Thread by @AlisonBlunt

1/2 'Joost Meerloo (1903-1976) wrote his book "The Rape of the Mind. The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing" in 1956 in response to his experiences resisting the Nazi occupation of his country.' archive.org/details/articl…

2/2 The book: the techniques for individual subjugation, the techniques for mass subjugation, inconspicuous coercion, search for means of defence.
'..I would like to present my subjective summary of what I consider to be the central points...' archive.org/details/articl…

Quote from the article, "The goal is to create a great deal of confusion so that no one can distinguish truth from lies. The brainwashed person is in a state of panic because his evaluations and norms have been undermined."

Another quote from the article, "It is important to use catchwords, stereotypes, slogans and symbols instead of an undistorted representation of reality. Free discussion and free intellectual exchange hinder conditioning."

And, "Individual self-expression is forbidden, as is private affection. The peaceful exchange of thoughts in a free conversation disturbs the conditioning and is therefore equally forbidden."

Quoting the article, "The mind that is open to question is open to dissent. Under a totalitarian regime, a doubting, curious and imaginative mind must be suppressed."

"The totalitarian slave must only remember to drool when the bell rings. However, genuine emotions such as love and laughter can break through this conditioning." archive.org/details/articl…

Quote, "The mechanisation of modern life has led modern man to be more passive and to behave in a more conformist manner. His own values play a lesser role, he thinks more in terms of the values conveyed in the mass media."

Quoting, "Man has two faces. He wants to develop towards maturity and freedom, on the other hand the little child in him demands complete protection and irresponsibility." archive.org/details/articl…

"Totalitarian leaders show an overwhelming need to control others & exercise unlimited power, often rooted in firmly held feelings of fear, humiliation, and inferiority." archive.org/details/articl…

Quote from article, "The inhabitants of such a totalitarian state do not really communicate with each other. Their inner silence is in stark contrast to the official verbal bombardment."

"Thinking is superfluous, reserved for the elites. Man must give up his uniqueness and individual personality and surrender to the egalitarian pattern of integration and standardisation." archive.org/details/articl…

Quote, "Meerloo emphasises that such totalitarian developments can also happen unintentionally or unknowingly in so-called free, democratic states. Leaders would then govern through intimidation."

"Every citizen is a potential enemy of the regime. Thought itself is the enemy. There is no transparent politics, no free discussion, no honest differences of opinion, there are only intrigues & denunciations with their frightening effects on the masses." archive.org/details/articl…

Quoting "A totalitarian society needs an external image of the enemy; at the same time, its own failures are covered up. Flowery slogans, such as "historical necessity", help the individual to regard immoral behaviour as moral and good."

"In a "semantic fog", words lose their communicative words function, only triggering feelings of fear and terror. People no longer strive for real understanding, there is no more weighing of the pros and cons." archive.org/details/articl…

Quoting, "The individual is fear-driven, so afraid of deviating from the prescribed opinion and way of thinking that he only allows himself to express himself in the words prescribed by his dictators."

"Official words must be believed and obeyed. Facts contrary to the official line are distorted and suppressed, any form of intellectual compromise is treason. There is no search for truth, only forced acceptance of totalitarian dogmas and clichés." archive.org/details/articl…

"Conformity and the fear of
living rob free life of its greatest strength in the fight against totalitarianism." archive.org/details/articl…

"Through mass media, the group can be influenced daily with fear and pseudo- enthusiasm. People will accept the most primitive and inappropriate actions. External events are usually the triggers that release hysterical and delusional parts in people." ia801507.us.archive.org/19/items/artic…

"It is forgotten that the presence of minority viewpoints, whether acceptable or not, is one of the ways to protect ourselves against the creeping growth of conformist majority thinking. There is a need therefore, to encourage people's curiosity and inquisitiveness."

"The fear of people thinking for themselves, being authentic and standing up for what they believe in must be addressed." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"The explanatory mania, the need to explain and interpret everything, because behind it is a simple ideology, is seen by Meerloo as particularly associated with coercion." archive.org/details/articl…

"Being a selected state figure in an era of heightened human conflict & being dependent on the mass of voters can cause symptoms similar to psychosis in some people, impairing the body & psyche at a time when we need the healthiest and steadiest leaders." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"It can be seen that idealistic platitudes mask inappropriate proposals and we are led to accept this as the hackneyed game of political strategy & diplomacy. Consequently, one should ask what role the psychopathic component plays in some of the leaders." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"When we do not understand the implications of an issue or an argument, we tend to submit to the most powerful side. The ease with which people can be corrupted is still one of the most serious psychological and moral problems." archive.org/details/articl…

"Inner confusion can make us subservient to almost any strong advice from outside, no matter how nonsensical or misguided it may be. The persecution of dissenting ideas, the insistence on loyalty according to a prescribed slogan, means a reluctance to debate and convince."

"Democracy involves non-conformity, even when we attack each other's points of view, points of view which, because we are human, are always incomplete." archive.org/details/articl…

And, "A type of education that emphasises dependency and control and creates a moral appeal through punishment and guilt, and encourages overly mechanistic skills through quiz-like testing, creates a pattern of conformity that can be utilised by totalitarian systems."

"Exam mania forces pupils and students into automatic thinking. Free, exploratory, creative thinking, on the other hand, should be encouraged in a democratic system, otherwise pupils and students do not learn to think for themselves." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"Meerloo distinguishes between quantintellectuals and quintintellectuals. Quantitative intellectuals merely accumulate as much knowledge as possible and are easily conditioned, thus they cannot become good democratic citizens." archive.org/details/articl…

"For quintintellectuals, on the other hand, the intellect must be integrated into the personality. Facts are not simply consumed passively, but weighed and verified. Educational institutions should stimulate inventiveness and self-activity." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"Democracy implies the right to develop oneself and not to be the subject of development by others. Democracy requires a high level of intellectual activity from its members."
archive.org/details/articl…

"People have to be guaranteed the right to be non-compliant and the right to defend themselves against psychological attacks and against intervention in the form of perverted mass propaganda, totalitarian pressure and mental torture." archive.org/details/articl…

"Tolerance of criticism and heresy is one of the conditions of freedom." tinyurl.com/1axb12fj

"In a democratic society, those who have been elected to positions of responsibility will request controls and restrictions upon themselves, knowing that no one is without fault." archive.org/details/articl…

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