Fnord

"If you don't see the fnord, it can't eat you."

- Illuminatus!, Part I: The Eye in the Pyramid

In Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's novel ''The Illuminatus! Trilogy'', the interjection "fnord" is given hypnotic power over the unenlightened. Under the Illuminati program, children in grade school are taught to be unable to consciously see the word "fnord". For the rest of their lives, every appearance of the word subconsciously generates a feeling of unease and confusion, and prevents rational consideration of the text it appears in. The uneasiness and confusion create a perpetual low-grade state of fear in the populace. The government acts on the premise that a fearful populace keeps them in power.

Fnords—occurrences of the word "fnord"—are scattered liberally in the text of newspapers and magazines, causing fear and anxiety in those following current events. However, there are no fnords in the advertisements, encouraging a consumerist society. The exclusion of the text from rational consciousness also enables the Illuminati to publish messages to each other in newspapers, etc., without fear that other people will be aware of them.

Trivia

 * It is implied in the books that "fnord" is not the actual word used for this task, but merely a substitute, since most readers would be unable to see the actual word.
 * The fnords can be considered a form of Subliminal Messages