How is it that so many people get brainwashed by media, religion, and authority figures?

Question

I have rarely met people who think for themselves. So many people are influenced in a major way in how they think and feel by the media, government, and many other sources. Most have absolutely no clue how much of who they are is what they have been manipulated and influenced to be. What can be done to allow for more people to think more independantly?

If you like this question, plz answer my other questions. I will appreciate any answers, wether I agree with them or not. Thanks.

Answer 1

Really good question. I don't know, I think maybe independent thinkers are born not made. For sure any kid who shows creative thinking gets little support for it. Usually, older people tell kids, "That's not how we do it." over and over until they give up trying anything new and look to authority to tell them everything. But there are some people that this just does not work on. They are the true thinkers of society and are seldom listened to as their thoughts by their very newness seem strange.
The only way people are going to learn to think independently is if kids are treated differently, left to figure out more solutions on their own. But, this is not going to happen. The trend socially is totally in the opposite direction, and if there is any way to go against trends in social development, I don't know it. It's like swimming against the tide, you will just drown.
I did feel manipulated when I lived in the US for 50 years, now I have been an expat for seven years, and haven't watched much tv, I can really see how it effects everyone even more than I had thought. But, when I suggest to family and friends back in the US that tv may contain brainwashing, folks get a bit testy. I think that a lot of what is put out on tv as being factual news is really fiction being put out there to distract people from what is happening in their own real life. But when I express that opinion, people tend to call me a conspiracy theorist, or worse...
Independant thinking is actually frowned upon, and if you have it, you tend to hide it, that's what I think.

Answer 2

First of all , I feel that a person must be a free thinker. Just because an idea is popular at the time does not mean the idea is true. Many people hear a statement on television. Is the statement true or not. It was on tv, it must be true. It's the same with polititicans and used car salesmen, they are interchangeable. If your a good salesman, pick a career in one or the other. Religion, don't have enought time to discuss that. Try something. Make up a one minute story. In that one minute, repeat a two word phrase six times mixed within the story. Afterwords, ask your friend what was heard in your story. I'll bet it was the two word phrase.

Answer 3

I agree that there are a plethora of brainwashed people in this land. I think the fact that it is easier to be brainwashed than well informed has a lot to do with it. Mostly, I think that we need to get back to a place of written communication for our news sources. Television media and even radio media is so full of sound bytes its a wonder that we ever get any real information from watching it. To really get the feel of something we need to read about it in detail, and unfortunately, too many Americans are too lazy and disinterested to do that.

Answer 4

Dude! I agree with you totally on this one. I know i'm supposed to have a for and against arguement here but i'm gonna keep it simple.

From my experience of life and sociology the media in the modern culture plays a major role shaping and directing the beliefs and values of many, on a global scale.

By media I mean television, internet, radio, movies, documentories, books, etc...

Don't misunderstand me here, I am not trying to discredit the western culture. It is by far the most dominating (if you believe in cultural dominance) culture of our modern times. Heck even in my small island community people think they are in the streets like G-Unit and the whole black man/white man subculture thing going on. It saddens me to see this because most people who do this don't understand that these individuals on Mtv are doing this to survive. It's there bread and butter. More of a job than a social reality.

So has to offend some sensitive people i'd like to end this roll i'm on now and return to the question at hand.

Compared to 50years or so ago, a television is now a house hold comodity. Internet is easily accessable worldwide and the news (think of british BBC, american CNN, french TV5) spreads like wildfire in any community, in no time.

The abundant availability of mediums into which information can be transferred worldwide in little time is almost endless. Information can be the truth or lies. It can be anything.

That aside; modern man seems to take everything for granted (i know i do to some point). We don't have to hunt for food or find shelter in the woods or in caves anymore (unless you're on a safari thing or is unfortunate to be in countries that are pre-industrial and in poverty{i'll touch that topic later}). Due to this disconnection with nature, we seek out things that will keep us occupied and we evolve.

What i meant by pre-industrial countries to be an unfortunate case is subjective to every individual. So anyone can open up a sub topic from this answer and elaborate on it a bit. As for poverty. Come on! Wouldn't the world be a far better place if it didn't exist? It does but why? Is it just a scapegoat for the government's failures? What social circumstances lead to poverty?

Cheers

Answer 5

One thing that people can do to decrease the influence placed on them is to question what they see in the media--will a Gillette Razor really make me more manly? Will this deoderant get me a woman/man? If I drink Gatorade, will I be able to play tennis, run as fast as, jump as high as --- etc. ---as so and so?
Watching the news can even have the same effect. Do we really want to get all of our news from Comedy Central's Daily Show? If so, do we have to take the same views that are being shoved down our throats? Believing in ourself, our intellect and our judgment is an important step in the right direction. By why listen to me? Maybe you should make up your own mind.

Answer 6

I do not agree with that statement. Since I am coming from a European background. I have learned early to form my own opinion about myself and the world that surrounds me. Sure, somewhat, I do follow up with the Media, I read the daily News Paper, I watch the News. But still I am my own individual person that forms her own opinion. I love to discuss ideas that I have and I posses adequatley educational background to explore for my self. Read some of my responses and you will find out that there are more individuals out there that will think for them selves! Also sometimes I think the brainwashing comes more from the Religious institution or any instutitions that people belong to. Cause they otherwise would not find acceptance in society or are those individuals that can't find acceptance through themselves. What can be done is to allow people who are in a certain culture , religon or society to educate themselves by travelling outside their boundaries. To travel and explore other cultures, societies . Educate themselves about life in the world in general! I think if we let our selves to the exploring more freely than I think we can foster more independant thinking!

Answer 7

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Some people refuse to seek knowledge or real answers. They prefer ideology. It is much easier to have someone else do your thinking for you. People like simplified ideas about how the world works. They reject anything that conflicts with their personal prejudices.

Also, experience has a large part to play. Young people are liberals, older people are conservative.

You can't force people to use their brains. Look at Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.

Answer 8

They play on peoples ignorance. The brain is very easy to control from anothers stand point. I have in my youth caused people to do some crazy things by simple suggestion. I have made people to see many ghosts that weren't there. If you know what people want to see you can cause them to do anything. It's sad but true. Knowledge is the only answer, but most peoeple are to lazy to seek that knowledge. Once you become aware of the things they do, you can start to see threw the smoke screen.

Answer 9

The problem is that we are a lazy society and have a tendency to believe everything we hear especially if it is from a television set. The media should be giving us nothing but accurate data because that is what they are supposed to do. So we tend to believe what they tell us but they are mostly wrong or inaccurate..

Answer 10

A proper exposure to God and religion can help to counteract the real brainwashing that popular culture is constantly throwing at all of us in books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, and even video games.

Popular culture is constantly bombarding us with intensive, not-so-forcible indoctrination, aimed at setting up worldly convictions and attitudes.

Popular culture comes at us from all directions including books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, video games and even the Internet.

A few of the these immoral values include:
- Lust and Sex (outside of marriage)
- A disrespect for God and religion
- A disrespect for lawful authority
- A disrespect for our human dignity
- Envy, greed and consumerism
- Anger and Violence
- Drugs including smoking and alcohol
- Vanity, outside is more important than inside
- Prejudice and hate

I think that if we expose our children to all this immorality without the moral anchor of God and religion "until they can come to a conclusion of their own" then we would be unwise irresponsible, and frequently too late.

With love in Christ.