Thursday, January 12, 2017
Brainwashing
I am old enough to remember when it was possible to really enjoy a Star Wars movie on its own merits, without being brainwashed into it.
I told this to one of my co-workers who instantly understood it.
Later I told it to another co-worker who was slightly insulted by it because no one enjoys the bitter recognition that someone has washed their brain.
Back when one could enjoy a Star Wars movie on its own merits, without being brainwashed into it, people talked a lot more about brainwashing. It was a popular cold war concept. Nowadays we don't hear much about it, probably because it's so ubiquitous. There's so much brainwashing in so many different directions that we've had to sort of give up on it and pretend it's not happening. So when tens of millions of Americans vote Donald Trump into the Presidency there's an explosion of hand wringing. A million articles try to suss it out. The press generally decides that it's because people felt the American Dream had left them behind, or because people were worried about their diminishing privilege, or because people felt the establishment wasn't listening, or a hundred other things. But none of these are reasons why people voted for Donald Trump. These are reasons people were vulnerable to being brainwashed into voting for Donald Trump. One has to be in a weakened state to be vulnerable to brainwashing, but the actual reason people voted for Donald Trump was strictly because they were brainwashed. But then the hard truth is that the only reason anyone votes for any Republican is because they have been brainwashed. And the reason most people think there is a palpable difference in how washed a brain is that votes Trump and a brain that votes Republican is because, well, alas, they are brainwashed.
Do you see the problem? There is so much brainwashing around that you have to dig it out in layers and then you find your very shovel is made of brainwashing.
What about me. Maybe I am brainwashed?
Naw, that's the beauty of being the first person to think something.
Of course, if you believe me and find yourself saying these things, you will not have the same defense.
2 comments:
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How on Earth is your sitcom ever going to be successful if you don't embrace the Spectacle?
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm relieved that your genius resurrection of ye olde Cold War term did not devolve into a"golden shower" parody.
Dear mdnez,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest in the sitcom. Did you know it's like the 4th or 5th tv show we've offered here. There was our talk show (The Bob and Bunny Show, link on the sidebar- it curiously anticipated the Trump phenomenon, and, if you watch carefully, actually references urine- all of this from at least a couple years ago!), and of course I'm pretty sure you watched all of the shows we did of the procedural crime drama series(CSN-I, with special guests Joni Mitchell and Neil Young).
Anyway, so, you think I need to embrace the spectacle more? How about on the sitcom we have a character who has a Napoleon complex, except it's a Trump Complex? He can fret constantly about his little fingers and get wistful when people go to the bathroom.
Just an idea