As Rebecca Lemov, a professor of the history of science, argues, brainwashing isn’t simply an outdated artifact of the Cold War. It’s a dangerous legacy that still haunts us and continues to impact our current society. Her recent study explores this thorny topic in depth. She follows its historical roots and shows how it is relevant today with special attention given to social media, cults and AI.
Lemov’s fascination with brainwashing first started to flame twenty years ago. She dove into dissertation research that examined the scientific tactics of manipulation deployed in the Korean War. It was during this time that the term became particularly infamous. Later, a few U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) admitted that they would rather have remained in China than return home to the United States. This phenomenon led to the need to ask and answer important questions regarding the coercive tactics used by enemy forces.
The Historical Context of Brainwashing
Brainwashing entered the popular conversation after its sensational portrayal in the 1962 movie “The Manchurian Candidate.” The film made legal fiction of the practice of mind control and etched that impression on America’s consciousness. To illustrate brainwashing, Lemov draws on examples from the past where people experienced extreme psychological coercion.
Throughout the Korean War, 21 U.S. POWs suffered long-term captivity. After this experience, they decided to remain in China rather than return to their home country. This shocking revelation underscored the potency of psychological coercion. U.S. Air Force POWs in Korea admitted to dropping covert germ warfare over China and Korea. This shocking announcement fueled existing fears of how deeply the young adults were being brainwashed.
Cardinal Mindszenty, a Hungarian national and wartime hero, was doomed to die. As a result, the communist regime arrested him and locked him up in a police cell. He subsequently elaborated that he was subjected to sleep deprivation and possibly drugging while he was in custody. His harrowing experience culminated in a profound confession:
“Without knowing what had happened to me, I had become a different person.” – Cardinal Mindszenty
Mechanisms of Brainwashing
Lemov emphasizes that brainwashing is characterized by a kind of ungrounding process or successive shocks, stripping individuals of their previous beliefs and identities. This approach can include a form of “milieu control,” in which people only get information from curated and controlled sources. This kind of control creates a space in which solely curated messages are absorbed, resulting in hyper-persuasion.
The consequences of these methods go well past a revisionist retelling of history and continue into the present day. In today’s social media landscape, platforms are often complicit in building echo chambers. These partisan echo chambers entrench extreme, right-wing ideologies and stifle debate or opposing perspectives.
Lemov is not only interested in comparing what happened in the past to what is happening today, as with the case of Patty Hearst. Future Shock In 1974, Hearst at the tender age of 19 was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She experienced severe physical torture and brainwashing while in captivity. During her trial in 1976, experts came out in droves to testify on her behalf. They drew parallels between her ordeal and that of the Korean War POWs.
In her research on radicalization, Lemov shows that while the strategies of brainwashing have changed, they are still in play today. In today’s online world, common tactics like these might trick people when they read persuasive media or information shared with them. Instead, social media algorithms typically steer people down a funnel of extreme ideological views. This isolation keeps them insulated from conflicting viewpoints.
“I accommodated my thoughts to coincide with theirs.” – Patty Hearst
The Modern Implications of Brainwashing
This contemporary version of brainwashing has far-reaching impacts on our society. An audience is more vulnerable to radicalization or propaganda once they have been isolated to only receive a curated narrative. Thus, Lemov’s work serves as a critical reminder of the ongoing influence of coercive techniques in shaping beliefs and behaviors.
Lemov’s exploration serves as a call to awareness and education to protect the public against these manipulative tactics. Recognizing the signs of brainwashing is crucial for individuals to maintain their autonomy and critical thinking skills in an increasingly complex media landscape.
Moreover, Lemov’s exploration highlights the need for awareness and education regarding these manipulative tactics. Recognizing the signs of brainwashing is crucial for individuals to maintain their autonomy and critical thinking skills in an increasingly complex media landscape.