceptance is dangerous because once a society becomes accustomed to extreme policies or ideologies, reversing them becomes nearly impossible without major upheaval – without a ‘Wall Breaker.’ People become invested in the new reality, and even when faced with clear evidence that they have accepted insanity, many continue to defend it rather than acknowledge how far things have fallen and are broken.
Why Do We Keep Falling for This?
Humans (and other animals) have an innate tendency to conform to their surroundings (think of the boiling frog.) The brain prioritizes short-term stability over long-term foresight, meaning that as long as change happens slowly, we are more likely to adapt rather than resist. Several psychological mechanisms contribute to this:
- Normalization of Deviance – The more we see something, the more it feels normal. What seemed extreme five years ago becomes tolerable today.
- Fear of Standing Out – Many people fear being the first to object, especially if they see others around them complying.
- Authority Bias – People trust institutions and leaders, assuming they know what’s best, even when those institutions are acting against the public interest.
- Learned Helplessness – When people believe they have no power to change things, they stop resisting and instead try to adapt.
Breaking the Cycle
If shifting baseline syndrome is such a natural human tendency, how do we resist it?
Historically, it has taken strong, independent leaders and voices of reason to break people out of their gradual acceptance of insanity. In every era of rising authoritarianism or societal decay, it was a small but courageous minority that helped the majority see clearly how far they had fallen.
Breaking free from this cycle requires:
- Awareness – Recognizing that shifting baselines are at play helps people stay vigilant against gradual manipulation.
- Critical Thinking – Questioning new norms rather than blindly accepting them is key to preventing normalization of extremism.
- Speaking Out – Those who notice the changes must have the courage to point them out, even when it is unpopular.
- Historical Perspective – Understanding history helps identify repeating patterns before they escalate beyond control.
History has shown that societies can drift into chaos, extremism, or repression without realizing it, simply because the changes were incremental. The only way to prevent this from happening again is to stay aware, question everything, and refuse to accept each new level of insanity as the new normal. However, often that is not enough – it takes ‘Wall Breakers’ and ‘Wall Facers’ to save civilization.
Wall Breakers and Wall Facers: How Trump and Musk are Instruments of Reset
In the case of great societal shifts, there are two types of figures that sometimes emerge to save humanity—Wall Breakers and Wall Facers. These terms, inspired by Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem series, describe two opposing but essential forces in the battle against entrenched narratives, shifting baselines, and creeping authoritarianism.
A Wall Breaker is someone who crashes through the structures that have been built around society, exposing the hidden rot and forcing people to confront uncomfortable truths. They are disruptive forces, often ridiculed or feared, but ultimately necessary to destroy illusions and clear the way for renewal. A Wall Facer, by contrast, is a strategist, someone who sees the long game and operates under extreme secrecy, manipulating events from behind the scenes to alter the course of history.
Example Wall Breakers
Wall breakers are individuals who disrupt the status quo, challenge societal norms, and force humanity to re-evaluate long-accepted beliefs. These figures often emerge in times of great crisis or stagnation, breaking through entrenched systems, institutions, or ideologies to bring about transformative change. Here are twelve historical examples of wall breakers:
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Jesus Christ (4 BCE – 30 CE) – Challenged the religious and political establishment of his time, preaching radical ideas about love, forgiveness, and equality that ultimately laid the foundation for one of the world’s largest religions.
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Martin Luther (1483–1546) – Initiated the Protestant Reformation by challenging the Catholic Church’s authority, breaking the theological monopoly of Rome and reshaping Christianity in Europe.
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Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) – Defied the Catholic Church and the scientific consensus of his time by proving heliocentrism, fundamentally altering our understanding of the universe.
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George Washington (1732–1799) – Led the American colonies in their break from British rule, establishing a new nation built on democratic principles that would inspire revolutions worldwide.
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Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) – Reshaped Europe by dismantling monarchies and spreading the Napoleonic Code, which emphasized meritocracy, legal equality, and secular governance.
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Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) – Broke the wall of slavery in the United States, defying political norms and leading the nation through the Civil War to abolish slavery permanently.
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Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) – Shattered the paradigm of colonial rule by using nonviolent resistance to dismantle British control over India, proving that peaceful defiance could overthrow empires.
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Winston Churchill (1874–1965) – Stood as a lone voice against appeasement policies and rallied Britain to fight against Nazi Germany when many sought compromise, breaking the illusion of peace through submission.
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Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) – Helped break the Soviet Union’s ideological grip on the world through his firm stance against communism, revitalizing the U.S. economy and pushing for the collapse of the Iron Curtain.
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In the modern political and cultural landscape, Donald Trump—POTUS 47—has stepped in as a Wall Breaker, smashing through the carefully constructed false realities that have lulled people into complacency. Meanwhile, Elon Musk serves as a Wall Facer, a thinker and tactician who works less through direct confrontation, but by positioning himself and his enterprises in ways that slowly dismantle the system from within.
Trump: The Wall Breaker Who Disrupts the Accepted Order
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency as POTUS 47 is not just a political event—it is a shattering of the shifting baseline that has conditioned Americans to accept ever-increasing insanity. Over the past decade, cultural, social, and economic norms have been fundamentally altered, pushing society toward a state of hyper-polarization, government overreach, unimagined corruption, and ideological extremism. What once would have been unthinkable—unfettered censorship, mass surveillance, the criminalization of dissent, blatant robbing of tax dollars, and the open vilification of national identity—had become disturbingly routine.
But Trump, in his characteristic way, refuses to play by these new rules. Instead of quietly accepting the shifting baseline, he forces the conversation back to what used to be self-evident truths—such as the necessity of free speech, the protection of national sovereignty, and the idea that government should serve the people rather than itself.
As a Wall Breaker, Trump does not merely challenge the status quo—he demolishes it. He forces people to confront the absurdity of what they’ve come to accept as normal. His mere presence in the political sphere exposes the corruption, hypocrisy, and deceit that underlie modern governance. This is why he is so fiercely opposed—not just by his political rivals, but by the entire establishment, including the media, corporate elites, and globalist power structures.
The Challenges of Breaking the Wall
For the masses, having a Wall Breaker in power is both liberating and terrifying. The destruction of a corrupted system means upheaval, uncertainty, and resistance from those who benefit from the current state of affairs. Trump’s leadership means that Americans will have to confront how far they’ve allowed things to slip, and that recognition can be painful. Many will fight back, not because they believe in the shifting baseline, but because they fear the instability that comes with tearing it down.
This is the great challenge of a Wall Breaker: they are not universally loved, even among those who will ultimately benefit from their actions. People who have adapted to the altered reality often feel a sense of Stockholm Syndrome—clinging to the very system that has manipulated them, simply because it feels familiar.
But breaking the wall is necessary. Without it, society continues its descent into madness, with each generation normalizing a reality more dysfunctional than the last. Trump’s presidency, in this sense, is not just a return to political leadership—it is an existential reset for the country, a forced reckoning with the falsehoods that have been embedded into the culture.
Elon Musk: The Wall Facer Who Thinks Ahead
If Trump is the Wall Breaker, Elon Musk is the Wall Facer. While Trump smashes through the illusions head-on, Musk plays the long game, setting up the future in ways that subtly undermine the systems that seek to control society. Wall Facers operate in the open, but their strategies remain secret, working behind the scenes to dismantle power structures while keeping their true intentions obscured. They are not Machiavellian Overloads, but the architects of the reset society.
Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X) was a classic Wall Facer move. By taking over one of the world’s largest social media platforms, he did not directly challenge the shifting baseline—he subverted it. By restoring free speech policies, exposing censorship collusion, and gradually changing the way information is disseminated, he has slowly begun the process of unwinding the control that governments and ideological elites have over public discourse.
His efforts in artificial intelligence, space exploration, and electric vehicles are not just technological advancements; they are positioning moves. Musk is methodically establishing himself in industries that will define the future, ensuring that centralized power cannot easily manipulate them. While many see his projects as purely scientific or business-driven, the truth is that his actions strategically disrupt the globalist agenda, whether in communications (Starlink), transportation (Tesla), or economic structures (X’s payment systems).
Examples of Historical Wall Facers
Wall facers, a concept from The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, are individuals who strategically think beyond conventional understanding, anticipating future threats and working in secrecy or against overwhelming opposition to ensure humanity’s survival or advancement. They are long-term visionaries who see past immediate concerns, often appearing eccentric or enigmatic, yet their ideas shape the future in profound ways. Here are twelve historical examples of wall facers:
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Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha (563 BCE–483 BCE ) – could be seen as both a wall breaker and a wall facer, depending on how we frame his impact. His revolutionary approach to human suffering and spiritual enlightenment shattered established norms (wall breaker), but his long-term, systematic approach to reshaping human consciousness and society aligned with the strategies of a wall facer.
- Sun Tzu (544–496 BCE) – The author of The Art of War, he understood the importance of psychological warfare, deception, and long-term strategic thinking in military conflicts. His principles are still used today in business, politics, and warfare.
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) – A polymath who imagined flying machines, submarines, and other advanced technologies centuries ahead of his time. His work was largely theoretical due to technological limitations, but his vision inspired later scientific breakthroughs.
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Isaac Newton (1643–1727) – Developed the foundations of classical physics and calculus, providing a framework that would only be fully understood and expanded upon centuries later. His theories laid the groundwork for modern science and engineering.
- Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) – an innovator, a revolutionary thinker, and a key figure in breaking down the existing social, political, and scientific norms of his time. He challenged the status quo in multiple fields—science, politics, journalism, and diplomacy—helping to reshape the world in the present and future in tangible ways. Franklin’s role was in disrupting and reshaping the world rather than in long-term strategic concealment or manipulation of information, which is characteristic of a wall facer. He was a bold force for breaking walls down, not hiding behind them.
- Franklin Was a Political Revolutionary – He played a critical role in dismantling British colonial rule over America. As a Franklin
- Franklin Was a Founding Father of the United States, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence and influenced the Constitution.
- Franklin Was a Scientific and Technological Innovator – His experiments with electricity and the invention of the lightning rod broke existing barriers to scientific understanding.
- Franklin Was a Diplomatic Disruptor – His negotiations in France were instrumental in securing support for the American Revolution, fundamentally shifting the global power structure.
- Franklin Was an Economic Reformer and Public Servant – He established public libraries, the first fire department, and public hospitals, challenging old models of governance and civic responsibility.
- Nicola Tesla (1856–1943) – Often ridiculed in his time, Tesla’s visionary ideas about wireless energy, alternating current, and radio technology were far ahead of his era. His inventions and theoretical work became the backbone of modern electrical engineering.
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John von Neumann (1903–1957) – A mathematical genius who foresaw the implications of artificial intelligence, game theory, and nuclear strategy, influencing Cold War policies and modern computing.
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Alan Turing (1912–1954) – Conceived of the modern computer and artificial intelligence decades before technology caught up. His work not only helped break the Nazi Enigma code but also laid the foundation for AI research.
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Winston Churchill (1874–1965) – While known as a wall breaker, he also functioned as a wall facer, warning about the rise of Nazi Germany long before others recognized the threat. His insistence on military preparedness and strategic alliances helped save Britain and much of Europe.
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J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967) – As the head of the Manhattan Project, he was instrumental in the development of nuclear weapons but also foresaw the existential dangers they posed. His later opposition to nuclear proliferation showed his awareness of long-term threats to humanity.
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Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) can absolutely be considered a wall facer due to his long-term strategic vision that played a crucial role in reshaping the geopolitical landscape, particularly in the Cold War era. His actions, rhetoric, and diplomatic influence helped erode Communist regimes, particularly in Eastern Europe, culminating in the fall of the Soviet Union.
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Instruments of Reset
The presence of both a Wall Breaker and a Wall Facer at the same time is rare but powerful. Trump and Musk serve complementary roles—one smashing the illusion, the other positioning society for what comes next. While Trump exposes corruption, reasserts traditional values, and forces people to confront the absurdity of what they’ve accepted, Musk ensures that there are alternative systems in place to prevent a return to control by the same elites.
Their actions make the establishment desperate. They cannot control the chaos that Trump brings, nor can they predict the moves that Musk is making. This is why both are attacked relentlessly. The system fears both brute-force disruption and long-term strategy, and together, Trump and Musk represent the most significant challenge to the controlled shifting baseline that has dominated Western civilization in recent decades.
What This Means for Society
For those trapped within the shifting baseline, Trump’s return and Musk’s influence will feel like a massive rupture in reality. People who have grown accustomed to the slow decline will suddenly be forced to see how much has changed, and that realization will not come easily. Some will resist, clinging to the past version of the world they’ve accepted, while others will wake up to the deception that has been slowly unfolding.
It will be a difficult process. Tearing down illusions is never comfortable. But it is necessary. Without a Wall Breaker, the system remains unchallenged, and without a Wall Facer, there is no path forward once the walls fall.
In the end, the presence of these figures marks the beginning of a great reset—not the artificial, globalist-controlled “Great Reset,” but a real reset, one driven by those who seek freedom, truth, and the restoration of reason in an age of creeping insanity.
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