That bit about the brainwashers targeting high IQ individuals who were undereducated or felt overlooked by society seems spot on to me. The young men I know who have dived most deeply into outlandish conspiracy theories were often antagonized by their school teachers despite their natural abilities. They were bored in school and underperformed. Once they found these conspiracy forums or hosts who seemed to finally be revealing truths or "asking the right questions," they felt finally validated and would memorize these esoteric "facts." I saw a similar occurrence during COVID with a bright young woman who swallowed up the BLM rhetoric like it was an ecclesiastical creed. She too was bored in school and likely underwhelmed by the challenge of academics they provided.
In re this phenomenon I always think of Michael Malice's quip that "it's easier to train a smart dog than a dumb one." I am not a smart dog or a brave one, but I do look to cantankerous friends who will say "no" to groups and remember their example when my conscience rejects the current thing.
This is something that’s always annoyed me. I’ve met ostensibly conservative people who proudly watch/read leftist garbage so that they can get “both sides” of an issue before drawing conclusions.
I was struck by his description of loyal and patriotic men who, through no fault of their own, were not taught the nature of the enemy, and the reason for their struggle, and ended up vulnerable to brainwashing.
Your warning to us to become educated about the war we are fighting, beyond ingesting a series of memes, which get engagement but do not reach deeply into our heart and our minds, is important to follow.
I enjoy these short excerpts and now I'm going to research more about this CIA patriot. Thanks for sharing.
This was a great listen, thank you! I'm drawing similarities to a recent discussion with my nephew who's 14. He said he likes Trump but also that hes a pedo. I was taken a back for a moment. I've been told he isn't "mature enough" to handle serious conversation but obviously someone thinks it's important to tell him these lies for obvious malicious reasons. It's easy to effect the youth with drip feeding them propaganda when our society gives them nothing to fill their minds. He knows almost nothing about history, has trouble reading and writing, but is being fed these lines with no reason or context that our president is a pedo/other baseless nonsense. It didn't take long to show him where those lies come from and why they're wrong. But it hurts to be in that situation. There's a dangerous game being played with our youth.
It didn’t help that a reasonable person might credibly have believed the two core claims of the Red Koreans: 1) you’re fighting here for no good reason (true!), and 2) communism is the superior system (false, but in 1951 it wasn’t as obvious as it later became).
In a similar way, the Right today is basically unwilling to state its true goals or its true enemies - and that leaves a lot of people puzzled about what the hell is going on and what we’re fighting for. Much easier for people to fall into crazy conspiracy nonsense, just like those POWs.
Feels like the brainwashing has only ramped up with internet and smartphones. “The medium is the message.” Is a little spot on when you consider how much we are being bombarded with propaganda from every device.
It was interesting (directed with panache by Jonathan Demme) but not good. The biggest reason is [spoilers] the traumatized, brainwashed son was the candidate rather than the instrument that cleared the way for unscrupulous politician. Liev Schreiber just can't reconcile the demands of being both MK Ultra weirdo and the charm monster a high level politician would have to be. Denzel Washington was fine, and not really a diversity casting choice--his character was an Eskimo in the book. Worth a look for the completist, but not remotely in the same league as the outstanding 1962 film.
From the trailer, it looks like an inadvertent warning against taking in violent, low-IQ creatures that will not understand/appreciate you at all and seek to murder you in your sleep. Did I guess correctly?
In this vein I would recommend James Clavell’s novella The Children's Story. It is a thankfully fictional look at brainwashing of children in a school setting.
In movie news, I recently watched an early screening of The Wizard of the Kremlin. It's a fictionalized version of Putin's rise to power in Russia, amid the failures of the post-Soviet collapse, told from the point of view of the man who becomes his top advisor.
I very much enjoyed it even though it's pacing was off in places. Mainly anytime it shifts to focus on the narrator's personal life things slow down and I wasn't interested in the love story. Don't listen to the reviews that it's all boring. Those reviews are from people who couldn't follow what was going on. The movie expects the audience to have basic knowledge of Russia and politics.
Jude Law is excellent as Putin. I don't care that he didn't put on a fake Russian accent. That would have gotten old anyway. The actors are there to convey the sense of the character and Law exceeds on that regard.
PS If you're wondering if you have enough knowledge to appreciate the movie just ask yourself if you know who Prigozhin was.
I finally had the chance to read your recommended story “The Children’s Story.” Absolutely brilliant. One of my favorites now. You can see the brilliant framing of language the new teacher uses (“wrong” versus “bad” thoughts) and how even the seeming victories of discovery by Johnny are morphed into a win for the new people in charge. It reminds me of my own time in many classes where the teacher would notice my observant, often investigative nature. Rather than castigate me, they would praise me and promote me, so I wouldn’t make so many questions about their methods. In that way, I was in their camp and not against them. Thanks for sharing!
In a similar vein of impactful short stories, I recommend “The Street” (1919) by HP Lovecraft. (https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/s.aspx). Truly /ourguy/ of the early 20th C. I just looked it up and he published this short story just as the Palmer Raids were unfolding in late 1919. Either he memed them into existence or was inspired to write events as they unfolded.
That bit about the brainwashers targeting high IQ individuals who were undereducated or felt overlooked by society seems spot on to me. The young men I know who have dived most deeply into outlandish conspiracy theories were often antagonized by their school teachers despite their natural abilities. They were bored in school and underperformed. Once they found these conspiracy forums or hosts who seemed to finally be revealing truths or "asking the right questions," they felt finally validated and would memorize these esoteric "facts." I saw a similar occurrence during COVID with a bright young woman who swallowed up the BLM rhetoric like it was an ecclesiastical creed. She too was bored in school and likely underwhelmed by the challenge of academics they provided.
In re this phenomenon I always think of Michael Malice's quip that "it's easier to train a smart dog than a dumb one." I am not a smart dog or a brave one, but I do look to cantankerous friends who will say "no" to groups and remember their example when my conscience rejects the current thing.
Review The Thing or my wife is going to face the consequences
RIP
You have no clue what you just did to her man, you’re a sick fuck.
Have you stopped beating your wife?
Those were warmups.
“…whether he made an intellectual fetish out of objectivity…”
A good reminder that you do not in fact “have to hand it to” Anti-White Communists when they make a “good” point about Israel, Boomers, etc.
This is something that’s always annoyed me. I’ve met ostensibly conservative people who proudly watch/read leftist garbage so that they can get “both sides” of an issue before drawing conclusions.
I was struck by his description of loyal and patriotic men who, through no fault of their own, were not taught the nature of the enemy, and the reason for their struggle, and ended up vulnerable to brainwashing.
Your warning to us to become educated about the war we are fighting, beyond ingesting a series of memes, which get engagement but do not reach deeply into our heart and our minds, is important to follow.
I enjoy these short excerpts and now I'm going to research more about this CIA patriot. Thanks for sharing.
My God. I wonder if they know who managed to exclude his book from their kits. Heinous. I can see the similarities to the doomers and Qtards.
This was a great listen, thank you! I'm drawing similarities to a recent discussion with my nephew who's 14. He said he likes Trump but also that hes a pedo. I was taken a back for a moment. I've been told he isn't "mature enough" to handle serious conversation but obviously someone thinks it's important to tell him these lies for obvious malicious reasons. It's easy to effect the youth with drip feeding them propaganda when our society gives them nothing to fill their minds. He knows almost nothing about history, has trouble reading and writing, but is being fed these lines with no reason or context that our president is a pedo/other baseless nonsense. It didn't take long to show him where those lies come from and why they're wrong. But it hurts to be in that situation. There's a dangerous game being played with our youth.
The real lesson is that there isn’t enough proper SERE training among the troops. Who needs Chinese socialism if you can survive nearly anywhere?
It didn’t help that a reasonable person might credibly have believed the two core claims of the Red Koreans: 1) you’re fighting here for no good reason (true!), and 2) communism is the superior system (false, but in 1951 it wasn’t as obvious as it later became).
In a similar way, the Right today is basically unwilling to state its true goals or its true enemies - and that leaves a lot of people puzzled about what the hell is going on and what we’re fighting for. Much easier for people to fall into crazy conspiracy nonsense, just like those POWs.
Feels like the brainwashing has only ramped up with internet and smartphones. “The medium is the message.” Is a little spot on when you consider how much we are being bombarded with propaganda from every device.
Erika Kirk won in Indiana..
Good article, too.
It's telling that Richard Condon's "The Manchurian Candidate" (1959) sussed this out so adroitly.
Did anyone see the “We Wuz the Manchurian Candidate” (2004) with Denzel Washington? Was that any good?
I liked it tbh
Denzel can be good, so I’m glad it worked for this adaptation. I’ll need to check it out then.
It was interesting (directed with panache by Jonathan Demme) but not good. The biggest reason is [spoilers] the traumatized, brainwashed son was the candidate rather than the instrument that cleared the way for unscrupulous politician. Liev Schreiber just can't reconcile the demands of being both MK Ultra weirdo and the charm monster a high level politician would have to be. Denzel Washington was fine, and not really a diversity casting choice--his character was an Eskimo in the book. Worth a look for the completist, but not remotely in the same league as the outstanding 1962 film.
I watched this movie "Primate" - incredible
They're Australian and they don't see the danger until it's too late
Many such cases.
From the trailer, it looks like an inadvertent warning against taking in violent, low-IQ creatures that will not understand/appreciate you at all and seek to murder you in your sleep. Did I guess correctly?
I missed it in theaters. I'll have to check it out
In this vein I would recommend James Clavell’s novella The Children's Story. It is a thankfully fictional look at brainwashing of children in a school setting.
In movie news, I recently watched an early screening of The Wizard of the Kremlin. It's a fictionalized version of Putin's rise to power in Russia, amid the failures of the post-Soviet collapse, told from the point of view of the man who becomes his top advisor.
I very much enjoyed it even though it's pacing was off in places. Mainly anytime it shifts to focus on the narrator's personal life things slow down and I wasn't interested in the love story. Don't listen to the reviews that it's all boring. Those reviews are from people who couldn't follow what was going on. The movie expects the audience to have basic knowledge of Russia and politics.
Jude Law is excellent as Putin. I don't care that he didn't put on a fake Russian accent. That would have gotten old anyway. The actors are there to convey the sense of the character and Law exceeds on that regard.
PS If you're wondering if you have enough knowledge to appreciate the movie just ask yourself if you know who Prigozhin was.
I finally had the chance to read your recommended story “The Children’s Story.” Absolutely brilliant. One of my favorites now. You can see the brilliant framing of language the new teacher uses (“wrong” versus “bad” thoughts) and how even the seeming victories of discovery by Johnny are morphed into a win for the new people in charge. It reminds me of my own time in many classes where the teacher would notice my observant, often investigative nature. Rather than castigate me, they would praise me and promote me, so I wouldn’t make so many questions about their methods. In that way, I was in their camp and not against them. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it left an impact. I agree the really creepy part is when you recognize some of the tactics from your own education
In a similar vein of impactful short stories, I recommend “The Street” (1919) by HP Lovecraft. (https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/s.aspx). Truly /ourguy/ of the early 20th C. I just looked it up and he published this short story just as the Palmer Raids were unfolding in late 1919. Either he memed them into existence or was inspired to write events as they unfolded.
Awesome! I’ll have to check it out