By Thom Paine – the Independent Realist
As I have mentioned throughout this series, far too many people will simply vote they way their favorite talking head on their favorite news program tell them to. Little to no research will be done, and most will not even know where the various candidates stand on the issues. And as I have said, this is a travesty. But the question that begs to be asked in relation to this is “why do people vote the way the media tells them to vote?” While there are multiple answers to this, such as people are lazy, people don’t want to be bothered with the whole election nonsense, people don’t understand the issues or the process and trust the media to inform them, as well as many others. There is one answer, however, that does bear some thought, and may very well change the way you think about the media. That answer is “Coercive Persuasion.”
Coercive Persuasion (also known as Thought Control, Thought Reform, or Thought Manipulation) is something we all practice on a daily basis. Every parent, when raising a child, engages in this practice. “Don’t talk to strangers, they could be bad people and hurt you” continually drummed into a child’s head will result in that child viewing strangers with a certain degree of mistrust. This would be a good form of thought manipulation as it instills in the child a way to remain safe. Of course on the other side of the coin, there are bad people in the world who will engage in their own form of though control and counter the parents teaching with, “Not all strangers are bad, some of them are good – would you like to have a piece of candy or see a puppy I have?” These bad strangers will generally strive to build up a friendship with the child until they can gain the child’s trust and once that goal has been achieved; they will proceed with their original plan and harm the child.
Law enforcement and the military utilize coercive persuasion techniques in their training of new recruits, in order to change their thinking patterns to be more in line with their new found jobs of protecting and serving the population of America. There are not many people who will voluntarily place themselves in harm’s way, even to the point of being willing to take a bullet, for a complete stranger. And yet, through their training, this is just what police and soldiers do on a daily basis. Coercive persuasion is also used throughout their careers in order to reinforce the officer’s or soldier’s responsibility to serve and remain loyal even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Corporations and companies also engage in coercive persuasion. “Buy Now! Before they’re all gone!” “Go ahead and get it now!” “Buy this for better health, a sexier body, improved performance, and be the envy of your neighbors!” “Buy your lottery ticket to today for a chance to WIN 10 MILLION DOLLARS!” And my all time favorites: “I’m a raccoon in your attic / a torrential rain storm / a deer on your headlights / etc., buy now and be protected from mayhem like me!” These are all coercive persuasion marketing techniques.
Coercive persuasion is not brain washing. I should point that out here. What you see in Hollywood, “The Manchurian Candidate,” etc., is nothing more than myth. Although it can be done, most people cannot be forced to do something they normally would not do. At least not unless the person had those proclivities to begin with. Coercive Persuasion techniques strive to simply change a person’s perceptionabout things, and thus change the way they think. Fortunately, most people are immune from them, but there are some who simply cannot resist them (hence the popularity and success of the home shopping network), and this is the audience for whom these ads are created. I am very confident that once you realize this is being done, you will be able to point out a plethora of examples that I have not mentioned here.
Coercive persuasion seeks to alter or change the thought processes of an individual or group of individuals, who in turn will not only accept that change, but will go on to promote it as well. This not the same as a convincing debate or discussion which may or may not sway a person’s opinions. Coercive persuasion seeks to change a person’s thinking, their thought patterns to the point where they will believe something they may not otherwise believe. (Note I said believeand not do. Although an extensive conversation could be based on that statement alone, now is not the time, and here is not place.)
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