by Jacoburline » January 30th, 2011, 10:31 pm
Let us examine a couple of terms for a second...I'll just refer to what Wikipedia has to say on the subject as a basic starting point.
Brainwashing: "Mind control (also known as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control, or thought reform) refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated."
Socialization: "Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, politicians and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting norms, customs and ideologies. It may provide the individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within their own society; a society itself is formed through a plurality of shared norms, customs, values, traditions, social roles, symbols and languages. Socialization is thus ‘the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained"
There are certainly similarities between these two ideas. I am well aware that I have been socialized, or to use your term, programmed. That is obvious to anyone who has studied sociology to any extent. I am not so quick to call that socialization a completely negative thing, which explains why I use the term "socialization" as opposed to "brainwashing." Socialization is a complex process that can be beneficial as well as detrimental to individuals; you seem to think that it is entirely negative, which is at best an uneducated view. In fact, socialization is absolutely essential for a society to function at all.
My next point is that I am not using a complete absence of evidence--I am using my own experiences as a starting point, the experiences of others who have spoken to me on the topic, and, indeed, the second and third posts within this very thread! So your argument that I am arguing from an absence of evidence is false. Incidentally, I am most certainly not being hypocritical. I did not say that categories are completely useless; my point was really that you shouldn't dismiss a possible category without any basis for such a dismissal. I have done no such thing. So, you are wrong on that point as well.
Finally, my theory is not something that really needs to be backed up with more files. There are plenty of files already posted on this Website that more or less cater to the idea.
You might want to respond to this post, but please don't. I do not want to waste any more of my "no-doubt-valuable" time arguing with someone who is being unreasonably antagonistic and generally unpleasant.