Derren Brown Power of Mass Suggestion — I’m an Artist!

I’ve watched a lot of specials of the English mentalist and hypnotist, Derren Brown. He plays mind games on unsuspecting members of the public and convinces them of things untrue. According to Derren, he does not possess any supernatural power. His effects are achieved entirely through “magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection, and showmanship”. In one special, he actual convinces people to push a person off the edge of a building, killing them — at least, that’s what they are led to believe.

Just yesterday, I was watching the start of a Joe Rogan Experience podcast where he interviews Derren Brown. Joe Rogan raised the fact that Derren is actually a really good artist and photographer. They showed his Instagram account, as you can see here, with a picture of Derren wearing a hat, and hiding part of his face behind an out-of-focus camera, staring at the viewer intently. In a couple of his pictures, he can be seen holding a palette and a paintbrush standing in front of a canvas with an exquisitely painted portrait of someone. In the painting you can see here, he has painted the “glorious stephenfryactually” — obviously referring to the English comedian and actor, Stephen Fry.

But as I perused Derren’s Instagram, and continued listening to him on the Joe Rogan podcast, I started to wonder — is it all real? With all the experiences that I’ve had with Derren Brown with his stage shows and specials, he’s always been trying to convince the audience of something. Whether that be that the power of suggestion is a real phenomenon, or whether certain people are more suggestible than others. But it did make me wonder — is this just a big con?

Can Derren really paint portraits, or is this just another one of his, “The power of suggestion can be used to fool an entire audience on the Internet. They actually believed that I was an artist!”. In his shows, he’s used hackers to break into people’s accounts and mobile phones. He’s lied and cheated to convince people of things untrue. It really wouldn’t surprise me if he’s also made up a fake art studio with an associated Instagram account and website, all in the name of a good old, mentalism lark.

I know, I know, I know — sounds ridiculous, right? But just look at this Instagram picture. He’s staring at the audience, wearing a hat, carrying a camera — showing the audience that he is actually a photographer. In the picture of the painting, he’s standing in front of the canvas, holding a palette and a paintbrush. I mean, is that what an artist would do? Show themselves in front of their work, finishing up the final touches? Or his he just trying to game us into believing that he actually painted that picture?

But then you might ask — why would Derren do such a thing? Why would he go to the effort of making up fake accounts to convince the world that he is an up-and-coming, professional artist and photographer?

In this world of fake news and the like, it’s important that we don’t let ourselves get conned. There are real-life stories coming out of India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka of late, where people have actually been murdered simply because of an alleged event posted on WhatsApp and the like.

Whether or not Derren Brown is a real artist or not, the power of mass suggestion is a very real thing. The Internet has allowed rumours and fake news to spread uncontrollably.

We are gullible when we’re online, because we can’t actually see the other person. When we talk to somebody in the flesh, we can often see through their lies, with perhaps the exception of people like Derren Brown.

Whether Derren Brown is a real artist or not, is not really the point of this video. I apologise to Derren if he actually is — but I think he might understand why I might doubt him. He’s proven to us time and time again that people are suggestible, especially when it comes to official looking posts on Instagram, and a professional-looking website.

It’s funny, if Derren Brown is actually an artist, and he’s somehow convinced me that he’s not, despite all the evidence — boy, that’s some kind of wicked power of reverse suggestion. Anyway, don’t believe me — go out and check the sites for yourself.

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IMAGE RIGHTS
Derren Brown Instagram

SOURCES
Burned to death because of a rumour on WhatsApp
How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News
Joe Rogan Experience #1198 - Derren Brown
WhatsApp video of fake kidnapping sparks hysteria in India as mob beats men to death

#dailyrantaustralia #derrenbrown #magic

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The logic here sucks, the word Derren is brought up again &again to look like the topic connects .
What does an uncivilised mob that kills people based on personal justice and rumours alone have to with Derren being misleading ? Whats wrong with a talented guy (trick or not )trying to show he has other multiple skills and talents . If u watch him its obvious he enjoys boasting of gis skills in a polite way