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
For Tim's columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment