UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL BRAINWASHING
Posted by Tim Bryce on May 1, 2012
– how mind control is implemented in America.
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There is little difference between brainwashing for politics, religion, subversion, or any other purpose. The intent is to manipulate the minds of the masses through various control techniques, be they subtle or overt. Like it or not, we have all been manipulated by some form of mind control, be it in school, through advertising to form purchasing habits, to form a devotion to a religion, cult or some other order, or to form political opinions. Without some form of mind control, the masses can become easily distracted and form conflicting opinions which potentially can lead to rebellion, as vividly seen in the Middle East of 2011.
Mind control is predicated on the general belief the masses have limited intelligence which, to a certain extent, is true. Thinking requires work, something most people are willing to let others do for them. As I wrote in “Increasing Brain Power,” people typically spend more time in an “autopilot” mode of operation as opposed to fully engaging their brains which they may only exercise for a few scant hours each day, if that. Further, it is impossible to stay informed about everything. Consequently, people tend to allow others to filter information and do the thinking for them. By doing so, they develop a reliance or trust upon such people, a key component to brainwashing. The more people trust the brainwasher, the more inclined they are to implement the views and opinions of that person. Such trust means they will accept and parrot whatever doctrine the person espouses, regardless if it is true or false.
Key to mind control is the creation of perceptions which may or may not be based on fact. Again, the more people trust their leader, the more they are inclined to accept his/her interpretation of reality. Even when the facts point to a contrary position, the followers will refuse to accept it as reality. For example, the public generally believes Governor Sarah Palin made the erroneous comment, “I can see Russia from my house,” when in reality it was comedienne Tina Fey of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” who coined the phrase as a Palin impersonator. Even when this is pointed out today, most people still attribute it to Palin which they claim denotes her alleged inferior intellect. This quotation alone, even though Palin had nothing to do with it, continues to haunt her credibility to this day. Again, perceptions take precedence over facts.
After a person’s trust has been established, the next step is to break down the moral values and allegiances and replace them with a new set of values. Intellectual harassment casts doubt upon the status quo and plays on the insecurities of people. Such harassment must be constant and unrelenting thereby wearing down the people and causing them to question the legitimacy of the status quo. Only after the evils of the current status quo are accepted can enlightenment begin. To do so, it is necessary to appeal to the primal wants and needs of the people which is why such things as entitlements are popular. Promise them anything, even if it is not feasible to deliver it. Once the masses buy into the concept, it is almost impossible to revoke it. Social pressure is extremely useful to encourage acceptance among the masses. If something is generally regarded as the will of the people, the individual is more likely to accept it.
Creating perceptions requires the “3D’s” – deny, distort, and distract. Denial is required to displace fault; distortion modifies the facts to suit the needs of the message, and distraction misdirects attention away from a sensitive subject. It is quite common for politicians to deny wrongdoing even when found guilty of an indiscretion. They will also twist facts to suit their needs, thereby turning something negative into something seemingly positive. Major accidents such as an airline disaster, a devastating hurricane, a horrific bombing, or a foreign incident are often welcome distractions to divert attention from a political problem or scandal. Politicians are also adept at sleight of hand to avoid answering tough questions and shifting focus to another topic they feel more comfortable. It is commonly referred to as “creating a smoke screen.”
One of the most commonly used techniques to implement the 3D’s is the “Pavlovian effect” of repetition and reward. Here, simple catch phrases are carefully crafted to deliver messages. Whether they ultimately represent a truthful or honest idea is immaterial. The intent is to plant perceptions in the minds of the masses. This typically originates from the leader and cascades down to lieutenants who repeat it incessantly to the masses through the media. The catch phrase then becomes so embedded in the psyche of the people, they not only believe it but can recite it as gospel to outsiders. At this point, the masses so fervently believe in the doctrine, they are unwilling to accept anything deviating from it, regardless if the facts support it. They even become agitated when a different perspective is suggested and attacks it viciously with a mob mentality intolerant of any objection. Clever catch phrases told repetitively are more quickly embraced by the masses and tend to stifle original thought and casts doubt on reality. It is the “Kool-Aid” drunk by the masses.
As we live in an age of electronic communications, it has never been easier to distribute “the word” to the masses. Now through the use of such things as television, radio, the Internet and social networking, communicating a message to all members of a constituency can be accomplished in less than 24 hours. Actually, it can now penetrate the lion’s share of the membership in a matter of a few scant minutes. An alliance with the media also becomes useful to help spread the word, thereby becoming willing or unwitting accomplices in the dissemination of “the word.”
Any proposal deemed in conflict with doctrine is carefully scrutinized before an official comment is made. Spontaneous answers are avoided at all costs in order to devise a strategy to refute the proposal. After which a formal argument is delivered condemning the proposal complete with catch phrases and arguments that are to be mimicked by the lieutenants and followers. Negotiations are considered unacceptable.
The Achilles’ heel to brainwashing is to break the trust between the leader and the people. Only when the populace realizes “the emperor has no clothes” will they be willing to abandon the leader and follow someone else. To do so, the credibility of the leader’s perceptions must either be convincingly debunked or altered. Doing so is extremely difficult as you are asking people to accept a different interpretation of reality, something they are trained to resist. Here, counter brainwashing techniques must be applied as incessantly as the master’s word. Not only must the leader’s credibility be questioned, but also that of his lieutenants and the aligned media must also be put into doubt, thereby questioning the status quo of the cult. Those who also master communications technology will have a better chance of ruling the day.
Whether we are cognizant of it or not, we are being bombarded by a multitude of spin and catch phrases aimed at distorting our perspectives. Some people will peacefully accept the spin like sheep, others will resist. There are still many Americans who believe in the necessity of morality, capitalism, and the U.S. Constitution which they regard as sacred. This is their perception of reality and the basis for their values; it is their status quo. Forcing people to deviate from this will be strongly resisted as they perceive it as the proper way to lead their lives. In order for them to reject such notions it will be necessary to trivialize their sense of religion, distort their perspective of right and wrong, and malign the principles of capitalism and the Constitution as antiquated concepts that are no longer applicable in today’s world. As of this moment, the majority of Americans still believe in such principles, but are slowly losing ground as public perceptions are being manipulated to force a shift to a disparate sense of reality.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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sondrac said
great writeup as usual
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Tim Bryce said
An L.M. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wrote…
“The twisting and subverting of language used to manipulate and control attitudes in order to impose draconian ideology on society better known as semantic engineering. Advanced by Adolph Hitler in his book ‘Mein Kampf,’ where he said if words are repeated enough and loud enough by prestigious people according to an ideology, most people will embrace it. The lie becomes the new truth, that is what is happening today!
What generation have been led to believe about the unborn, Hitler said about the Jews, that they were not human.
TIM’s COMMENT: Actually it was Joseph Goebbels who came up with the propaganda techniques for the Third Reich. He wrote, ‘That propaganda is good which leads to success, and that is bad which fails to achieve the desired result.’ Also. ‘It is not propaganda’s task to be intelligent, its task is to lead to success’.”
A D.R. of Washington, DC wrote…
“Do you think that the daily bombardment of public opinion polls is just subliminal brain washing? For example, a candidate is ahead in the poll so he will win, right? No point for you the voter to vote for any opposition candidate. Everyone is buying this product. So, you should too. Do you agree?”
TIM’s REPLY: Yes, it is a matter of subliminal suggestion. Most people do not want to disrupt the status quo, which is why they follow the popularity poll.”
A B.K. of Pennsylvania wrote…
“This is a very thoughtful piece. I appreciate your range in your ability comment on mowing lawns all the way to addressing truths such as is written here. I am always hear myself say ‘it’s the media’. We all know it is also mental laziness by us all not to drill down far enough to find the truth. With so many choices even those of us who pride ourselves on our ability to sift enough to find the truth. As a financial advisor I often present myself as a financial news/concept/strategy aggregator. Keep the good stuff the good stuff coming.”
A P.M. of Marksville, Louisiana wrote…
“This was a great article that I hope a lot of people read so they are not so easily taken.”
A J.P. of Toronto, Ontario wrote…
Part of our strength, and also a problem, is the increasing need for specialization, which increases as societies become both larger and more complex. In our own time, we are forced to rely on an army of specialists. My neighbor was complaining the other day, for example, that he no longer understands how half the things in his own home actually work – be it the new high efficiency electronic furnace, the actual electro-chemical processes of his modern water filtration and softening system, or even the apparently complex programing of the dishwasher. Long ago he gave up ever being able to raise the hood of his car and do even minor repairs, discovering the modern automobile is a high-tech computer that happens to have wheels attached. All of these things, it seems, require external experts to repair, replace or even evaluate. Even buying and selling in the marketplace has become increasingly populated by experts – the real estate professional, the food analyst-nutritionist (who can actually understand the content and food value labels on the packages), and the interior design consultant when purchasing new drapes!
It seems right, somehow, to rely on experts in the legal, medical and engineering fields, and it is then but a small step to accepting the necessity of reliance on experts in the political life of the nation as well. In fact, and Tim you may encounter this all the time in your own business, there is frequently conflict in organizations between the technical experts and the managerial officers.
I am reminded on the old joke that made the rounds decades ago when sex education was being introduced in our Ontario Grade 7, 8 and 9 education system. Dear old dad, viewing his son’s development one day, decides it is time to have the necessary but awkward discussion, between father and son, about sex. In approaching his thirteen year old son, father begins with ‘Tom, I think you and I need to have a talk together about men and women, and about human reproduction.’ To which, the expert replies full of confidence, ‘Sure thing, Dad, what is it you need to know?'”
A P.M. of Palm Harbor, Florida wrote…
“Excellent article, Tim.. We need to brainwash the masses with the ‘truth’ concerning capitalism and our constitution. I am tired of hearing about how the wealthy are ‘greedy’. This is the biggest brainwashing of all times; when it is the wealthy that provide the jobs for many and yet many who choose not to work but to live off of the fruits of everyone else’s labors are not considered to be ‘greedy’? What a travesty!”
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Tim Bryce said
A C.O. of Jamestown, New York wrote…
“Your topic is so vast, it might serve you better to parse it out over several segments. Our education, for instance, has failed us, because we have lost our ability to question authority. Furthermore, our ability of creative solution is not being emphasized in education. I would argue, even further, that our natural proclivities are being discouraged and dismissed, due to the ‘realm’ of academic proof required to ‘verify’ our natural communicative abilities (e.g. all things either para, pseudo, extra, etc.), as our insistence on absolute proof becomes its own barrier to that which inherently is. It might also serve your topic to investigate the effects of low-frequency transmissions becoming increasingly more prevalent throughout the world.”
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