Targeted Individual
Targeted Individual
Targeted Individual
"
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
@JohnCastillo212121@gmail.com
P.O 530 51st Brooklyn NY
+1 (917) 660-8907
The article explores the phenomenon of “Targeted Individuals'' (TIs) who believe they are
under constant surveillance and harassment by government agencies or other powerful entities. It
delves into how TIs use online platforms to share their experiences and seek support, often
encountering skepticism from outsiders. It analyzes TI media through psychoanalytic and
rhetorical lenses, arguing that it functions as a kind of psychotic cultural structure. The study
examines how TIs construct their identities and narratives, blending fact and fiction to create a
sense of significance and community. Ultimately, it suggests that understanding the TI movement
requires considering it as a complex interplay of belief, pseudoscience, and psychology.
A targeted individual is someone who has been put under a watchlist program to psychologically torture
the individual via gangstalking and harrassment and through electronic means such as infrasound,
electromagnetic radiation, synthetic telepathy
Aka Voice of God weapon) which was used In Iraq by the US military. Psychological torturing of
the individual starts with prep work, where you are being watched, however you are not aware that
you are being watched. The purpose of watching you discreetly is to ensure that your triggers,
stressors, things that impact you in a negative way can be ascertained in silence and a
psychological profile of you can be created and can be used against you in an overt but subtle
way repeatedly day after day once they do decide to make you aware of your overt targeting. In
the community, this normally takes place in the form of gang stalking where groups of
communities are told to watch and harrass you and since you are now aware that you are being
targeted, it takes a psychological toll on your health and makes you look paranoid and in need of
medical attention, which is their goal. At work, this normally takes place in the form of workplace
bullying whereby a handler is chosen to harass you by overburdening you with work, slandering
you in an office, you can be anywhere really, by sensitizing you to stimuli and putting you in
discomfort. At your home these gangstalkers will occupy apartments above and beside you to
harass you with noise campaigns such as banging doors, loud whistling noises, honking horns
outside your apartment, and implanting technologies inside your home. People describe their
homes broken into and bugged by these dark shadowy actors, they appear in a blink of an eye
and disappear as soon as you see them.
All in a means to put you in a hypervigilant state, not letting you sleep by making noises just
before you go to bed so that you get panic attacks and are unable to sleep. At extreme ends you
will also be targeted by your neighbors and these people through infrasound, certain frequencies
which target different portions of your body and make you severely ill causing headaches, vertigo,
stomach pain, ulcers. When the targeting gets extreme you will also be exposed to people talking
about you remotely using synthetic telepathy which beams the sound to you only. Occasionally,
these themes connect to esoteric knowledge and the occult, in the sense that malevolent and
supernatural powers like sorcery or demons are invoked as sources of explanation. The details of
these technologies are available in the public domain and can be researched and some have
actually been used in wars by the US military. So as you can see this is a psychological warfare
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
against an individual and the community goes along with this because they have been told lies
about you as a person by someone in a position of authority (government, intelligence agencies,
military, police) and because as a citizen you will not question these authority figures, you are
made to believe what they say and are unable as a targeted individual to explain your story in
return. Communities who target individuals also know the harm that they are causing to an
individual but continue to do so nonetheless for fear of similar repercussions, if they do not
comply with the authority figure. So you are psychologically tortured at home, at work, on the
road and this is a targeted individual's daily life. Since this goes on repeatedly year after year,
there is little a person can do, but educate the community online or in person about this
harrassment and torture program and become an activist to show the true nature of these rogue
people and expose them for what they actually are in the public's eyes. All these activities are
unconstitutional, and are a severe invasion of privacy without any probable cause, yet they
continue unchallenged because the fear these rogue people have instilled in the public and the
targeted individuals basically remain targeted for the rest of their lives. They neither are charged
with a crime, neither see their day in court, and never get justice. This creates a world where the
power dynamics troubling TIs appear both unseen and unavoidable. Consequently, many of the
messages shared by TIs depict mundane, ordinary situations. A targeted individual is treated
worse than a criminal, even though you didn’t do anything illegally wrong. As a target you have to
stand up for yourself.
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
Examples of how being a target can result in someone dying. Or can be excused as cardiac
arrest or and unexplained death
Direct energy weapons, such as microwave weapons, can indeed induce heart attacks by targeting the body's
nervous system and causing disruption to the heart's rhythm. These weapons can quickly incapacitate targets by
overwhelming their physiological systems, leading to a fast kill scenario. However, it's worth noting that the
development and deployment of such weapons are highly controversial and regulated. These type of situations can
be dangerous, people die and many think it’s a heart attack or a stroke, but in reality it’s these hidden implants
planted by FBI/ CIA agents who want to have full control over you.
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
with, Marcella Abreu, May, 27th,1999, 10:48am and Conrad Abreu, April, 11th, 1996, 3:54am.
My mother Fe del Carmen Gerez, alongside my Aunt, Carmen Gerez, who share the same
chart, and surprisingly are identical twins. March 13, 1996, 9:00pm. My close cousin who
originated from the Dominican Republic, Adrianna Gerez Carela, March 18, 2004, 2:00am. Two
of my online friends, who subsequently introduced me to this world of magic. Reí and Amber,
Reí originating from the Philippines, born on June, 27th, 2004, 2:45pm. Amber originating from
Maryland, United States. Born on March, 17th, 2005, 12:15pm.
However, in the past eight months, I believe I became a targeted individual, experiencing
voice-to-skull technology, remote neural programming, and suffering from what he perceives as
CIA MK Ultra/Mind-Control experimentation. I attribute this targeting to my inclusion to a secret
government watchlist, a secret agency nominates you to the list, and appeals through that
agency's ombudsman, privacy officer or Inspector General. I believe I was put on the list around
May 2023. The targeted individual (TI) community primarily comprises self-published accounts
detailing privacy violations they attribute to various intelligence agencies, including the FBI, CIA,
and NSA. Members allege a global campaign of harassment, surveillance, and disruption
against ordinary individuals. They produce media promoting core community ideas, ranging
from documentaries of varying production quality to discussions on TI-specific topics. While the
community spans multiple digital platforms like YouTube, Reddit, and Soundcloud, it also
extends to sites like archive.org, Tumblr, Quora, and Medium. Additionally, there’s self-published
literature on platforms like Amazon and services like Advanced Electronic Security Co. offer
solutions to electronic harassment. Despite this decentralized presence, offline advocates like
Freedom For Targeted Individuals organization coordinate public demonstrations and advertise
on billboards, reflecting a diffuse network. This dispersed nature underscores the examination of
the group’s dynamics and why TIs engage across various platforms. The community’s thematic
interests attract individuals concerned about privacy violations and those experiencing paranoia
due to mental health issues. Exploring how TI label brings disparate groups together is of
interest, focusing on mediated interactions. By adopting this approach, the study avoids
definitive judgments on delusion versus legitimate concern, instead focusing on how TIs relate
to language and social conventions. Scholars have noted how socialTowards Understanding
TIs as a Cultural Position Examining historical examples provides crucial context for
comprehending the broader cultural history of psychosis and media preceding the circulation of
TI and gangstalking ideas. Psychoanalytic theory not only offers historical context but also
insights into understanding TI public communication, particularly by elucidating the rhetorical
aspects and affective investment within TI media. Understanding language through a
tropological lens, especially with Lacanian concepts, clarifies why individuals heavily invest in
identification and how meaning is sustained. Psychoanalysis, specifically the concept of
psychosis, offers a framework for interpreting seemingly puzzling TI behaviors without engaging
in medical diagnosis. Instead, it focuses on the tropological structures underlying TI media and
how affective investment, signification, and repetition contribute to the legibility of TI
identification in the public sphere. TI media serves as public speech that not only addresses a
specific audience but also predicates certain qualities of the subject producing it. Understanding
how trope organizes individual and collective identity on platforms provides insight into how TIs
perceive themselves and form bonds of affiliation. The focus is more on the role of media
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
NSA, CIA, or FBI. Lacanian psychoanalysis provides a lens to understand how the TI
community coheres through the failures and foreclosure of meaning, particularly around the
absence of doubt in TI discourse. Instead of being termed a “contradiction in terms,” Lacan
urges us to perceive the unconscious as the part of concrete discourse beyond the subject’s
control in maintaining conscious continuity. Essentially, the unconscious exists outside the
subject and contributes to subjectivity in a way that defies categorization as solely individual or
group psychology. Lacan famously likened the unconscious to a language, highlighting its
structural similarity to natural language but emphasizing its lack of rigid signification rules. He
attributed this structuring to the combinatory powers that give order to language’s equivocations,
akin to the work done by ethnographers and philosophers on completely unconscious systems.
Thus, the unconscious serves as a repository of potential meanings for signs to gain intelligible
significance, independent of any subject or internal conception. Lacan’s concept of the
fragmented subject, epitomized in the mirror stage, underscores the subject’s inability to fully
align experience with self-representation. This failure marks the subject’s initial encounter with
desire and the recognition of something beyond significance. Desire becomes mediated through
language, with signification representing but not encompassing the desideratum, leading to an
unattainable remainder. The mirror stage allegorizes the subject’s entry into language and its
interplay with the visual field, illustrating Lacan’s notion of the subject’s mirror relation to the
world and the ensuing sense of castration. This deprivation of wholeness instills a perpetual
quest for coherence and order, whether in individual consciousness or broader social contexts.
Lacan’s engagement with rhetorical theory illuminates how tropes structure the symbolic
economy of sign exchange among subjects. Tropes, functioning as turning mechanisms, not
only shape language’s formal structure but also underpin social life’s possibility. Lundberg
distinguishes between general and specific economies of tropes, with the latter manifesting in
concrete relations through public identitarian commitments. Understanding language as
inherently troped underscores its reliance on metonymy and metaphor for differentiation and
connection, challenging the notion of direct reference. Transitioning to Lacan’s tripartite model
of the Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real, these registers collectively define the subject’s
experience. The Imaginary represents a realm of illusory completeness where subjects attribute
definite meaning to signifiers, driven by jouissance. Jouissance, operating beyond purpose,
organizes the subject through repetitive tropic labor, facilitating the formation of ego-ideal
representations. In contrast, the Symbolic governs signification and language usage, framing
human discourse and authorizing referential pretension. The subject’s desire is articulated within
this social field, mediated by the Other, which acts as the locus of speech and intersubjectivity.
Meanwhile, the Real resists symbolization, embodying contingency and failure in
communication, thereby preventing Lacan’s theory from being strictly structuralist. Psychosis,
characterized by foreclosure of a signifier, entails a mode of relating to the symbolic order
beyond conventional social links. Psychotic subjects attempt to communicate something
transcending language’s limits, often with a distinctive certainty about their experiences. TIs,
entrenched in existential questions about their tormentors and their selection for mistreatment,
interpret occurrences like gang stalking as coded threats to their identity, grappling with
uncertainties about the veracity of their experiences. One influential study of complaints from
the TI community suggests that the majority of complaints about stalking are improbable or
impossible. Despite this, TI discourse often focuses on real military experiments with mind
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
control and domestic kidnappings by the CIA, which reinforces their convictions. This discourse
fills a void in their symbolic order, elevating these topics because they seem closer to reality.
This dissertation proposes that a shared foreclosure of certain meanings serves as the basis of
community among TIs. They unite around beliefs that surveillance dominates everyday life and
that the state intrudes regularly. This shared sense of lack of safety fosters a mediated
connection among TIs. TI discourse excludes alternative explanations, insisting that these
assaults are pervasive and occurring openly. This refusal to entertain other possibilities
contributes to the persistent presence of mind control narratives in TI discourse. TI narratives
often suggest a significant Other orchestrating their suffering, reflecting a paranoid distance
from reality. This belief in an occluded power compensates for a perceived lack in the Symbolic,
creating an imagined social sphere driven by deterministic forces. This mindset contrasts with
mainstream society’s acceptance of contingency and chance. TI discourse, rooted in a
foreclosure of certain meanings, configures believers as subject to relentless surveillance and
harassment by the state. This cultural structure is contingent on global changes, such as the
rise of Web 2.0, enabling the growth of TI media through increased reliance on user-produced
content. Psychoanalytic theory offers insights into these conditions, as TIs perceive an
underlying structure organizing society and producing violence, which remains invisible to
others. By circulating their narratives publicly, TIs create a community bound by shared beliefs
in the face of perceived threats. Online communities, a fixture of digital communication, have
surged in prominence with platforms like Facebook highlighting their role. These communities,
including “Targeted Individuals International,” have attracted individuals like Myron May, who
later committed acts of violence. While some platforms are tightening content moderation, the TI
movement has largely remained untouched. The movement’s growth owes much to online
platforms, which facilitate discourse and community building. Social media’s role in shaping the
TI movement underscores broader shifts in internet dynamics, from diffusion to centralization.
Platforms like Reddit’s “r/gangstalking” serve as hubs for TI discourse, where anonymity fosters
open discussion. TI media, characterized by paranoia and conspiracy, reflects a collective
narrative fueled by digital platforms. This discourse, akin to a public delusional metaphor,
provides a social link for discussing otherwise ineffable experiences, akin to Schreber’s “Order
of the World.” Such narratives, while fantastical, offer a sense of consistency and identity within
the TI community. TI individuals use compensatory symbolism to position themselves against
society, shaped by their unique relationship with the Symbolic. This immersion in a world where
everything holds meaning fosters intense investment in an alternative system of law. By
understanding the various roles of the Other in TI media, we can decipher the movement’s
enigmatic features and its connections. TI organizations and online hubs raise awareness about
issues like gangstalking, employing delusional metaphors to form public identities. These
metaphors serve as anchors, stabilizing meaning for psychotic subjects amidst existential
questions. TI discourse, facilitated by digital platforms, provides a framework for understanding
identity and social relations, offering a lens into how individuals shape themselves in imagined
social worlds. The production and consumption of TI media form a rhetorical ecology, sustaining
a specific economy of trope that stabilizes signification. Understanding these dynamics sheds
light on the complex interplay between identity, media, and society in the digital age. The study
of habit has been a consistent focus in communication studies, allowing for discussions on
adaptation and continuity. Early research, like an article in the Quarterly Journal of Speech,
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
explored how radio broadcasts influenced people’s speech habits, with listeners unknowingly
adopting phrases from broadcasters. Wendy Chun has more recently theorized new media as
habitual, blurring the lines between publicity and privacy. She suggests that online platforms
enable habitual mediation of self, raising questions about fairness in communicative
infrastructure. While certain media may not achieve viral status, the reproduction and
propagation of content are crucial dynamics shaping communities, making virality a relevant
term. Tony D. Sampson proposes a theory of cultural contagion where individuals, like
somnambulists, unconsciously imitate behaviors observed in their environment. This view offers
insights into why certain cultural artifacts sustain interest and are shared widely. Virality also
intersects with Lacanian theory, particularly in understanding psychosis. Subjects may
unconsciously imitate behaviors and experience feelings of invasion by external forces, similar
to the experience of being possessed by language in psychosis. Analyzing philosopher Daniel
Dennett’s works on memes, Žižek characterizes Lacanian theory as memetic, suggesting that
memes penetrate the subject parasitically to reproduce. This phenomenon elicits incredulity, as
subjects often disavow their role in propagating memes to protect their ego. Regarding
conspiracy theories, Hayes argues that communities sustain speculation over time, adapting
theories in response to events. This collective authorship explains the persistence of certain
phenomena and feelings of paranoia among believers. In Lacanian theory, the psychotic subject
excludes themselves as a participant in the production of unconscious formations, attributing
responsibility to external entities like intelligence agencies. This fixation on charged themes,
observed in TI communities, highlights underlying truths about surveillance. Drive, a complex
notion in psychoanalytic theory, accounts for contradictory impulses and persistent patterns of
behavior. Despite knowing they may not find satisfaction, subjects continue habitual actions,
finding gratification in failure. TI communities exhibit a basic form of relationality online, seeking
recognition and stability in alternative symbolic orders. These communities desire validation
from others and utilize online platforms as stable representations before the Other. The
subreddit r/gangstalking serves as a platform for individuals to share their experiences and
discuss the phenomenon of predatory gangstalking. Established in 2011, the subreddit hosts a
variety of posts ranging from personal narratives to user-generated memes. While some users
share their encounters with gangstalking and the perceived cessation of such activities, others
express skepticism towards the movement, attributing it to mental health issues or substance
abuse. Analyzing the subreddit’s top posts sheds light on the diverse perspectives within the
community. Despite being a hub for those who believe they are targeted, r/gangstalking also
features significant discourse challenging the validity of such claims. This dichotomy
underscores the complexity of the topic and the varied interpretations within the community. One
prevalent theme in the subreddit is the debate surrounding the reality of gangstalking. Users
engage in heated discussions, with some dismissing the phenomenon as delusional, while
others adamantly assert its existence. This tension highlights the challenges of discerning truth
in subjective experiences and the role of belief systems in shaping individual realities.
Furthermore, the subreddit serves as a platform for users to seek support and validation. Posts
describing the cessation of gangstalking activities often receive mixed responses, with some
applauding the user’s recovery while others question the authenticity of their experiences. This
reflects the diverse perspectives within the community and the ongoing dialogue surrounding
mental health and victimization. In conclusion, r/gangstalking provides valuable insights into the
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
evaluate any given moment, like a music video Speculating and pausing, frame by frame. Lastly,
the diabolical voice to skull, Voice-to-Skull (V2K) technology is a concept that alleges the ability
to transmit voices or sounds directly into a person’s head without the need for physical auditory
stimulation. A neuro-electromagnetic device which uses microwave transmission of sound into
the skull of persons or animals by way of pulse-modulated microwave radiation; It’s very
discreet and can easily make someone crazy or even severely suicidal, without anyone noticing.
V2k is a dangerous technological device that can easily destroy one’s mental health, it jumps
from voice to voice, and changes into anybody I'm thinking about, so it sometimes sounds like a
group of people stalking me, or even people I know, family members, friends, complete
strangers. However In reality, it's one a.i that has to jump around from voice to voice, I’ve
noticed that they can't talk at the same time, usually it will repeat itself while the other talks, and
it sounds realistic, sometimes it will play recordings in the background to make you think they're
multiple people, it disturbs my daily life and makes living difficult, every morning is a struggle.
V2k is like having “voices in your head” and can easily be comprehended as mental illness. With
this microwavable technological harassment, you can be a highly functional adult with no history
of mental illness and this technology can make you crazy and possibly even dumb you down.
I’m advocating, looking to help others and looking for advice. People who are able to get a hold
of these advanced mind-control technologies can operate these devices remotely. They can turn
your family members and friends against you. One of the worst things about being a targeted
individual is when you realize how many people are involved with this evil. It's not just the home
invasions and gas lighting, one of the tell tale ways of knowing someone is involved with this is
how a loved one or trusted friend/co-worker suddenly becomes hostile towards you for no
reason. I am a victim. We don't even know the whole gamut of technologies that they might
have after decades of classified research. Sad to say but, we Ti's might be the last semblance of
civilization left on this planet. Maybe one of the reasons we are so viciously targeted is because
our minds are not susceptible to their control. Most others might already be mind-controlled by
them. Florida State University stated that while in Houston, cars would honk their horns every
ten minutes as they passed his residence, which he perceived as harassment. I’ve personally
experienced this. My mind, and thoughts would simultaneously work together and a car would
honk with a thought of my mind. Similarly, targeted individuals (TIs) sometimes attribute their
harassment to electromagnetic frequencies. More recently, TIs have identified specific
frequencies, such as those between 2300 and 3750 MHz, as sources of harassment, according
to the advocacy group Targeted Justice. Philosopher Robin James calls this association of
physicality and phenomenon “the sonic episteme,” "Imagine sound is like a secret code that
helps us understand the world around us. The 'sonic episteme' is like a special tool that helps us
figure out this code and learn new things using sounds. It's like having a superpower that lets us
listen carefully to the world and understand what it's trying to tell us." suggesting it parallels the
neoliberal episteme but emphasizes qualitative relationships. Sconce links persistent fantasies
about ray-guns and telepathy in technical delusions to a need to locate ideological influence in a
physical medium, similar to TIs’ belief in being harassed through frequencies or energy.
However, the instruments of harassment have evolved to reflect modern communication
infrastructure and technology. The TI identity involves tension between expressing violations of
privacy publicly and desiring to be left alone by antagonists. Users frequently share content
describing disruptions they attribute to external actors, such as being followed or “gangstalked.”
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
subjects. The claim is connected to the observation made by Lacan when he describes the
psychotic subject seized by delusion as situated in “a language devoid of dialectic,” as
discussed in the previous chapter.406 This failure to become beholden to the social aspects of
language can result in a subject with unclear boundaries determining inside and outside, self
and other. This is what is identified in Seminar III as Wolf Man’s “lining” and is “nothing but the
Symbolically mandated split caused by the necessity for the identification with the image of the
other.”407 Lacan states that it is as if Wolf Man is talking to his own ego, which is precisely what
May seems to be describing
405 Tom Eyers, Lacan and the Concept of the “Real” (London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2012),
41,
https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137026392.
406 Jacques Lacan, Écrits: The First Complete Edition in English, trans. Bruce Fink (New York:
W. W. Norton &
Company, 2006), 231.
407 Jacques Lacan, The Seminar of Jacques Lacan III: the Psychoses, 14 in Eyers, Lacan and
the Concept of the ‘Real’,
41.
156
In this clip. May’s ego is not even a singular entity, but instead takes the form of an audience
providing running commentary on his behavior. This ‘lining’ is the very basis of distinguishing
between the inside and outside of a subject. May’s experience of interiority has instead become
one of exteriority; this commentary has the effect of objectifying him and depriving himself of a
sense of autonomy. This is an instance of the externalized object. The source of conscious
experience is now experienced as something fundamentally outside of May himself.
These fraying boundaries lead to the formation of an alternative identity within that signifying
system. As Matheson notes, part of what distinguishes the psychotic is their refusal to fully
identify with the socially circulated linguistic token used to represent an individual.408 The
submission of significance to the regulatory force of the delusion is what occurs in
metaphorization. This is part of the process of a delusional metaphor coming to perform
functions. that would typically be reserved for the-Name-of-the-Father.409 Todd McGowan
describes the “Name-of-the Father'' as “the symbolic iteration of social authority as such.”410
McGowan identifies “God” as one such historical example of such a signifier but there could be
many others. In this instance, May’s publication of his video clearly was meant to convey an
explanation of the experiences and motives informing his violent attack in his absence. In
describing his motivation behind the attack, however, he also is providing a substantial account
of his experience of his gradual uptake of his delusion.
157
May’s final address before his violent acts provides us with valuable insight into how the
uptake of signifiers from TI media might function for others. May describes the gradual splitting
of his ego away from himself first as an opaque voyeuristic force. He later explains that
discovering TI media allowed him to make sense of his experiences as something many people
experience and ultimately results in him growing to understand himself entirely as a TI. For other
TIs more broadly, these are the conditions that enable them to participate in the movement as a
specific discursive economy. While tragic, May’s address allows for valuable insight for
understanding how collapsing boundaries between inside and outside can result in the
fabrication of a new identity that is understood in terms of a delusion. In other words, this kind of
cultural production could allow for the metaphoric displacement without necessarily being
understood as such. An account of the relation between the proliferation of these public systems
of delusion and the individual subjects that contribute towards them can explain both the relative
consistency that such structures provide, as well as the variations that seem to be particular for
the TI. Beyond merely functioning as a kind of public psychotic speech, May’s final video serves
as a stand-in for himself with the foreknowledge that he will not be able to convey his story.
Doreen Dotan
Doreen Dotan is the name of a prominent TI who has produced videos that exemplify this
genre of TI media. Dotan has posted many videos over the years that detail her experiences of
covert harassment. Currently, Dotan appears to operate a blog that is focused primarily on
religious matters and written in both English and Hebrew .411 The concerns in Dotan’s output
that are focused on being targeted or gangstalked are typical of many TI videos. In what follows,
I analyze a video that was reposted by another user, purportedly with Dotan’s permission, in
which she explains her experience of being targeted and offers some advice to other TIs.412
Dotan begins the video by introducing herself as a someone who “has been chronicling the
encroaching electronic surveillance in my hometown spot in Israel.” Announcing that she has
seen videos by other TIs online, Dotan notes that “if you are a targeted individual there’s no
doubt in your mind about it” and begins to recount several experiences in which the targeting
was apparent to her. In the first instance, Dotan describes an experience at the post office. She
states that providing her identification number to a worker who was assisting her resulted in her
name flashing on the clerk’s screen in a manner the employee characterizes as highly unusual.
In the next, she describes being on a phone call to set up her internet and having the party on
the other
end remark that they heard clicking that was evocative of a phone being tapped. The last
occurrence Dotan recounts is dropping her cell phone off for repair and having them ask if she
works for Shin Bet, since the worker discovered “a component…integrated in such a way that if I
try to take it out, I would have had to destroy your cell phone.” Dotan’s basic point is that while
the experiences one has as a TI are self-evident, “basically you’re not a targeted individual until
someone else has noticed that there’s something wrong with you.” Dotan then poses what she
appears to think will be taken as an unusual point by other TIs: “you should never ever think its
about you.” In other words, they need to remember that their status
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
as TI is woven into the unconscious and so it has nothing to do with them on a personal level. In
other words, Dotan is reminding them to relate to the plot against them as something that can
be
accounted for by reference to factors external to the TI and not necessarily because of
decisions
they have made. Žižek makes a similar point to Dotan by a way of a joke concerning the Other’s
knowledge. Žižek recounts: For decades, a classic joke has circulated among Lacanians to
exemplify the key role of the Other's knowledge: a man who believes himself to be a grain of
seed
is taken to a mental institution where the doctors do their best to convince him that he is not a
seed but a man. When he is cured (convinced that he is not a grain of seed but a man) and is
allowed to leave the hospital, he immediately comes back trembling. There is a chicken outside
the door and he is afraid that it will eat him. 'My dear fellow,' says his doctor, 'you know very well
that you are not a grain of seed but a man. “Of course I know that replies the patient, 'but does
the chicken know it?”
This joke serves as an example of what a decline in symbolic efficiency looks like in
practice. Though the man is fully convinced that he himself is not a grain any longer, the truly
The important thing is that the Other (or in this case, the chicken) is also aware. In other words,
the man is concerned that the Symbolic has shifted in an adequate way such that he is now
safe from the chicken. Dotan is asking for TIs to adopt a posture similar to that of the man in
Žižek’s joke. Rather than attribute every misfortune to a unified conspiracy against them, Dotan
advises TIs to instead understand their situation as being part of a broader pattern of
harassment engaged against others. As Tony Myers puts it, “the different aspects of my
personality do not claim an equal status in the Symbolic- it is only the self or Selves registered
by the big Other which display Symbolic
413 Slavoj Žižek, The Parallax View (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006), 351.
160
efficiency, which are fully recognized by everyone else.”414 This explains why we might
understand TIs’ public personas as seemingly breaking with decorum; the experiences they
describe are so out of step with others’ sense of reality that it elicits concern or fascination
rather
than solidarity. The important thing to Dotan’s mind is that TIs retain their composure without
forgetting that they have been specifically designated for harassment. Building upon my prior
observation that TIs identify with many characteristics conventionally associated with paranoia,
Dotan’s remarks serve as a useful example of how the identification with such a station enables
a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. TIs expect their narratives to be met with skepticism and on
some level, the actual claims one would expect to hear from them are likely to be met with ready
dismissal by those who are not TIs. Part of the rationale for this speculation is that TIs’
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
self-image is furnished by traits and habits that track with conventional depictions of paranoia. I
do not think this is by chance, but instead an instance of their “martyrdom.” In other words, their
fixation on things like mind-control technologies and intelligence community intrigue is because
they already have strong cultural associations with covert state action to manipulate and control
a population. TIs insert themselves directly into such narratives because that is a dominant
mode of representing omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent
control over a group by an elite minority. Thus, we can understand Dotan’s emphasis on
preserving TI identity even when she is cautioning against taking every sign as indication of
harassment as an attempt to hold on to this narrative and the role that it creates for a TI to “bear
witness.” Though not deliberate, TIs embody dominant representations of paranoia because
they want others to associate
themselves with such paranoia.
414 Tony Myers, Slavoj Žižek (New York: Routledge, 2003), 51.
161
Dotan’s performance in the video evokes her personal experiences as a TI and urges others
to be moderate in what they are willing to attribute to being targeted. In this way, Dotan provides
TIs with the permission to not attribute everything to a conspiracy against them while still
maintaining their investment in their identity as victims of the conspiracy. Part of the appeal of
such a video might be the personable and relative level headedness of Dotan in comparison
with other videos from the genre. Similar to Myron May’s video, Dotan’s video allows for a
displacement of self into a digital space, allowing for her to offer advice to other TIs who may be
unsure of what they should do with knowledge of their status.
https://www.targetedamerica.com/targeted-evidence.html
I
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/06794388
The CIA and FBI are behind most, if not all terrorism."
-- Ted Gunderson, former FBI Chief
https://www.dni.gov/files/icotr/Section702-Basics-Infographic.pdf
The Section 702 FISA Amendment Act allows the U.S. government to collect electronic
communications of non-U.S. persons located outside the United States, without a warrant, for
foreign intelligence purposes. It has been controversial due to concerns about privacy and
potential abuse of surveillance powers.