What's the best way to propagandise a nation? Television. Think about it: get a TV in every home, connect everyone to the hive mind, make them think they are being entertained/”informed” so they will willingly submit to the brainwashing and come back for more, night after night. How many households DON'T own at least one television set these days? Not many. The mass brainwashing via television has proven to be a great success.
But before you switch on that television set, you really need to ask yourself: who is behind your favourite TV channels and programmes? What agenda might they be pushing on you? What images and ideas are they transmitting into your mind, into your children's minds?
Watching TV puts you into a semi-hypnotic state, leaving you more susceptible to brainwashing and mind control. You might be able to choose from a limited range of channels, but once you've tuned in, you have no control over the images that are projected in super-fast sequence into your brain. Critical thought goes out the window; the box does the thinking for you. Watching TV might seem like a way to relax and wind down at the end of the day, but once you've been away from it for a while, the flashing images and noise starts to make you uncomfortable rather than relax you. I'm a hypersensitive person anyway, but now even televised verbal conflict makes me physically tense up (not to mention actual on-screen violence) whereas it never used to when I was a regular TV-zombie.
TV also disrupts family bonding time and serves as a poor substitute for genuine human interaction. Where families used to sit round the table at dinnertime and discuss their day, share their feelings, etc, they now slouch in front of the TV in silence. Where parents would once have entertained their children by playing games or spending time with them, they now stick them in front of the TV to keep them quiet. The influence of TV on children's impressionable young minds is particularly worrying to me, as it can't be natural or healthy to spend your formative years learning your morals and values from “role models” like Hannah Montana.
Furthermore, TV has redefined the concept of normalcy. Things that would once have been regarded as shocking are no longer seen as such, because people view it within the framework of what they have already seen on TV. TV (and all media) has literally created a mental box around people’s minds, and any ideas outside of this bubble are automatically dismissed. I often wonder: what kind of opinions/values/attitude to life would a person have if they had NOT been exposed to the influence of television?
But before you switch on that television set, you really need to ask yourself: who is behind your favourite TV channels and programmes? What agenda might they be pushing on you? What images and ideas are they transmitting into your mind, into your children's minds?
Watching TV puts you into a semi-hypnotic state, leaving you more susceptible to brainwashing and mind control. You might be able to choose from a limited range of channels, but once you've tuned in, you have no control over the images that are projected in super-fast sequence into your brain. Critical thought goes out the window; the box does the thinking for you. Watching TV might seem like a way to relax and wind down at the end of the day, but once you've been away from it for a while, the flashing images and noise starts to make you uncomfortable rather than relax you. I'm a hypersensitive person anyway, but now even televised verbal conflict makes me physically tense up (not to mention actual on-screen violence) whereas it never used to when I was a regular TV-zombie.
TV also disrupts family bonding time and serves as a poor substitute for genuine human interaction. Where families used to sit round the table at dinnertime and discuss their day, share their feelings, etc, they now slouch in front of the TV in silence. Where parents would once have entertained their children by playing games or spending time with them, they now stick them in front of the TV to keep them quiet. The influence of TV on children's impressionable young minds is particularly worrying to me, as it can't be natural or healthy to spend your formative years learning your morals and values from “role models” like Hannah Montana.
Furthermore, TV has redefined the concept of normalcy. Things that would once have been regarded as shocking are no longer seen as such, because people view it within the framework of what they have already seen on TV. TV (and all media) has literally created a mental box around people’s minds, and any ideas outside of this bubble are automatically dismissed. I often wonder: what kind of opinions/values/attitude to life would a person have if they had NOT been exposed to the influence of television?
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Let's take a look at some of the most popular types of TV programmes... TV dramas and soap operas (at least the ones in the UK) base their storylines on dysfunction, depravity and conflict, and feature only the lowest-common-denominator type characters. These kinds of shows send out the message: “Look, this is what normal people’s lives are like! This is how you’re meant to be. Emotional conflict, dysfunctional families and all kinds of depravity are normal and healthy!!” How do these shows, watched by millions of viewers, shape society? Does art imitate life...or does life imitate art? (Not that these types of shows can be classified as “art”!) Of course, they also serve to distract people from thinking too much – the masses care more about “who killed who” in Eastenders than about politics or anything more serious.
A lot of people feel they have to have their daily dose of news in order to know “what's going on in the world”. Well, who decides what makes the news and what doesn't? Who is behind it all? Can you trust them to tell you the truth about “what's going on in the world”? Can you be sure it isn't twisted or completely fabricated? And how does half of the "news" out there have any relevance to your life, right here, right now? Questions to ponder. Also be very aware of how you feel during and after watching the news. How has that stream of negativity affected you, eh? Does it make you depressed? Do you feel like the world is a hostile place? I wonder why 99% of the headlines are negative, neutral or downright depressing. You'd think there was no positivity left in the world at all.
Reality TV is the biggest joke ever. Have you seen Big Brother, or worse – The Hills? I defy anyone to watch that and NOT feel like they've had their brains sucked out. Again, the intent is to make people worship the false idol of celebrity and impress upon the masses that this is what life should be like, this is all there is to aspire to, don't strive for anything better, conform etc etc.
What about comedy? If it makes you laugh, it must be good, right? Hmm. A lot of the comedy out there is very base humour, or it's inane, or it's at other people's expense, or it tries too hard to be edgy & irreverent and piss off as many people as possible, but it's all so contrived. They usually pick easy targets to mock – puppet politicians, religion, conspiracy theorists, etc – but they don't dare touch on anything too risky or reveal any profound truths about our world. If they did, they wouldn't be on TV now would they. ;)
Finally consider advertising. TV advertising works, or else companies wouldn't pay millions to get their 2-minute slot between shows. How does it work? By using clever images and slogans to convince people they NEED to buy this or that to make them happier, or richer, or more beautiful, or more successful with the opposite sex, etc. etc. It exploits human psychology, but it's not difficult to figure out. If you have a break from TV and advertising you will begin to see through the lame techniques used by companies to brainwash people into buying their products, and you will laugh at it. It's ridiculous. It's condescending. It drives this materialistic consumer society. Switch it off!
I've heard a lot of people complain that they never have enough time to do the things they really want to do, yet I later find out they spend 2 hours a night watching television. There's a whole world of activity going on out there, stop sitting indoors staring at a little screen and go explore it. :) And in case you're worried about being bored if you stop watching TV: I haven't watched it regularly for years and I am NEVER bored. I've taken up new hobbies and pastimes which are infinitely more worthwhile and fun than watching television ever was: I read, I write, I research, I knit, I exercise, I cook, I volunteer, I surf the internet (better than TV because you control to a greater extent the information that enters your mind).
You might have read this far and still have no inclination to reduce your TV habit. That's fine. I just ask that you try this: when watching TV, become conscious and aware of yourself and the situation. Avoid slipping into the mild hypnotic sleep that TV can lull you into. Notice what physical sensations you feel as you are watching, what thoughts (if any) come to mind, what information/words/images/ideas you are absorbing from the television. Is the effect of television on your being and state of mind positive, negative, or neutral? You might feel it's “not as fun” to watch TV in this critical, alert way. That's because the main appeal of TV is its power to switch off your brain so it feels like it's making you relaxed, when really it's just making you stupid ;). So try unplugging from the hive mind once in a while. You won't regret it.
A lot of people feel they have to have their daily dose of news in order to know “what's going on in the world”. Well, who decides what makes the news and what doesn't? Who is behind it all? Can you trust them to tell you the truth about “what's going on in the world”? Can you be sure it isn't twisted or completely fabricated? And how does half of the "news" out there have any relevance to your life, right here, right now? Questions to ponder. Also be very aware of how you feel during and after watching the news. How has that stream of negativity affected you, eh? Does it make you depressed? Do you feel like the world is a hostile place? I wonder why 99% of the headlines are negative, neutral or downright depressing. You'd think there was no positivity left in the world at all.
Reality TV is the biggest joke ever. Have you seen Big Brother, or worse – The Hills? I defy anyone to watch that and NOT feel like they've had their brains sucked out. Again, the intent is to make people worship the false idol of celebrity and impress upon the masses that this is what life should be like, this is all there is to aspire to, don't strive for anything better, conform etc etc.
What about comedy? If it makes you laugh, it must be good, right? Hmm. A lot of the comedy out there is very base humour, or it's inane, or it's at other people's expense, or it tries too hard to be edgy & irreverent and piss off as many people as possible, but it's all so contrived. They usually pick easy targets to mock – puppet politicians, religion, conspiracy theorists, etc – but they don't dare touch on anything too risky or reveal any profound truths about our world. If they did, they wouldn't be on TV now would they. ;)
Finally consider advertising. TV advertising works, or else companies wouldn't pay millions to get their 2-minute slot between shows. How does it work? By using clever images and slogans to convince people they NEED to buy this or that to make them happier, or richer, or more beautiful, or more successful with the opposite sex, etc. etc. It exploits human psychology, but it's not difficult to figure out. If you have a break from TV and advertising you will begin to see through the lame techniques used by companies to brainwash people into buying their products, and you will laugh at it. It's ridiculous. It's condescending. It drives this materialistic consumer society. Switch it off!
I've heard a lot of people complain that they never have enough time to do the things they really want to do, yet I later find out they spend 2 hours a night watching television. There's a whole world of activity going on out there, stop sitting indoors staring at a little screen and go explore it. :) And in case you're worried about being bored if you stop watching TV: I haven't watched it regularly for years and I am NEVER bored. I've taken up new hobbies and pastimes which are infinitely more worthwhile and fun than watching television ever was: I read, I write, I research, I knit, I exercise, I cook, I volunteer, I surf the internet (better than TV because you control to a greater extent the information that enters your mind).
You might have read this far and still have no inclination to reduce your TV habit. That's fine. I just ask that you try this: when watching TV, become conscious and aware of yourself and the situation. Avoid slipping into the mild hypnotic sleep that TV can lull you into. Notice what physical sensations you feel as you are watching, what thoughts (if any) come to mind, what information/words/images/ideas you are absorbing from the television. Is the effect of television on your being and state of mind positive, negative, or neutral? You might feel it's “not as fun” to watch TV in this critical, alert way. That's because the main appeal of TV is its power to switch off your brain so it feels like it's making you relaxed, when really it's just making you stupid ;). So try unplugging from the hive mind once in a while. You won't regret it.
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Source: http://www.dare.nu/tv.htm
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