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Brainwashing In How Stuffs Work

Decent Essays

There are many individuals who view brainwashing as a disease that spreads like wildfire. But what exactly is brainwashing and how does it work? According to Merriam- Webster Dictionary, brainwashing is defined as a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas. According to journalist Julia Layton, from How Stuff Works, “In the brainwashing process, the agent systematically breaks down the target's identity to the point that it doesn't work anymore. The agent then replaces it with another set of behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that work in the target's current environment.” But it’s not like brainwashing is a brand new invention that …show more content…

When you’re in charge, everyone listens to you. Or in other words, you have authority over everyone. In the film, the teacher tells his students to not think about or question whether 2+2=5. He repeats it and has the students also repeat it. The students are frightened to act against the teacher in fear of getting punished. A psychologist, Sheila Kohler, from Psychology Today states that there are people “who seem to have authority but may be simply puffed up with bombast and unable to admit when they do not know.” This is quite similar to when children are afraid to do something wrong and get yelled at by their parents or when someone who is older thinks they know everything because they’re older. When I was younger, my father was the “authority” around the house. Being the youngest, of course he had a little sympathy for me when I did something not too major. But if I did something really bad, I knew I had a yelling coming my way. Another example would be when my older cousin, Alina, thinks she knows everything because she’s older. Although sometimes she is right, there are times when she’s wrong and I am usually the one to correct …show more content…

After watching the film, I learned that there are certain things people use to brainwash an individual. I also learned that you should stand up and fight for what you truly believe in. Learning how to stand up to someone gives you strength and makes you feel like no one can mess with you. But when you live in a country like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or even Syria, it’s not that easy. There are consequences that follow when you finally begin to see the truth behind something bad. There are some individuals who say that it’s easy to not let someone brainwash or tell you what to do, all you have to do is say no. But see, it’s not that simple. Those individuals don’t have to go through what the individuals in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria have to go through when it comes to just saying no. If someone from one of those countries were to say “no” to their brainwasher, they would get punished, tortured or even killed. So it’s not really a win win. But what’s even more alarming, is that children are the ones who are also getting brainwashed, just like in the film. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a child or not, if you don’t obey or fall in, there’s a certainty you may get killed. It is important that individuals know brainwashing is serious and that it’s not that easy to turn away from. It’s like a quote that Caroline Kennedy once said that I believe fits well into what I learned, “It is not easy to stand up

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