Thanks to the generosity of a friend of mine, I had the pleasure of attending a special luncheon today at the Cintas Center. The featured speaker was author Anchee Min. She sure has a compelling story -- growing up in the shadow of Mao's Cultural Revolution.
Her stated goal is to help people learn the history and culture of China in a non-boring, non-sleep inducing way. She is also an animated and fascinating speaker, albeit a little hard to follow sometimes. I've been thinking over her story, especially her stories about the propaganda she grew up with about America. I don't really know enough of the history myself to give an accurate retelling, but she discussed the way her generation was brainwashed. I do know a bit about brainwashing and have seen first-hand that it's not something that only happens to small-minded or weak-willed people.
When I was in high school, a good friend of mine was sent to a horrible program called Straight Inc. against her will. She was tricked into go there by abusive parents who couldn't handle her rebellious nature. While she was there, she was physically and mentally abused until she accepted their premises, included the insanely off base idea that she was a drug addict. As her friend, we tried over and over to find her, but her parents told us lies. All the time they were telling her that no one ever tried to contact her. Eventually she cracked. At least she cracked for awhile. When she returned to school, I confronted her and she told me that I was one of her old druggie friends. I had never taken drugs in my life.
I know her story because she ran away from home and the program after turning 18. Even on her own, it took her years to shake the lies. I have tried recently to get in touch with her, but have been unsuccessful. It's a terribly painful memory for me and I can't imagine the hell she's been through trying to piece together a stable life.
I say this as a testimony to the notion that brainwashing is real and all too possible. Min talked about being told that American children were starving and fighting the soldiers in Viet Nam would help to save the children. When you grow up with no counterpoint to that, of course you have no reason to believe it's not true.
That touched my tin-foil hat self. I know we are not Cultural Revolution Era China, but we would be fooling ourselves if we believed that we are not subjected to a level of propaganda by our government. I know this is controversial, but I point to the lies that lead us into the Iraq War. The so-called liberal media played right along because to dissent was to be seen as unpatriotic in the shadow of the Twin Towers.
Don't even get me started on our ethnocentric history books, or the way that attempts to tell a more balanced story gets dismissed with a pithy "PC."
I just ask you to keep your mind open a crack. Question what you assume to be true. The more easily you accept something you've been told is true, the more I challenge you to question it. All it takes is a thought -- what if that's not true?
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1 comments:
Great post, Katie. Propaganda is particularly evident (and effective) during times of threat, as study after study suggests that humans restrict info processessing alternatives and think less critically when threatened.
Gov't officials realize this, as captured by a recent bureaucrat's comment that (I'm paraphrasing) the current regime 'can't let a crisis go to waste.'
War time provides classic context--as you alluded w/ Iraq war example.
But the phenomenon extends more broadly. You name the proposed threat--global warming, financial meltdown, health care, etc. Content analysis of government explanation, mainstream media coverage of these issues suggests info/commentary that is far too one sided when reasonable alternative perspectives exist.
Propaganda merely plays to behavioral tendencies to reduce critical thinking during tough times. And government officials know that it works.
Our Founders understood historical tendencies here and installed mechanisms to reduce the chances of governmental exploitation.
However, elegant design is worthless if ignored. Over the past century, our vigilance has laxed, and we've permitted government to overstep boundaries that our founders drew.
As you like to say, once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's difficult to reverse. A reinforcing cycle of perceived threat, propaganda, and more gov't power has been in play
This cycle can be broken if people engage their brains and think more critically. As we've noted before, supply follows demand. Markets will be made to supply critical thinkers with the resources they need.
Capacity for critical thought is the defining feature of a free people.
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