During the first year of the Korean War, Edward Hunter, an American journalist who had worked in wartime intelligence, and post-war with the CIA, coined (or, more accurately, first popularised) the term brainwashing
In March 1958, Hunter testified before the US House of Representatives’ House Committee on Un-American Activities. He described the US and NATO as losing the Cold War because of the communists’ advantage in propaganda and psychological manipulation. He felt that the West lost the Korean War for being unwilling to use its advantage in atomic weapons
It’s a bit funny to hear people use the term without recognizing it’s tortured and sensationalist history. “We’ve been tricked into not kicking off a nuclear war” isn’t what most people think of when they hear “brainwashing”. But during the height of the Red Scare, that’s what Goldwater conservatives and John Bircher reactionaries were arguing for.
That’s very interesting, and I genuinely do appreciate the history lesson, but what exactly are you trying to communicate? That brainwashing is only possible in North America because that’s the population it was coined for? That the act only constitutes brainwashing if it’s coupled with calls for violence? That brainwashing is a strictly government term and using it colloquially has no meaning? That I should fully detail every term with a unique historical significant etymology?
There’s a lot of weird insinuations and half takes that don’t add up to a complete idea in this post.
The term is an invention of propaganda used to dismiss outside views. You’ll see it in the Christian community to describe why kids come out as gay or transgender as often as by state officials describing why foreigners stubbornly refuse to accept Western economic orthodoxy.
There’s a lot of weird insinuations and half takes that don’t add up
To understand why a CIA agent would describe people critical of the Korean War as unable to think for themselves, you do need to learn about the Red Scare first.
If things don’t add up, go out and fill in more of the variables.
sigh
During the first year of the Korean War, Edward Hunter, an American journalist who had worked in wartime intelligence, and post-war with the CIA, coined (or, more accurately, first popularised) the term brainwashing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hunter_(journalist)#Journalism
In March 1958, Hunter testified before the US House of Representatives’ House Committee on Un-American Activities. He described the US and NATO as losing the Cold War because of the communists’ advantage in propaganda and psychological manipulation. He felt that the West lost the Korean War for being unwilling to use its advantage in atomic weapons
It’s a bit funny to hear people use the term without recognizing it’s tortured and sensationalist history. “We’ve been tricked into not kicking off a nuclear war” isn’t what most people think of when they hear “brainwashing”. But during the height of the Red Scare, that’s what Goldwater conservatives and John Bircher reactionaries were arguing for.
Oh you POOR TAXED THING!!
🤣 taxed is getting worked into my shit talk ty ty ty
Yw.
That’s very interesting, and I genuinely do appreciate the history lesson, but what exactly are you trying to communicate? That brainwashing is only possible in North America because that’s the population it was coined for? That the act only constitutes brainwashing if it’s coupled with calls for violence? That brainwashing is a strictly government term and using it colloquially has no meaning? That I should fully detail every term with a unique historical significant etymology?
There’s a lot of weird insinuations and half takes that don’t add up to a complete idea in this post.
The term is an invention of propaganda used to dismiss outside views. You’ll see it in the Christian community to describe why kids come out as gay or transgender as often as by state officials describing why foreigners stubbornly refuse to accept Western economic orthodoxy.
To understand why a CIA agent would describe people critical of the Korean War as unable to think for themselves, you do need to learn about the Red Scare first.
If things don’t add up, go out and fill in more of the variables.
Brainwashed is the appropriate term to describe nationalistic ideology, yes
No no, nationalism is freethinking because [checks notes] an American in the Cold War was a lunatic.
conflates two completely different points about propaganda and losing-because-not-using-nukes together
social situations must be exhausting in your life huh
I’ve definitely upset a lot of people with a little bit of history.