Why elites are always able to win — The Werewolf Game

This blew my mind when I heard about it.

The Werewolf Party Game rules goes as follows:

Players get either a good role (villager) or a bad role (werewolf). The Werewolves secretly choose someone to “kill.” Then all the players discuss and vote on who they think the werewolves are. The player with the most votes gets “killed” (out of the game).

If all the werewolves are caught (villagers win) or if the werewolves outnumber the villagers (werewolves win).

The werewolves often win because they have the ability to manipulate the villagers psychologically. They start with hidden identities, allowing them to sow doubt and suspicion among the villagers. The fear of being targeted by werewolves can lead to paranoia and mistrust among the villagers, making it easier for the werewolves to blend in and manipulate the discussion. Plus, the uncertainty of not knowing who to trust can cause villagers to make rash decisions or second-guess their instincts, further playing into the werewolves’ hands. Overall, the psychological aspect of fear, doubt, and mistrust contributes significantly to the werewolves’ success in the game.

Those in power are using this exact psychological manipulation to collaborate with each other and deceive the masses effectively.

source

This game is crucial to real-world epistemology. It explains why elites virtually always win (in the end). It explains why democracy is a fantasy at best and why we can never expect anything approaching perfect knowledge in the public sphere. When you add to this game the pressure put on elites by the KOBK game, you will have a good understanding of why elites behave as they do and why this world is such a savage place at both the bottom and the top. Maybe somewhere in the middle sometimes it is not so bad; for example, the West between 1950-2001. ABN