Are we so brainwashed that we don't even know or suspect that we are?

a reply to: dashen

I used to work with a guy that would make up crap if he didn't know the answer to something. He would make up something using a bunch of big words, and he would project this air of superiority, to make you think you were the stupid one. He was a pure fool and a joy to work with, but he was funny, especially when he would send an unwary person to the supply room to pick him up a couple of fallopian tubes.

All teaching is brainwashing to a degree. Everything you know is taught, either by someone or by experience. It boils down to what you choose to believe.

Brainwashed by Christianity is not that bad of a problem, the vast majority of Christians are not something to worry about. We are brainwashed by our government and by society itself. The worst brainwashing is with society, because society seems to wander and social policies pop up that are not well thought out as to side effects they will have. I think it was better in the sixties than now, right now, some are making unreasonable rules in society and the government is adopting them. Like bathrooms and sex identity.

Right now some in society are changing perspective and want to go back and bash people who did the stuff when it was socially acceptable years ago. I think that they should be glad the changes were made and not harrass people who did it long ago when it was actually normal to do that. Most people have changed since then and would no longer do it. I am not going to bow down to the changes the new generation has made, I do mind my tongue in public, I have always minded my tongue pretty well, but I am not going to accept society going retroactive. They need to have patients and understand that things were different forty years ago.

Brainwashing has been going on as long as I can remember, but people cannot comprehend they are completely brainwashed and the brainwashing in the society today is way worse than it was in the past. They are making deceivers acceptable these days, people do not even know they are parrotting lies or twisted truths. They sell appliances and repeat what they are taught to boost sales and are deceiving the customers....and they think that is acceptable because it is part of their job. Lie and profit from the lie but remember, the people at the top profit way more than the salesmen do.

It does not matter how cheap something is, if you do not need it, it is wasting money. I know so many people who have bought expensive things because it was a good deal, then it winds up sitting in the basement or garage after being used just a few times, or clogs up their counter. We did it, now we have learned it wasn't the right thing to do. How many people bought bread machines that sat on the counters. How many people bought those automated automatic pots that make pressure cook foods and they used them ten times now they are taking up counter space.

a reply to: watchandwait410
I am sure that everyone is brainwashed to a certain extent. Especially depending on where you live in the world.
When I was twelve I got ahold of the book Helter Skelter about Charles Manson and his followers. It scared me thinking that someone could believe in someone so much they would commit murder for them. It led me to other studies like Jim Jones Jonestown.
Then I became interested in Hitler and how he was able to sway people to go along with his most evil plans. Which then I began to study Mao, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Stalin, etc. how were they able to accomplish the most inhumane things imaginable and have people do their bidding for them.

I think knowing history is one of the best ways to combat just going with the flow/ brainwashing.

I always have found the best mirror to see if one is brainwashed is to ask yourself "why?".

It is a bit funny because my younger brother used to tease the ever living daylights out of me asking "why?" after any statement I made, and that would force me to continually dig down into the reasons for things I thought. Rather ironically something he did just to be annoying brought up a very real process that I hold dear even to this day.

So simply ask yourself "why?". If you can't come to a conclusion with a basis that is satisfactory on what ever subject is at hand, you are likely brainwashed to some degree or another. Again, however, what is and isn't satisfactory is up to personal interpretation. So I recommend going deeper on the "why?" than where you find your own answers to be satisfactory to the point of things becoming almost asinine. Then when you have proven yourself foolish, retrace your steps in the ladder of "why?" and point out to yourself what step(s) was(ere) the foolish one(s). Then you find your own biases and brainwashing. Yes it is exhausting both mentally and emotionally, however it will show you who you are and why you think the way you do.

So I implore you, ask yourself "why?"

a reply to: Lazarus Short

The OP reminds me of my own short essay: Blind Dogs So often we see someone walk by a fenced yard containing a dog. The dog usually watches the approach, and at some point begins to bark. The passerby goes on as he/she would have done anyway, but the dog keeps barking as long as his interest is occupied by the retreating figure. Thus, his territorial instincts are satisfied, and he is proud to have once again protected his master’s property by his ferocious barking. The poor dog will do this all day, day in, day out, year in, year out, and for all of his natural life he will never stop to consider that all that barking was all for nothing. In fact, the poor doggy is probably unable to ever think of such a thing. You might simply say, “What of it...? It’s just a dog.” However, have you ever considered that we humans might have just such a blind spot in our existence – an aspect of our lives in which we respond to a stimulus or situation without ever realizing that our efforts do no good whatsoever? What could it be?? We don’t know! We have no way of knowing – if I knew, I could tell you, but I can’t tell you because neither you nor I could ever be aware of such a thing. There is no way to know, but I look at the dog, and I worry. I look at pedestrian and dog, and I know the dog is irrelevant, at most, an annoyance. I look at situations moving through my life and my response to them, and wonder if all my efforts had any real effect, and if I too, am irrelevant. Are we, for all our self-deceptions, putting out efforts which amount to little more than useless yapping at things, which move by their own logic on the other side of barriers which we can see, but not move through? We can suspect, dimly, but there is no way to be sure, and maybe that is why the dog barks so long…

How would you know how many intruders the dog prevented from trespassing over the years? Seems kind of dismissive to say that the dog barked all that time for nothing.

originally posted by: jaws1975
a reply to: Lazarus Short

The OP reminds me of my own short essay: Blind Dogs So often we see someone walk by a fenced yard containing a dog. The dog usually watches the approach, and at some point begins to bark. The passerby goes on as he/she would have done anyway, but the dog keeps barking as long as his interest is occupied by the retreating figure. Thus, his territorial instincts are satisfied, and he is proud to have once again protected his master’s property by his ferocious barking. The poor dog will do this all day, day in, day out, year in, year out, and for all of his natural life he will never stop to consider that all that barking was all for nothing. In fact, the poor doggy is probably unable to ever think of such a thing. You might simply say, “What of it...? It’s just a dog.” However, have you ever considered that we humans might have just such a blind spot in our existence – an aspect of our lives in which we respond to a stimulus or situation without ever realizing that our efforts do no good whatsoever? What could it be?? We don’t know! We have no way of knowing – if I knew, I could tell you, but I can’t tell you because neither you nor I could ever be aware of such a thing. There is no way to know, but I look at the dog, and I worry. I look at pedestrian and dog, and I know the dog is irrelevant, at most, an annoyance. I look at situations moving through my life and my response to them, and wonder if all my efforts had any real effect, and if I too, am irrelevant. Are we, for all our self-deceptions, putting out efforts which amount to little more than useless yapping at things, which move by their own logic on the other side of barriers which we can see, but not move through? We can suspect, dimly, but there is no way to be sure, and maybe that is why the dog barks so long…

How would you know how many intruders the dog prevented from trespassing over the years? Seems kind of dismissive to say that the dog barked all that time for nothing.

Probably from the dog's POV, there would be no difference, and that is just my point: the dog does not know the difference...maybe if he sank his teeth into an intruder, but I was addressing mere passersby. How many people are running around, ranting about this cause or this danger to society - without knowing if their efforts do any good or not, or if the oh-so-important Cause has any relevance?

a reply to: watchandwait410
Brainwashing is only effective if the victim isn't aware it's happening.

I believe that we are brainwashed to love their Federal Reserve money. Music videos in particular have huge influence. Lyrics contain words and phrases that normalize devoting your life to get more money. They sound innocent enough, and since you can agree with the artist it makes the love of money seem normal. The hypnotic rhythms/beats and videos of artists living the high life start working on people at a very young age. The color, texture, sound and smell of money are all carefully engineered for a purpose.

a reply to: watchandwait410

Are we brainwashed?
Are we brainwashed?
Are we brainwashed?
Are we brainwashed?

How deep do you want to go?

Excellent exposition. "Why?" is the emotional component of any process. Figuring out your motivations, for any particular personal algorithm, allows for making it more efficient and/or dropping it, if you decide the cost/ benefits aren't favorable.

This is the core matter concerning all of existence right now.

Those who are trying to figure this very thing out are the ones truly in control right now.

Everything else is just an illusion...

We will get there. The truth won’t be found in places like television hearings or political elections. It’ll be found in conversations such as this.

My pennies. 😬



a reply to: watchandwait410

a reply to: watchandwait410

To thy Own Self be True , and Ignore Everyone Else .

I'd treat brainwashing like a drug addiction or any addiction for that matter where the first step is to realize is that one has a problem.

originally posted by: watchandwait410
a reply to: dashen

That is what I try to do but my mind and everyone's mind is contaminated so I will never get a pure answer to anything.

That is somewhat the crux of the problem isn't it? Who to trust? Which answers or explanations to trust? What is logical? Who is making sense? What can I be sure of?

“What Is Truth?”

THAT question was cynically posed to Jesus by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. He was not interested in an answer, and Jesus did not give him one. Perhaps Pilate viewed truth as too elusive to grasp.​—John 18:38.

This disdainful attitude toward truth is shared by many today, including religious leaders, educators, and politicians. They hold that truth​—especially moral and spiritual truth—​is not absolute but relative and ever changing. This, of course, implies that people can determine for themselves what is right and what is wrong. (Isaiah 5:20, 21) It also allows people to reject as out-of-date the values and moral standards held by past generations.

The statement that prompted Pilate’s question is worth noting. Jesus had said: “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37) Truth to Jesus was no vague, incomprehensible concept. He promised his disciples: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”​—John 8:32.

Where can such truth be found? On one occasion, Jesus said in prayer to God: “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) The Bible, written under divine inspiration, reveals truth that provides both reliable guidance and a sure hope for the future​—everlasting life.​—2 Timothy 3:15-17.

Pilate indifferently rejected the opportunity to learn such truth. What about you?

Pilate, of course, was not really seeking the truth. If anything, his question revealed his skeptical or cynical attitude. Apparently, to Pilate truth was whatever a person might choose or was taught to believe; there was really no way to determine what is truth. Many today feel the same way. One could even phrase it as many having been brainwashed with that way of thinking about it, especially regarding certain specific topics:

“But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.”—Rom. 3:4.

A good way to evaluate whether or not the statement above can be trusted, is by training your mind (by practice) to distinguish fact from fiction, right from wrong and that which is true from that which is false. In particular by using your perceptive powers or thinking ability.

Here are some topics you can practice on:
Evolution—Myths and Facts
One Myth Leads to Another (7 pages)

Note the "next"-button on each of those pages. There are 6 common myths taught in religions worldwide discussed there and contrasted with the facts as taught by the God of truth in His Word of truth.

For more practice:
Real science, knowledge of realities compared to unverified philosophies and stories

Some tips and pitfalls are discussed in the article in my signature which has a preceding page (note the arrows in the top right to get to that page).