"When even one American-who has done nothing wrong-is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth-than all Americans are in peril."  A powerful and ominous statement we should pay attention to.  The freedom of expression, a cornerstone of a democratic society, is under attack.  Could it be the Dark Web becomes the 'land of freedom & free-thought' in the 21st century?  I believe it is possible.  It has the potential to fill the role.  Once home to mainly illicit drug traffickers, money launderers, identity thieves, and child pornography, the Dark Web is traditionally known as the 'red-light district' of the internet. Yet, this vast and untapped portion of the web has incredible potential to provide a truly open and free place for expression, away from the prying eyes of those currently controlling the clear web.   With Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and others crafting community standards which basically state, "you are free to express yourself, as long as what you express aligns exactly with what we tell you it is OK to express," many are getting tired of the control. The true power of the dark web is anonymity which feeds basic human desires:  the ability to express an opinion without fear, escape the prying eyes of the government, and others refusing to be part of the surveillance society putting billions of dollars into huge corporations profiteering off actions online.  We are not at the point, yet, in America where the Dark Web is mainstream, but this podcast discusses what it is all about, the potential of the Dark Web for good, its evolution beyond the realm of illicit activity, and why it could be the weapon citizens from Western democracies everywhere turn to fight against Big Tech and growingly corrupt and oppressive governments controlling thought, narrative, and news.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

What does it mean to be educated? The institution of higher education in the marketing brochures, pretty college catalogs, and mission statements paints the picture of a degree inextricably tied to being an educated citizen.  However, this is not necessarily true.The university is in a strong tug-of-war between an increasingly vocal camp that views the degree as a utility to learn job skills, which equates to a degree, which then opens access to a profession and higher-income against the traditional college and university mission of education as responsible for developing intellectual, cultural, and rhetorical sensibilities to push the individual and society at large to a higher level. This podcast looks at student perceptions, personal experiences working in higher education for 20+ years as both an administrator and instructor, analyzing the shortfalls of a college or university attempting to teach technical education skills in a world where the workplace is moving at break-neck speed, and finally what constitutes a truly educated individual, which is separate from the piece of paper being awarded in the college and university environment.In the end, we also identify some characteristics of an intellectually mature individual and some ways, whether inside the halls of higher education as a student or not, a person can become a more educated individual.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

It is election season, and you know 'that one friend' that 'one family member' you want to persuade to change their vote.  It is possible.  In the world of social media, effective and proper persuasive strategies are almost always abandoned for angry name-calling or posting snide memes meant more to mock or deride than actually have a real discussion.  Most online political debates have it all wrong and guarantee failure. However, it is possible to hold meaningful, open discussions with those who disagree with you and even convince them to change perspective.  Time-tested rhetorical strategies still apply today; however, we have just forgotten them or pushed them aside in our online world.You can be one of the few who can hold intellectually mature conversations with people you disagree with on politics or other tough subjects.   This podcast helps you become more effective at the art of persuasion.  You will learn about cognitive dissonance, motivated reasoning, and three core principles of persuasion.  In the end, with a new understanding, who knows, you may be able to 'flip a vote' to match your position in 2020.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

One great way to increase our fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, and distrust about life in America is to turn on cable news, settle into your comfortable chair for a few hours as the evening prime time political shows kick-off on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC or CNBC.  It is almost a guarantee you will leave feeling worse about yourself and life in general.  Ironically, Democrats and Republicans found something to agree on, they don't trust the media.  In fact, recent polls are showing trust in the media even lower than trust in politicians.  To score lower in trust than the politicians is hard to fathom, but the mainstream media and press managed to pull it off.   I thought it boring to regurgitate the same thing about the media that we hear every day—they are “fake news,” shamefully biased and self-serving.  By now we all know this is the case most of the time.This podcast is a historical look and analyzes how our free and independent press descended to this level of distrust, and even more importantly why.  Uncovering the how is a more straightforward problem to solve, but as is usually the case, the why is more challenging.   Both are explained in this podcast. Finally, we discuss steps all of us can take to hold the media machine accountable in what and how we consume their products.  Also, I discuss ways to bypass the media machine and still get the news we need to make informed decisions on important topics. I hope you enjoy and find value in the podcast.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

Technology has made life easier; however, there are unintended negative consequences of technology as well.  This includes the ability for politicians from both political parties, and the media, to influence and even deceive the electorate. In this podcast, I discuss both cognitive and psychological human traits that we are more susceptible thanks to the ever-increasing role of technology, social media, and digital news production in political messaging and the political news. In the field of politics and media, you can be certain, those in power, or those seeking power and influence, understand our natural human vulnerabilities, and they use them, daily, to sway and move opinion.  Many times they are influencing our behaviors, and we are not even aware it is happening.  However, if we understand the tactics those in power and those seeking power use against us, and we recognize our natural human tendencies, we can minimize the impact and control they hold over us.In fact, there are very simple, easy to implement actions we can begin using immediately.  Whether you have strong political opinions to the left or right, or you are not political at all, understanding the tactics of politicians and the media will in many ways free you from the drama and rhetoric, as well as help you discern fact from fiction much easier.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

Technology applied the wrong way, by the wrong people, over an extended period of time could end life as we know it in the United States of America. In this podcast, I will analyze how technology in the private sector and government institutions have been slowly eroding American personal privacy. It is important to understand how it happened and more importantly why it matters. Also, there are some common sense and simple actions we can all take to help minimize the potential negative outcomes of the surveillance society we now live.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

The cost of higher education has been exploding.  We all know it.  It is ravaging students with debt and literally, causing students to drop out, and is preventing students, especially from lower socio-economic backgrounds, from even attending college.  The reason for the cost increases are many, but one is a completely controllable phenomenon, self-inflicted by colleges that must be addressed--the hiring of armies of higher education administrators and staffers.  Administration plays a vital role in higher education, but while faculty salaries are stagnant, administrative salaries are skyrocketing, and while the student-to-faculty ratio has stayed pretty constant, the student-to-administrator ratio is up dramatically, while over half the faculty on college campuses are now adjuncts to save money, administrative personnel are still being hired into newly created full-time positions.  I bring a dual perspective to the podcast having worked as an Academic Administrator and as a Faculty member.  This problem doesn't just impact cost, but it impacts the entire experience and perception of higher education by society at large.  If we are not careful, higher education as we know it could literally sink itself to bankruptcy in the bureaucracy it is creating.  We discuss this important problem.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

I really have no idea what I want to do after I graduate.  This statement is one of the most common I hear from students as a College Instructor.  This podcast discusses higher education, the benefits, and pitfalls, the idea of taking a GAP year to discover a future track, analyzing technical or vocational opportunities, as well as the military and options for the 'creative free-spirits.'  There are intense pressures applied to high school seniors from parents, peer groups, and even society to conform; however, if we are honest, a perfectly straight line from high school to choosing a major, to a degree, to career success, to retirement is, for nearly all in society, a pipe dream, a facade, and an unrealistic expectation.  This podcast puts in context options, things to consider, and a roadmap for each student to find their own path.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

In this podcast, I am going to reveal some of the most perverse tactics politicians use to manipulate our minds to meet their desired outcomes.  Both Democrats and Republicans are equally guilty. Politicians are keenly drawn to behaviorism and specific classical conditioning for one simple reason. It has the capacity to control your behavior.  You will learn how this happens.  In a democracy, for the politician, one behavior matters above all other behaviors, show up and vote FOR ME, so anything and any way that a politician can influence behavior is of the utmost importance.  We must not remain complacent, lazy, or oblivious to this any longer!  By understanding the tactics, we can identify the offenders, and vote them out of office.  The politicians are happily content with society divided, as when voters are angry, name-calling, and attacking each other, the politicians quietly and complacently are not held accountable and sit in their cozy world in Washington DC.  By the end of the podcast, a new light will be shown on the devious, evil tactics deployed to manipulate your behavior and mine every day by politicians from both sides of the political aisle.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.

Society functions at its optimal level when nearly all people are conformists. This is a sad fact that those in power understand.  Modern civilization needs many sheep but very few shepherds.  Too many free-thinkers are dangerous to the status quo.  Thus, those that have power tend to manipulate the instruments of influence, the media, public institutions, social media, in a way to keep the majority of people complacent, even blissfully happy following along ‘the narrative’ the rich and powerful want.  This podcast discusses who are most susceptible to conformity, how the education system in America breeds conformity, and finally tools on how to reach intellectual and personal freedom in modern culture.

Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.