My friends and I had a conversation at our lunch table today, because my one friend doesn't like BNW because of its subject matter. She doens't like to think about it, so me and her boyfriend got into this big discussion about how that book is coming true, and no one notices. She complained that she would know if she was brain washed, and we brought up that if you were, you wouldn't know it, that would defeat the purpose. We're brain washed everyday, and surronded by propaganda, and hardly anyone pays any attention.
Ha, I like this. On a similar note, a friend of mine and I were having a similar conversation the other day concerning television and Brave New World.
When I talk to people about this...a lot of them say "Well, hey...I'm happy and doing alright, so I don't care if I am being brainwashed". ...and I never know what to reply to that with. People have actually come to -crave- the spoonfeeding and brainwashing we receive, because it's been going on for so long that I think a lot of peopel would be helpless if it all ever stopped.
Doesn't sound anything like religion to me, sounds like people choosing to accept something. Believing in a higher power or given way of living life is not a hinderance to anyone on it's own - it is blindly following such things without giving them thought that hinder people. Almost every one of history's greatest dissidents, thinkers, inventors, and so forth have been part of one religion or another. Anyway, just as it is foolish to mindlessly accept a belief...it is foolish to mindlessly generalize all those who choose to believe in something. It is not the religion itself that does the damage, it is the way in which most people choose to carry it out. The current 'official' state and platform of any sect of Christianity, for example, is no longer even close to Jesus' teachings. This is not to say, however, that it is impossible or even unlikely for someone to be Christian and be a complete individual and free-thinker. While it is trendy to bash all religion, using the tried and true 'it is a brainwashing conformity factory' argument - the fact is plenty of atheists are just as spoonfed and devoid of true personality as anyone else.
Not John-boy Lennon But yes, I have had discussions like this with people. Most of my friends know how intelligent I am and will accept most anything I say as true. Therefore, there haven't been arguments about it, just me trying to wise them up. Of course, they then go back to MTV and their cell phones, so whether they understand or not I'm not too sure.
