Are people in society brainwashed?
It seems people in society are being brainwashed into being "normal". And I'm not. It's like through deep thinking, I've realized things and have become aware. (I don't mean this in a magical or superstitious way.) I just know the world and universe we live in is a strange place. DNA proves that all living things on Earth (animals, humans etc.) are all related to one another in one way though long term process of Evolution. Society is brainwashing people into becoming robots and wage slaves, even though they are so brainwashed they may deny it. All of these laws, morals, standards and expectations are making humans into robots. They are expected to become business people and wear suit-and-tie. It's like people have forgotten that we are all just highly-evolved animals. It's hard to explain what I mean. I don't think I can. Do any of you feel this way also? I think I am disillusioned. I want to know if I'm not the only one who is aware and thinks this way.
Do you feel that liberals have more trust in the government rather than the conservatives and libertarians do?
That depends on who’s in government at the time. The liberals of the Civil Rights era in the United States, and the anti-war era, definitely did not trust the government. And with good reason; the FBI had done all sorts of illegal things in the name of anti-Communism. The CIA ran the hideous MK-Ultra program that tried out various brainwashing techniques on college students and gave people LSD without their knowledge. (One of those students was a man named Theodore Kaczynski, who became deeply paranoid as a result of this abuse and eventually became the Unabomber.) When Congress got wind of it, the CIA destroyed the files as fast as they could… such integrity in government. And of course at the local level there was segregation, abuse of civil rights, and all kinds of other evils perpetrated by racist governments and police departments.But liberals on the whole are a lot more sanguine about government doing things than private enterprise, for a number of reasons. The government is responsible to the people, and subject to a lot of oversight. It gets voted on every two years. Private companies are not responsible to anyone but their shareholders, and the people have no right to throw out their management. Furthermore, private companies expect to make a profit. Government activities aren’t supposed to make a profit. If you spent X amount of taxpayer dollars on a project, if the government does it, they use all X for the project; but if private enterprise does it, they use X - 5% and pocket the rest as their profit. The taxpayers don’t get full value for their money.
Are marines brainwashed in boot-camp?
Marines are trained to fight in the most difficult situations in war and they are not brainwashed.
Whats the best way to get someone out of the CULT of Scientology?
My friend is involved in this cult and I want to get her completely out before she seriously harms herself or gets too deep in. She wasted all of her money on the courses (why don't they just help members free... like all the other 'religions') She's not the same person anymore. They really brainwashed her into a robot-like person. I'm going to spend all my time getting her out of this cult, no matter what.... but what are some good methods to start with? Thanks
Why do atheists single-out and reject religion for brainwashing when the same can be said for society, culture and norms?
A good question. Religion is just a part of culture and most of the rest of culture doesn't get the hard rejection that religion often does. Native language is equally location specific and imposed on children and nobody complains of brain washing. Whether you get your ears pierced, the baby clothes you will use, your first solid foods, that's all imposed on children by culture without major objection by anyone.I think it may have to do with that heavy dose of "or else" that some religions include. Children here don't feel threatened if they don't like empanadas, salsa music, ill fitting clothes, or large parties in car ports. People can accommodate others that reject specific elements of the culture. Except religion, that is. Religions tend to be the non negotiable aspect of many cultures. Not only that but religion can dictate other choices as well. What jobs you can do, who you can date and how, your personal rights may be dictated by religion in ways that diet, language, clothing, or music don't.It may also be that the two biggest religions are cultural impositions and not native to the lands where they exist. Every location in the world has had its native religions that have thrived and dwindled through history but Christianity and Islam have often been imposed by conquerors in regions outside their native lands. What this means is that these religions don't flow organically from the rest of the culture but are shoved like the proverbial square peg in a round hole, and the strain sometimes shows.A third factor may be the confrontation that often surrounds religion. You never see people picketing with signs of "Eat lasagna or DIE!", "Stop the Moonlight Sonata NOW", or "Death to ALL Polka dancers". It seems like while most people are willing to respect other people's cultural choices, some insist on interfering with the religious choices of others.So yes, religion is a part of culture but a part of culture that chafes a bit more than others and thus gets more rejection.
What is Truth and how does it affect our perception of reality?
What is Truth? Is Truth what we believe or what we can prove? Must truth exist in order to trust or can we trust in a lie? Is a lie based fully on perception where as all things are true based on your point of view? Is there no Truth unless we have Faith that such a thing exist? Does the Faith in Truth give us a feeling of safty that everything is as it should be and that if we go to sleep tonight we will wake up tomorrow safe and the same as when we went to sleep?
Is there any Chinese who support the independence of Tibet?
Over a long time, Tibet had longed for China, as evidenced by frequent forays into China by Tibetian rulers since the days of the Tang Dynasty. Obviously, this caused a lot of problems for China civilians living near the borders as men were killed, women taken as sex slaves, children doomed to be slaves forever. At the same time, everyone can understand why a poor mountainous place like Tibet hungers so deeply for the riches and cultures of China.To fulfill the ancient desires of Tibet, China decided to open up and welcome Tibet into its friendly arms. Since becoming a part of China since the Yuan dynasty, Tibet no longer lose so many soldiers invading China and can focus on peaceful existence and economic development, and Chinese civilians near Tibet province no longer live in fear of death, sexual slavery or slavery. This is a big win win for all. Look back to history over a thousand years ago, instead of focusing on the last few decades. You will find that Tibet had always wish to have China since ancient times. And most Chinese are kind enough to grant them this dreams. And with recent dispute with India over water, many Chinese have realized that being together with Tibet is not only good for Tibet, but it also safeguards' China water supply. Hence I doubt few if any Chinese will support an independent Tibet. It's simply wrong to throw out people who craves for you. It's stupid if throwing them out may lead to your water supply being cut off！