Brainwash

Brainwashing refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated".
(wikipedia definition for mind control.) As humans we are often confused with the term brainwashing or in other words the control of the mind. We have a misconception of believing that the only for of brainwashing is when a individual is blindfolded and tactics are used in which he is physically harmed into doing or saying what the abuser wants . This is an example of hard brainwashing. There are much more conventional means of brainwashing that you may take into consideration in your everyday life.

Lets take a look at television. Television is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic ("black and white") or color. (wikipedia definition for television). I won’t break down the statistics of children and adults who watch television everyday. I will say that everyone reading this knows someone who engages in coming home and turning on the TV and either sitting in front of it or listening to it hours along in the day. It has almost infiltrated the homes of so many to where its like a loved one. It’s almost a necessity in the average household. Now lets think of what sells on television.

Show are often filled with situations that people can relate to ,peoples lives in which they share similar situations and stories filled with sex, scandal, manipulation and emotions that draw you into the lives of a television actor. It can be a emotional thing at times. Why is this? It’s almost as if television life has been programmed to feel like reality. You ever notice a friend or peer sitting in front of the TV starring with a dazed look, mouth open and nothing can take their attention off of the screen in front of them? Have you ever heard someone resource information in school and say “ Umm, well I saw that on television! “ It’s crazy right. Have you ever seen a commercial that almost screams to you as a viewer “ BUY THIS! “ , “ DO THIS !“, “ TRY THIS!” and maybe you even know someone who has listened to the TV as if it were a person who recommended them to a product .

It’s odd how you can find sexual puns, violence drugs, and a lot of negatives in television that causes some of today’s youth to act ,dress, and portray what they see on TV. Oddly enough some people sit on the couch watching TV with their favorite snack maybe chips, popcorn, candy and eat ours along as shows come on. Obesity levels are rising in the community and even in the world. This is because more people are sitting and watching more and less are getting out, getting active ,reading, and engaging in physical activities that they once used to. Now as we know things are good in moderation but we have to say to ourselves “ We can’t let the television be our reality!’ and we have to think for ourselves. This brings us back to the definition of brainwashing. You almost can use television as an example of a systematic way you can be manipulated. The point is that you must take a hold of your subconscious mind and think for yourself. Knowledge is power.

-signing out
-B.Bartley