Hitler wanted more land for the Germans, and only for the Germans. He repeatedly said he’d do this, and then he did it. What did the elites of the time think about this? Nothing, because they didn’t read his book detailing his evil plans. They thought, instead, that he didn’t have any great territorial ambitions, that he wanted peace, that he wasn’t one of history’s greatest monsters. They just hallucinated a bunch of motives to him.
I’m reading a book about this right now and part of the problem was that he drowned out the old stuff with new stuff. Like, he didn’t un-publish Mein Kampf, but he did literally repeatedly say he wanted peace, in all sorts of speeches, and propose various peace plans, and so forth. He for example offered to disarm Germany if Britain and France would disarm as well. (He correctly guessed they wouldn’t call his bluff)
So IRL super villains will openly monologue on their plans, but when it is convenient they’ll say “I don’t want to set fire to the sun any more, trust me bro”?
The inner circle knows what the real authoritative sources are and what the real plan is. And it’s made completely impenetrable to outsiders; everyone else gets lost in the performative smoke screen that’s put on for those who don’t look closely, they get told what they want to hear. The trick that makes it work is as you say, most people who read the real plan, assume that’s just not the super villain’s best work, and go read something “less crazy”. Those who might be swayed read the same thing and go “that’s out there, but just maybe he’s got a point?” and maybe look just a little closer. The self sorting seems really important to how movements like this avoid being killed in the cradle.
I’m reading a book about this right now and part of the problem was that he drowned out the old stuff with new stuff. Like, he didn’t un-publish Mein Kampf, but he did literally repeatedly say he wanted peace, in all sorts of speeches, and propose various peace plans, and so forth. He for example offered to disarm Germany if Britain and France would disarm as well. (He correctly guessed they wouldn’t call his bluff)
So IRL super villains will openly monologue on their plans, but when it is convenient they’ll say “I don’t want to set fire to the sun any more, trust me bro”?
The inner circle knows what the real authoritative sources are and what the real plan is. And it’s made completely impenetrable to outsiders; everyone else gets lost in the performative smoke screen that’s put on for those who don’t look closely, they get told what they want to hear. The trick that makes it work is as you say, most people who read the real plan, assume that’s just not the super villain’s best work, and go read something “less crazy”. Those who might be swayed read the same thing and go “that’s out there, but just maybe he’s got a point?” and maybe look just a little closer. The self sorting seems really important to how movements like this avoid being killed in the cradle.