When talking about manipulation on how we perceive things in our everyday lives, there are endless examples that each of us experiences daily throughout our lives. Everyday our minds are shaped around what we see and hear from the media, the government, or our peers. From an early age, we learned what was right for us to do and what we should be aware of what not to do. Everything has a message that is sent to our brain that manipulates how we view that certain scenario. News channels have biases that help manipulate us into perceiving a situation differently from someone else. Political parties believe in different ideas that differ from one party to the next. Overtime we accept these ideas and call them our own. But were they really ours in the first place? Outside perspectives help shape our minds into how we perceive the world as we do today. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing either. I believe that without the input from the media, government, or peers, we would not be who we are today. Personal identity is formed by outside perspectives and whether we agree with their beliefs or not.
Anything we come in contact with, whether it is a form of media, an individual, or an experience, can influence us and shape the way we think. There are definitely outside influences that affect us negatively both directly, such as violent video games, or indirectly, such as our dependence on the internet which has lead to a desire for immediate gratification and lessened our ability to think deeply. Yet, it would be wrong to assume that all outside sources are bad. Many outside sources have a positive influence on our lives, such as religious organizations that teach basic morals or humanitarian projects that appeal to us emotionally and encourage charity. Also, many influences have both positive and negative aspects to them. For example, the internet has been a positive influence in allowing us greater access to knowledge, but has limited our ability for deep, concentrated thought. Therefore, while we are influenced by many things it is not always black and white between what is good and bad. It is our role as individuals to be aware of how we can be influenced and limit what is harmful to us, while increasing what positively affects us. -Sarah B.
I think the most obvious form of manipulation comes from the media. It’s a source of communication that tells us current events, yet oftentimes the way it is presented is biased. Two people can be told two completely different sides of one story based on whether they are getting the information from CNN or Fox. The Japanese sure did not consider themselves the enemy when they bombed Pearl Harbor; the United States was. Manipulation has such a negative connotation because people don’t like the idea of having their thinking altered without being aware of it. Yet there are plenty of circumstances when manipulation is incredibly beneficial. Take peer manipulation, for example. Peers are often the ones who stop us from making bad decisions that could hurt others or ourselves. Their guidance keeps us from falling apart and making decisions we will later forget. The government manipulates one’s mind by distributing propaganda of the American flag and Uncle Sam so the citizens feel proud of the country they represent and to support the country so it does not collapse. “Brave New World” shows the terrifying side of manipulation, but there are scenarios where manipulation helps the situation at hand.
Our way of thinking and percieving is manipulated by multiple things. For example, the education system forces us to think a certain way based on the classes we take, the teachers we have, and what the state requires that we learn. Our peers influence the way we think in that the more time we spend with them, the more likely we are to either think like them or be able to see things their way. The media has a large influence on the way we think in that it forces us to shift our focus onto what it deems to be important. The way our minds are manipulated is good and bad. It is good in that we can learn to see things from another perspective and learn to identify what is important and how to analyze it. However, it can be bad in that our minds can be warped into something that is either harmful to ourselves or harmful to the society around us. We must take the positive or productive influences and figure out how to apply them to the negative influences, thus limiting their effects.
Our minds are influenced by everything and everyone that is around us. Some things are able to influence us more than others. Someone you trust strongly may be able to manipulate you more than someone who you really don’t know. However, this does not mean that things that you see around you will be able to not manipulate you. Television is such an easy way to manipulate a mass number of people. Manipulation from television can be so effective. However, it is not always a negative affect. Take the anti-drug campaign that is currently on television. They depict drugs to be so terrible that it seems that no one would ever use drugs. So some of the manipulation used by television and the government help society. But there is also the side of manipulation that companies can take hold of. News companies like CBS, CNN, FOX, and NBC are all running similar stories, but all have a slightly different set of facts.
So, yes outside sources are able to manipulate your minds in a negative way. However, these outside sources also manipulate our minds in a positive way.
I think our mind and ideas are fully the mixture of the influence of media, peers, family, and government. Growing up, we learn how to act and think based on others. I think our ideas end up being a compilation of everyone's else ideas and beliefs. In that way, I suppose we are not unique at all, except in the sense of how we combine these ideas. I wouldn't really call this good or bad, just kind of neutral. If the influence of one component becomes too strong though, I think that could be negative. If you overall view the world with a perspective skewed toward the side of the government, you are unable to have a balanced, neutral perspective. I guess now that I think about it, we all have skewed perspectives. I think a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives, one that bases on the concept of neutrality.
We are manipulated every day, for better or for worse, by our surroundings. The most significant influence in many peoples lives come from the society in which they live. A good model for our society is the school system. School is fundamentally a good thing, or at least it is taken to be in our society. However, what can occur is the manipulation of the minds of the youth by teachers or professors. Often times, teachers voice their political opinions in class. That’s all well and good except that we are taught from a young age that people in authority are always right, and so we often take things as we see or hear them without asking questions, so students will often take the sometimes extreme views of teachers and professors as fact. This human tendency was invariably proven in the Milgram experiment, conducted in 1961, in which people listened unquestioningly to orders of an authority figure even when it meant harming another person. This is rather disturbing in that it means that really, no education is happening in this scenario but rather manipulation is. And that’s just not right, is it?
Our minds are manipulated by everything we come in contact with. If a child gets stung by a bee, their minds are manipulated to associate pain with bees. Therefore, they are afraid of bees (unless they are sadistic children who enjoy pain?). I understand that our minds are also manipulated intentionally by the media and government. I don’t think manipulating a person’s mind in necessarily a bad thing, but I can be taken to an extreme. I personally think manipulating a young child’s mind to fear dangerous situations is a good thing. On the other hand I think manipulating a child’s mind the way Huxley describes is extreme. Overall, I think manipulation of the mind isn’t always bad for us, as long as the manipulation is not taken to excess. -Carli L.
The primary goal of the media and the government is to influence and shape the way in which we think. Others are constantly looking to align our thinking, morals, and values with theirs. Advertisements are constantly appealing to our emotions in order to convey a message. The meaning of what another person says depends much on their tone and choice of words, in essence their opinion. For this reason, everything that we perceive or interpret is dripping with bias and unconsciously we are influenced. Our thoughts and beliefs can and will be altered by the influence of others. Not all messages are inherently bad. Through this influence we may develop an unhealthy and unwanted habit. However, this is the same influence that parents and other adults use to instill children with morals of right and wrong.
In Response to Nathan- I agree that the school systems manipulate our way of thinking, especially when a teacher voices his or her opinion (even though they’re not supposed to.) So I agree with you on the idea that manipulation does happen in the school system, but I do not agree that it is that way on purpose (maybe you never thought that, you never really specified). Even if teachers didn’t speak their opinions in class I would still agree because of our hidden curriculums. Teachers manipulate our thinking from a young age. We are taught to be curious, prompt, prepared, to name a few of the “hidden lessons”. For this, I do not think what they teach is necessarily a bad thing because these are skills we need for our futures. As for the part about listening unquestioningly to your authorities, I honestly do not know one teenager that conforms to that idea. But in all seriousness I agree that there is a certain danger in being taught to listen to your authority, especially if the authority has malicious intent. So to answer your question, I believe manipulation without education is unnecessary and wrong. -Carli L.
I agree with Nikhil’s statement that growing up we learn how to think and act based on others. However, I disagree with the statement that our thoughts are a compilation of others and that we are not unique. All manipulation by a given source will affect people differently. We all grow up in unique environments meaning that no two people have experienced the exact same things. These experiences and influences are what lead us to becoming who we are which is why I think Huxley’s manipulations to force people into a certain fate are completely absurd. People need the opportunity to interpret the manipulations how they want and change based upon what they have perceived and learned. The book states that societal stability can only be achieved through individual stability. However, Huxley is only promoting individual stability by taking away the ability to interpret. Huxley completely ignores the fact that humans are perceptible creatures and no two people think alike nor ever will. Instead of influencing people by creating morals, he is taking them away.
I believe that we are not only manipulated by the media and our peers, but also by our parents. A classic example of that would be religion. If religion is a big part of your parent's lives, chances are, you will grow up with religion as a big part of your life as well. But if only one of your parents embraces religion while your other parent doesn't, there will be more room for you to explore different options than what your parents believe is the only religion or the best religion. I think that this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing would be with drugs. The government and other antidrug organizations can use propaganda to show society that drugs aren't good for you and look at what can happen to you if you use them. A bad thing would be that it takes away a part of who you are. We, as human beings, need to go out and explore different things in order to figure out what we like and who we are.
Our minds are manipulated everyday by not only the media, government, and peers but by all our surroundings. Our families, community, and other important factors that we are exposed to in our everyday lives contribute to many of our ideals and morals. Although in many cases manipulation from these outside factors can be for the worse sometimes they teach us positive notions. Religion, as Becky mentioned, is a great example of how outside forces manipulate our beliefs. Media sometimes sways us to believe negative things, and produce false facts which we live by and talk about everyday. In essence, these factors can be bad as well as good it all depends on how we absorb the manipulation and release it.
Yes the media does sometimes influence us wrongly, but many times they act as a watchdog for the public safety. In this way they are a good influence. For example, a little while back, it was the media who widely publicized the lead tainted toys from China. So this influence is not necessarily bad. Where it can become bad, is if how I mentioned earlier, people blindly follow whatever the face on the T.V. screen tells them. I have met plenty of people in my life who are content to do just that. That has most probably come from the parents, who can also serve as a good or bad influence. Really, the only answer is that, we are influenced from the time we are born, there's no stopping that. However, we do not need to take that to the extreme as Huxley does, with the children being influenced to discriminate against others and to be complacent with their status.
Yes I do believe that the media shapes the way we think. A good example of this is video games. In the past couple of years video games have become a hugh part of younger generation's lives. In games like modern warfare 2 you are supposed to kill other humans, but we are told that it is only a game so that it is okay to kill them. This has desensitized our youth to not take killing and death as serious. Also, the government is one of the biggest brain washers. As a citizen you have to trust what the government tells you is true and if you doubt the government then you are a trader. For example, after 911 the American people were trained to think that all Muslims were terrorists. So in my mind the more patriotic you are they more the government has control over you.
We live in a world of manipulation. Almost everything around us is manipulating us. The goal of school is to shape the thinking of students in certain ways. Environment plays a big role in thought patterns. Religion has to be one of the major manipulation "organizations". This manipulation can be good or bad. For example, school generally shapes thinking in a beneficial way. Some media ads manipulate people to become more self-conscious in order to buy their product, manipulating in a more negative way. I think our thinking patterns change everyday as we experience more. -Swathi M.
From the moment we enter this world, our brains are manipulated to think and percieve a certain way, and are shaped towards certain morals or ideals. Our friends and family contribute to the way act, the mannorisms we speak and shape our morals. Whether it is through familular beliefs or your heritage that is being taught, our minds are being shaped to accept or think through those ideas. Also, the government and media have an impact on showing us the good and bad in global affairs. Often times they can make us believe that somthing is good or bad to gain support for their cause, which i believe to be a negative manipulation because i fail to see the free thinking behind it. Though not all manipulations are bad, patriotism being an example, i do believe that the goverment may abuse its ability to control the media and how people think in excess.
As I said in class today, many of the beleifs that we cherish stem from those of our parents. As a result, we tend to only take in the outsides sources that agree with our core values. However, I do think that it is possible to be manipulated into thinking at least slightly different ways. I like the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" example because of the very subtle appeals to buying a Mac. The guy who represents the Mac is young, maybe 25 to 30, wearing casual clothes, an image that is easy to relate to. Meanwhile the PC is a middle-aged man with thinning hair and dressed in a suit. His character is stiffer; awkward. These ideas hit the viewer without either of them ever saying a word. It is this kind of sublime appeal that can manipulate the thinking of the witness.
I agree with Connor B. There is rarely an idea that is genuinely our own because of outside influences. Going back to the book, Brave New World, I think Huxley is over exaggerating the manipulation by having the children listen to the messages at night. Although it seems drastic because it is more of brainwashing than only manipulating, I only think he is over exaggerating by making it overly obvious. Actually, as we go about our daily lives, we are being manipulated to almost the same extent as the children in the book. We hear ideas and messages over and over and make eventually believe them our own, just as the people in the book. -Swathi M.
Response to Nikhil: I agree with Nikhil that while growing up we are influenced greatly by what others instill in us. Yet, I do not agree with his statement that “a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives, one that bases on the concept of neutrality.” First off this ideal is totally unattainable in our world where we are influenced immediately right after birth by our parents’ and society’s beliefs and constantly there after. Yet, even if it were reasonable, it would not be the perfect world as a world without skewed perspectives would be a world without beliefs and passions. Any belief one holds carries along with it a prejudice or bias against another opinion, no matter how large or small, recognizable or subconscious that bias is. A world of neutrality I believe would be a world of apathy, which would leave humans most susceptible to mind control and prominent influence of an outside source as people would have no steadfast beliefs of their own. A think perhaps a better way to describe this perfect world would be a world of passionate, yet open-minded individuals, who will inherently have skewed perspectives, but at least will be able to recognize that fact. -Sarah B.
I completely agree with Nikhil on the statement that humans are only shaped by their outside influences. For example, the majority of what we know and learn is taught to us by someone else. You do not discover everything on your own. The problem here though is deciding what a good influence is and what a bad influence is. Also, several people have mentioned that religion is a good influence. I tend to disagree with that statement. When I look at all of the main religions their main purpose is too make you think a certain way. To make you believe that their way is the best way and that if you do not follow them you will suffer. I believe this is the wrong way to go. Now, do not get me wrong not everything about religion is bad but come on their main goal is for you to obey their ways and none others. Why can there not be more of an open ideology instead of complete control?
As humans we are products of our environment. We are affected by every aspect of our lives, especially those that we are exposed to at an early age. This is seen in Brave New World in the conditioning of the infants. Determining whether or not this is good for us is rather difficult. It seems to me that what is “good” is something that varies a lot depending on the person. To us, this kind of conditioning seems repulsive, but to the people of the “world state” in Brave New World, it seems like the only reasonable option. In the end I think that it comes down to the idea that morality is relative, and ironically enough a product of our environment. Andrew G
I feel as though much of who we become is shaped by the environment around us. Sure we are born with certain genes, but what we wear, what we learn, how we speak, what actions we deem appropriate, all these come from the outside sources constantly surrounding us. The media plays a huge role in this. I think it is something around the lines of us believing that if the media thinks something should be one way, we should too because there are thousands of other people out there watching the same thing who will do so as well. The media does a superb job of appealing to the ethos, pathos and logos through commercials, newcasts, games, etc. These appeals can affect one in a positive way, such as getting someone to volunteer at an animal shelter after watching the heartbreaking animal abuse commercials. But they can also affect us in a negative way, such as letting a child think it is no that big of a deal to shoot someone because he does it all the time in his favorite video game. All in all, it is safe to say that we are always affected by outside sources, and whether these sources affect us positively or negative is truly up to us. Amy J
The devices we use and the people we come in contact with everyday are constantly impacting how we view the world, whether we acknowledge them or not. As Sarah brought up, with the excessive use of the internet, we are moving from a prior frame of thought to a completely new ability, now having resources at our fingertips. I think this same feeling of instant gratification has come from the widespread use of cell phones in the US. We are now able to be constantly in contact with the hundreds of people in our phonebooks. This is a new form of contact though, instead of meeting face to face for discussions we changed to only calling people and now we are simply accustomed to send a text. What would be next? We are losing the personal relationships we are meant to, and need to, have. As I said, the people we interact with influence our mindset, but I would not consider texting an adequate form of interaction.
Social control takes the form of not a single influence, such as the media, but an entire lifestyle that embraces us from birth. We are raised within a society, and it is that society that teaches us our values, from broad concepts like morality to little details like the foods we eat and the clothing we associate with certain stereotypes. This is far from being an innocent influence that affects trivial outer appearances. Entire lives can be changed by the consciousness society raises. Huxley mentions the "Class Consciousness" lesson forced on the children in Brave New World, and we learn the same lessons through our everyday interactions. Daily we are reminded about things like college, jobs, and the future in general, always with a slight economic twist. Assumptions are made based on random statistics, such as a test score or a family income range. If it were not for society, we wouldn't know what a "29" meant the instant someone mentioned it, or whether "100,000" was a high family income. The tone accompanying these social fundamentals shapes the way we approach others, a less polarized version of the groups in BNW.
I agree with Swathi's post that manipulation occurs at all levels, often including massive "manipulation organizations", such as religion. The government is often the agent in instituting such campaigns, as we can observe through the ads on our TV. Many of us grow up with negative images of sexuality, a concept that is embraced in Brave New World. This stems from the taboos of world religion, right from the covenants in the Ten Commandments to our Health classes sophomore year. The government involves itself in this too, having produced extensive videos campaigning against sexuality. The religious right's take on this matter is expressed even in network television. As I watch TV on channels such as ABC, there are often cases of people with unplanned pregnancies, and it always shocks me to see that they never even consider the option of abortion. I'm not saying that I feel one way or the other about this, it just always amazes me that they ignore the entire dilemma completely, another way that we are being subtly conditioned to reject certain actions as wrong.
Our minds are constantly being manipulated, or constantly undergoing attempts at manipulation. We are exposed to countless outside opinions and suggestions, whether they come from an ad campaign or simply from statement made by a friend. Either way, we take that information in and it will forever play a role in shaping us, in forming our opinions and deciding the actions we take. However, I do not think that we are merely left to the whims of the things we see and hear. We have control over how we react to information, and how the information forever will affect us.
I do not believe that the things we see and hear are always bad for us. As I stated above, I think that we have control over our relationship to the information that we take in. The information itself isn’t the critical component of all of this, we are. Despite the enormous amount of information and opinions we are exposed to, I believe that we still have control over our own-selves.
As my earlier post infers, I agree with Daniel and Nikhil that as humans we are shaped by our environment. However, I take issue with Daniel’s claim that religions teach us to be fixed in our beliefs. While some religious sect are undoubtedly intolerant and inflexible, if you look at the actual teachings of the religions they all preach tolerance and acceptance of others no matter what their beliefs are. For instance, Islam generally promotes religious tolerance and the peaceful exchange of ideas. However, religious extremists have caused us to believe otherwise. Buddhism is another example, in addition to Buddhism; many Buddhists practice other local religions and philosophies. If that isn’t religious tolerance, I don’t know what is. Also the Pope, traditionally a figure of intolerance, is moving towards more tolerant view points. A few weeks ago, he began welcoming Anglican clergy members back into the Catholic faith, something that would have shocked his predecessors. In general, I think that even if we weren’t tolerant of other religions in the past, we are moving toward more tolerant positions. Andrew G
From the time we were young we have been influenced by the environment we grew up in which includes the media, government and our peers. We develop our own value system based on the influences of these outside sources, which shape our minds negatively and positively. Whether it be our parents telling us what is right and wrong or the media forcing advertisements everywhere we look so we will buy their product, everything influences us. Today, listening to different television stations or reading different articles on the internet may lead you to having different opinions on different situations. We tend to listen to the people we look up to more than others like parents, friends, and teachers. So, often we will take into account their view on certain situations before developing our own thoughts and beliefs. Even though media is typically looked down upon for having a negative impact on society, there are times when the media will present inspirational events that have a positive impact on the way we perceive things.
In response to what Julia H brought up: I completely agree with the point you made about peers having an influence on the way we think. Peer pressure, has a negative connotation to it, but in actuality, I think peer pressure can be extremely beneficial in society. You become very much like the people you associate yourself with. They can definitely manipulate someone to do something harmful, like do drugs, steal or cheat. But on the other hand, by hanging out in a crowd which has important ideals and that is successful, drives you to become the same.
Media bias is a prevalent issue in America and around the world. We have all heard about the Fox bias and may or may not choose to watch it due to their reputation. For example, while watching the 2008 Presidential Elections, I was able to switch between networks and hear a noticeably different attitude towards the candidates. Without exposing myself to the different opinions being presented, I, as well, would have become part of the mind manipulation. Stimulation to multiple resources and thoughts are important in order to form personal opinions.
I agree with Becky when she said that we should explore the world to find out who we are. I think it is very important to be open to new things and accept people for their beliefs. We should listen to what others have to say about different situations. Often the media tries to make decisions for us and tries to persuade us that what they think is best. However, we have the right to develop our own thoughts like Becky said, and try things for ourselves. We must take into account that when we are in the process of finding ourselves friends and society are still influencing us. It is impossible to not form opinions on everything we see in the public and the way we formed those opinions was by watching and listening to others. MacKenzie L.
I agree with everyone when they say that we are a product of our environment and that almost every thought we have is the result of someone else forcing (and by forcing i mean even a statement of beliefs) their beliefs onto us. Nathan mentioned (way up there) the Milgram experiment. It tested just how much a human can be manipulated into listening to what another person (specifically a person of higher authority or presumed higher authority) tells him/her to do. The results of the experiment showed that humans are swayed very easily by the commands of another person, and this can be applied to the way a human defines themselves. Becky mentioned that we need to get away from our current environments to discover who we really are. I disagree with that wholeheartedly. This is not only because you can not expect to find yourself in a completely foreign setting, but also because wherever you go, you will be influenced by the environment you encounter. You can not "find yourself" when there are still others that make you think a certain way.
... Well, let's not conflate "manipulation" with "influence". No one here seems to deny that there are is a "veritable plethora" of influences on our beliefs/perceptions/thoughts, but understanding the difference between the two concepts is critical to understanding why manipulation should be feared much more. "Influence" should be used to describe how we are affected, intentionally or otherwise, by our environment. On the other hand, "manipulation" refers to deliberate and often malicious influence. Basically, "manipulation" is to "influence" as "murder" is to "death". So when are we truly manipulated? Only when we are influenced by those who consciously use such influence to achieve a goal. By definition then, manipulation may not always be bad. If the goal is to save lives, and the manipulation is successful, then it would seem to be beneficial - presuming, of course, that free will would not be inordinately interfered with.
I agree with Tim's idea that people have some control over their beliefs. Individual ads, campaigns, etc. can be flooded with bias and the intent of manipulation. For some people, these forms of communication alter what and how they think. Yet if someone absorbs multiple viewpoints of one scenario, Tim's idea becomes valid because the person can now choose which "story" to believe. It is true that everyone at one point becomes manipulated for better or for worse from outside sources, but not everything that one absorbs is through manipulation and that idea gives a much more positive outlook on the mind’s power.
I really enjoy reading these. I wish I had more time to think about what you're thinking about.
In response to Carli and others ...
Is there really a hidden agenda in school? Is there something fundamentally wrong about the expression of opinion? That's a tough one for me because opinions--call them claims, positions, or whatever--are my stock in trade. I'll use the examples I've used in class to flesh this out a little. I use The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to fuel discussion, in part, because I often agree with their left-leaning positions. I was aware of the bias that I was putting in front of you, and tried to use clips from Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck, but they're not as free with their proprietary material. My point is this: Can we/should we avoid the expression of personal opinion in a classroom? I can try to hide behind my frequent claim that I'm only interested in how people think, not what, but we can't really separate how we think from what we think. Can we?
School policy dictates that personal opinions be labeled as such, not that they be censored.
In response to the Resident World Controller of Western Europe:
Perhaps rhetoricians can use intentional fallacy with abandon, but I'm no rhetorician. It would be a mistake to assume that in real life every bit of influence is intentional and deliberate. Take for example Sarah B.'s mention of violent video games and the internet. Do you really think it is the intention of gamemakers to perpetuate violence or the intention of ISP's to ruin our critical thinking skills? However, being an Alpha Double Plus, you must be so much more intelligent and wise than me, so I should probably just accept your views (that is, if I don't want to be shipped off to some island). Even so, think of our very own class! By watching videos that ridicule some conservative viewpoints, there is little doubt that you are influencing some students to be more liberal. I sincerely doubt your intent is to "brainwash" us into voting for Giannoulias or Jackson a year from now, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of your influence has that effect. So no, not potatoes ande po-TAH-toes, apples and oranges.
I agree with Nikhil that our mind is the creation of everything that we have experienced all throughout our lives. No matter where we go, everything that affects us has an impact on how we perceive our surroundings and how we react to certain situations. I don’t think for one second that this is a bad thing. However, to some extent this power can and has been used to manipulate others into following the same type of perspective the manipulator portrays, whether he is aware of it or not. But I go back to my first idea that without outside sources, we would not be who we are today. I strongly believe that we need outside sources to help influence ourselves into becoming individual human beings. Without the influence or manipulation, none of us would be who we are today. But after I say all of this, I do address that manipulation can be used to alter ones thought process for something worse. But I do not believe we can stop this because in some instances the manipulator is not even aware that they are manipulating the witnesses.
I do not think expressing your opinion is a bad thing at all. My point was that not all of the teachers honor the school policy of claiming their opinion to be theirs, they teach it like the bible. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but you get the idea. I hope. And my point about hidden curriculums was to merely point out that we are influenced even if we are unaware. Unless my teacher (MR.RIFE) lied to me and there is no such thing as hidden curriculums... -Carli L.
I fully agree with what Connor is trying to say. The fact that manipulation is exsistent in our lives, and influences our behavior is evident. The way in which it manipulates us can vary from time to time, and can vary from what the manipulation is. The manipulator can sometimes have intentions incorrectly perceived by those listening, or vice versa. Manipulation is the foundation on which the people base their thoughts and opinionss, and sets a precedent for future generations and so forth. All in all, manipulation comes in all froms the way we absorb these manipulations form us into who we are as individuals.
In this day and age outside sources are all about getting our attention at all costs. Whether this be with flashy adds on Google or by airing a funny commercial on TV, its all about keeping the attention of a demographic whose attention spans grows weaker and weaker by the day. Nowadays these advertisements unashamedly make their pitch to influence you. They may make a catchy jingle to make you remember the phone number to LUNA carpets (773-202-LUNA), mock their competitions shortcomings (Swiffer) or in some cases straight up tell you that you would be making a mistake by not buying their product (basically any car commercial). These influences are straight-foward and are meant to have an immediate impact. There are no hidden messages or puzzles to solve, the outside sources have a message to send and you are going to receive it at all costs. Other parties make take a more subtle approach. Barack Obama promised to raise taxes on the wealthy to influence those in the middle and lower class to vote for him for example thus effectively using one message to send another.
These influences shouldn't be neccesary classified as good or bad. In the end they are just influences, you are the one who is meant to act on them. If you tend to give in easily and commit negative acts due to these influences then there is only your own resolve to blame. It is up to the individual to determine what is right and wrong because it is the individual who has to live with the consequences of their actions, not the outside sources of influence.
I agree with Tim that our minds filter out a lot of undesirable, or at least disagreeable information that comes at them. As humans we are conditioned to think this way. I also think that he is right in saying that all information that comes our way is not bad or negative. In fact, a lot of the influence on our minds is positive and nurturing. School teachers, counselors, ministers, rabbis, business consultants, and many others dedicate their entire careers to doing this. Of course some people try to manipulate the minds of others in negative ways, but these cases are not the norm.
In response to Zach's response to Mustapha Mond's response to Zach's post.
Zach is totally right. I agree with everything he said. You are manipulating us into writing on this blog, assigning us to do this for a grade goes way beyond influence. The end game in manipulation is that we commit to do whatever it we want you to do regardless of whether or not we wish to do so. If you were influencing us to post on here not nearly as many people would do so for they would the freedom to not post on here and not worry about their grade.
I agree with Daniel when he says that video games have played a strong role in desensitizing our youth to the act of killing. Our youth sees killing so frequently in video games, and i think this has attributed some violence to our schools and communities. On his other point, I don't think that the government is fully to blame, especially in the case of Muslims being portrayed as terrorists. I think that some of the fault must fall on society, for racially profiling these people. For example, airport security may be told to look out for a certain type of people, but I doubt that they are told to stop all Muslims. I think that some of it is their own fault for racial profiling. -Nikhil H.
While it is hard for one person to become convinced by one person preaching a particular message or opinion. However, when many people are convinced that something is true, people are much more likely to believe that "truth". It is through this effect that governments, media outlets, and organizations can brainwash people. Convincing people to one particular view point is a snowballing effect. As more and more people come in line with the particular view, even more people will take notice of it and be more accepting of it. This snowball effect can be started by an effective marketing technique that is heavliy biased on the issue at hand. The message will carry it self once it gets to enough people. I dont believe it is right to present a heavily biased or opinionated view in a form that convinces people that it is fact.
Now that I think about it, any class with a curriculum which is dictated by the teacher can be considered an outlet for mind control. Though we are making reflections of our opinions of the pieces we read and the clips we watch in class, we are ultimately being exposed to Mr. Sander's opinion on what is worth discussing, and ultimately, his personal beliefs. I have felt this after every English class I have taken. By the time the course is finished, I am more inclined to follow the correct pattern of thinking outlined in the class throughout the year. Though I sometimes catch myself doing this, this change in thought often occurs in the most subtle of ways. Very astute point Zach.
I agree that we are certainly exposed to lots of opinions and information in school, but I think that these are not necessarily things that immediately grab onto us and manipulate us into thinking a certain way. Ultimately, we must change our own opinions- I don’t hear a teacher’s opinion and then automatically change my own. I disagree with Zach’s suggestion that showing left-leaning videos influences students to be more liberal. I believe that these videos, just like all information we take in, can give us things to draw on to form our opinions, but we are the ones that must form them- the videos do not just do that for us. Perhaps I’m too optimistic, but I refuse to believe that I am just a product of things that I have seen and heard over the course of my life.
I think that basically everything around us has an influence on us, but it is up to us as humans to choose how those things affect us. We are bombarded with information on a daily basis, but we choose what information we listen to. Seeing a lot of a certain thing can influence someone in a certain direction, but we are not mindless drones who change with every opinion or advertisement thrown at us. It takes time for a person to be noticeably influenced by something, and we have the mental capacity to decide what to ignore. As long as people don't let the media be too big of a part of their lives, it isn't a bad thing, it's just more information for us to sort through.
I agree with what Nikhil has said about how we act and think. I do believe that we are able to come up with some of our own ideas, but a majority of them ar a compilation of everyone else’s thoughts. The way that I use these thought and ideas is often different than someone else will likely use these ideas.
I also agree with Nikhil when he said “I guess now that I think about it, we all have skewed perspectives.” The things that influence our ideas and how we act will defiantly skew the way that we look at things. For example, if your parents believe one ideal strongly, a child would likely agree with their parents and will likely for quite some time. So I believe Nikhil is correct in saying that a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives.
The mind is manipulated from the very beginning of life. When a child is born, they are pretty much just a blank slate, manipulated by mainly the actions and words of their parents, and later their peers. Everything heard by that person, everything the seen, everything around them is manipulating the way they think. This tends to affect the way we think. As far as these manipulations being a negative thing- I think that manipulations of the mind are unavoidable. However, when a person or group of people purposely controls and manipulates peoples’ minds to create their version of utopia, with complete uniformity it is no doubt wrongful both morally and ethically.
This reports back to the nature verses nurture. It is hard to determine that only one of those effects us. There is far too much proof that our environment shapes our thinking and actions. It also effects the way we feel about certain issues and debates. Everything around us effects us in a way. It is up to our minds to let it effect us or not. If it seems important to us or appeals to our emotions then we will let it effect us more than something that you do not feel anything for. Our parents and friends are some of the biggest influences. We are conditioned to feel a certain way about certain issues. This is not always a bad thing because they could just be looking out for us or giving us unknown information that needs to be considered. Rachel K.
I agree with Meg. Although I do not think that we are a complete blank slate when we are born. I do think that our genetic makeup makes us have a tendency to be a certain way when we grow up. Also I think it is what is on this slate when we are first born that effects the way we are going to let our environment effect us. Everything does effect us from the moment of birth on, but I believe that things effect certain people differently because of the way they were created. We all have different personality traits and that is because of our genetic makeup and the way we let our environment shape us. It is okay to let people and situations shape our minds because everyone will take those things differently. However it is wrong to condition an entire group so that they all think things the same way. When everyone’s genetic makeup matches, and their experiences of growing up, they have no way to be different. Rachel K.
I agree with Julia that media is one of the most obvious forms of manipulation, most of the time we don’t even realize the extent it. Every time you see a commercial, or read an article on the internet, your mind is being manipulated. I also think however that manipulation is completely unavoidable. Everyone has a right to voice their opinion, and the things a person hears and sees are, no doubt, going to affect them. I do agree with Julia, that our news broadcasters should try to stay as unbiased as possible. Manipulation can be a good thing, but when the authorities become too influential, to the point where information isn’t questioned, then manipulation becomes dangerous.
Media has a great effect on us and no one can deny that unless they live in a box. They influence our decisions and our minds. They do this by surrounding us with it. For example, 10 commercials on average run per hour. The average American watches about 3-4 hours a day of TV. That means we watch about 30-40 commercials a day. Eventually they take an effect on us and we start believing their messages since we hear it nonstop. Media is not necessarily bad for us as it doesn't force us to make a certain decision but it definitely does effect it. Overall, I can't say that I haven't made a bad decision or been influenced by media but in the end, it's really up to us what we do and media doesn't force us to do anything.
I agree with what Tim said. Media is there to try to get us to do something but it's really our decision in the end so we can't blame media for anything. Although there is one thing I have a problem with. The problem is that I think it's wrong when the media tries to take advantage to uneducated people and give out false information. This is why people need to research on a particular subject before listening to everything they hear.
It simply cannot be argued that our minds are not influenced by outside forces. We are bombarded with advertisements day in and day out. World-wide governments try to change their citizen's minds by building a strong sense of nationalism, maybe by using propaganda. We have also all heard lectures on peer pressure, which is just one example of the way our peers change our minds. In psychology students learn about the false consensus effect, which leads people to believe that because their group of friends thinks one way then so too do most other people. There are countless other biases which demonstrate that control our peers have on our mind: the bandwagon effect, the outgroup homogeneity bias, and the group polarization effect, to name a few. what this comes down to is whether or not these effects are bad for us. Advertising may not be bad for us, the consumer, and definitely is beneficial for the seller. It depends on the perspective. The government's ability to control our minds--to an extent--is commonly viewed as a bad thing, but it could make a stronger nation. Nationalism has a lot of power and influence on how countries function with each other. Countries functioning with each other is essentially just the same as humans interacting one-on-one. All of these things simply come down to social psychology. What must be understood is that our psyche evolved in this specific way for a reason. It has furthered our species for whatever reason. I conclude that because it has allowed us to become such highly-functioning, adaptive beings that it is a good influence on us.
I feel that an individual has a great urge to be like his peers, to be normal, to be accepted. Individuals actions, thoughts, and feelings are greatly swayed by the influences or their peers. This process may continue to the point that they are no longer an individual, but part of a mass. Advertisements surround us constantly. Advertisements use peer pressure to attack the individuals habit to be like their peers. This can be good and bad for the individual. Anti-drug use campaigns aimed towards individuals may use peer pressure which results in a positive choices by the individual. The individual is then attacked by gangs and groups of people at school to pressure them into drug use. The individual is constantly being attacked by peer pressure. The pressure is not always a bad thing. It is a bad thing when the individual looses the ability to decipher which pressure to give into or any at all. The individuals in the Brave New World were constantly pressured to act a certain way or else they were to be punished, as Bernard nearly was. The Brave New World was successful because there were no opposing pressures to pull the individuals from acting like the others. There is only one choice for the inhabitants and in essence that means there is no choice, and that is why the Brave New World is so dangerous.
I agree with Rajiv's statement on the influence of teachers in the classroom. It is particularly interesting to consider that something which should be pure and unbiased, and aims to teach us to be objective as well, is biased in nature and therefore, fundamentally flawed. Yet we find that the system works. Undoubtably as I have taken Sanders' class I have started to analyze arguments and literature in a similar way as outlined in class. I am not flawed because I think like mr. sanders--or rather a hybrid of my teachers and my self. Education cannot be unbiased. But that doesn't make it bad, it just shouldn't be its goal. the goal should be to collect a wide enough spectrum of influences in school to be able to make that combination of influences your own. This is just another example of positive mind manipulation. Trevor T
I believe you when you say that you are "not just a product of things that I have seen and heard over the course of my life". I do not believe I am either. That is because I have strong underlying morals and fixed opinions that I hold to. I compare all I see and hear to these morals and opinions. Not all people have strong underlying morals and if they do, people may not hold to them or compare what they see and hear to them. The media trys to form our underlying morals and opinions for us. And if they can't do that, then they certainly don't want us going back and comparing what they just told us to our morals. The effect the media has on an individual is up to them. The media wants us to let it think for us. Some people do let this happen. But if you hold to certain truths and constantly compare and analyze what you hear and see to those truths, then the media can't touch you.
I think that 'mind manipulation' has too strong of connotations to accurately describe the influences by these outside sources. There is really no way for somebody to not be influenced by their environment. Even if a person chooses to reject an attitude or behavior that is being encouraged, that person’s rejection is still a response to the outside source, and the opposing attitude/behavior that they choose is still effectively influenced by the outside source. Nonetheless, to say that the suggestions that the media, government, and peers make are able to control our minds and our actions, in my opinion, underestimates our capacity to decline the suggestion when it is not particularly advantageous (like advertising a really cell phone so that it looks really cool- but then selling it at a ridiculous price). -Natalie B.
I like Trevor’s idea that our ability to be influenced by our environment is good for us because it has allowed us to become adaptive and functioning beings. I think that at least part of the cause of that is (a bit ironically) the fact that we as individuals are so opposed to being controlled. We live in a society in which nearly every opinion and action is criticized by SOMEBODY (just look at all the anti-this and anti-that blogs on the internet). I think that we allow ourselves to be influenced by society because of this critical spirit, having faith in the idea that if something is gravely unjust, SOMEBODY would have said something about it. And though this state of being has the potential to go very wrong, I think the progress our society has made as a result of it is enough to say that it is inherently good. -Natalie B.
In response to Natalie's post, I agree. Mind manipulation is a bad thing, and is used in so many ways in our society today. One way would be in advertising. In a phone commercial, the phone company will show you how "cool" the effects and applications are that come with the phone. Three minutes later you might see another phone commercial for a different phone company, offering the same phone with the same characteristics, but maybe at a lower price. They are trying to compete for your mind and your money. At the time, you might not be bought over, but it will stick in your mind so then when you DO go out to buy a phone, you will remember that certain type of phone.
I think mind manipulation is a bad part of American society. The American media is largely responsible for this happening to the public. For example, news stations have a tendency to present the war in Iraq and Afghanistan from the American perspective, not showing the other sides of the war so that they can make more money. They don't are not being fair to the public, presenting one side of an issue. As a result, the people gradually start to lose interest in the war and stop questioning the government. This could lead to the government doing whatever they want to, right or wrong, while the American people do not hold their government accountable for their actions.
I agree with Sarah B. that not all outside influences are bad. In today's society, people have access to a wide variety of technological influences: cell phones, the Internet, television. They were never intended to negative influences, rather they were meant to be technologies that brought people together and made us more informed about the world. Today, the issue we are facing, as a society, is how to be good stewards of this burgeoning technology. We can either let it overtake our lives or make it not our primary focus. These technologies are powerful and have the potential to bring very good or very bad consequences. Brave New World shows us the extremes of letting technology grow out of control, letting it govern the society in all aspects of life. It becomes important that in the future, there is social responsibility and ethics when new technology is developed. This is a task that faces the teenage generation, as technology is a bigger part of our lives
Nothing that we think is solely from our own thoughts. Every single idea that we have is influenced by our parents, friends, peers, government officials, and everything else surrounding us. In Brave New World, they conditioned kids to like what would support the economy and country best. "We conditioned the masses to hate the country...but simultaneously we conditioned them to love all country sports." (23). Aldous Huxley was trying to say that the human mind is moldable in any direction possible. This can be good or bad. Society, including the people we trust most, our parents and friends, condition us to remain within our gender roles. Even in an increasingly unsexist society we still are encouraging seperate gender roles. It is these roles that cause our society to function smoothly. Without them we would not know where we fit in. However, this can also be a bad thing. As children we are taught to blindly follow our parents and teachers. We don't ask if what they are doing is ethical because they are the ones who taught us ethics. This gives the outside world a lot of power over us. If we are taught one thing it is very hard for us to accept that it is false. That is the reason most people remain the religion that they were born into. Not because they know it to be fact but beacuse they cannot accept that their life was a lie. This is a problem because humans cannot always think purely logical because they are so influenced by others. These ingrained ideals allow us to fit in, but they could also allow us to belong to an immoral society.
Farah mentioned the affect that technology has on how we view the world. I agree with her that the technology we use influences us more than we know. It changes the way we behave in almost any situation. I would be at a loss if I needed my cell phone in an emergency and didn't have it. I wouldn't know what to do next. It is influencing us in ways that we don't know therefore we cannot decide if it is for the better or worse. When we acknowledge that we are being influenced, that is when the threat of being influenced is minimized. it is when it goes undetected that we are in the most trouble.
Our minds are constantly being manipulated by the people and ideas that surround us. Two influential sources of manipulation include the media and our peers. The media has become part of our everyday lives. We are exposed to it constantly, through television, the internet, and various publications, such as newspapers and magazines. Our peers also have an incredible amount of influence over us. Humans have always had a desire to fit it with others. Therefore it isn’t unusual for someone to conform to the ideals of a group so that they feel that they belong. Sometimes this is beneficial to the individual, if the group has good ethical and moral ideals. Other time our peers can influence us negatively by encouraging us to engage in harmful activities, such as consuming drugs or alcohol. In BNW the media was negatively impacting the people. Through the use of hypnopaedia individuals began to reflect ideas of the state. They were stripped of their individuality. Lenina is a good example of this.
I think that the manipulation of outside sources has its pros and cons. I think most of the time, when money is the driving force behind this manipulation, the manipulation tends to be bad. It seems that all of today's news has a rather strong bias left or right. Then there are news organizations like CNN who have a very strong bias towards Facebook and Twitter, which just seems downright silly to me. As far as the manipulation we receive from the government is concerned, I think it is generally for the good... Politicians, no matter what their agenda want to be re-elected. I do not think republican or democratic views are better or worse, they are simply different and balance each other out so that things work out in the end. Peer manipulation can go so many ways. Peers can have the intention of making someone better, but end up making them worse, or vice versa. They could also have good intentions and end up being beneficial or vice versa. I dont see manipulation having very many negative effects on me as far as peers are concerned. My peers tend to make me stronger whether their intentions are to do so, or to bring me down.
I think the manipulation one receives from one's peers depends on that person. As far as being around a group that does drugs and alcohol in our high school is concerned, I would ask you this question: How many people at BHS have had some sort of experience with marijuana and how many of them turn out to be successful people? Id say that most of the kids at Barrington who have had experiences do not get addicted for life, will eventually learn their lesson (the hard way or the easy way), and will still go on to be successful... Take the last three Presidents of the United States for example. I believe that any influence of todays everyday world will probably not have a long term negative effect on a person. Eventually, people figure out whats best for them and they learn this through experiences with negative and positive influences. I mean most of us will probably live fairly long and successful lives right?
In response to Becca I think that Becca presents a good point. Much of our being is shaped by those around us. We are especially vulnerable to others influences when we are young. As we grow older and are exposed to more ideas and people our perspectives begin to change. We may begin to question the ideas that we once viewed as absolute truths. In that regard I don’t believe that everything we think is directly influenced by others. At some point I think that we are able to compile the thoughts and opinions of others to create our own, unique opinion.
I would like to bring back Zach B.'s point from many posts ago because it is very important. Manipulation and influence are completely different things. The main difference is in intention. Of course we are influenced by society; we grow and learn based on our surrounding environment. But a manipulator has a certain goal to achieve whether it's stability like in Brave New World or creating prejudice. Look at manipulation between different news sources based on political views. Mel said that the goal of the media is to shape the way in which we think. If they work to have a certain influence, this is a form of manipulation. While the true goal of news sources should be to inform, it is not the case. Look at fox news and MSNBC. If you watch a segment on these very different stations about the same topic, the information will be different. They are essentially manipulating information to fit a certain viewership. The manipulation of news is incredibly dangerous. We think that their goal is to inform, so we take in their bias as fact. I guess manipulation can have good results. Class consciousness in Brave New World allows for stability and happiness. But the misinformation is unsettling. It is dangerous when people realize they are being manipulated, like Bernard. He feels empty without freedom or love. False information is never good.
Yes, the freedom of thought is far greater in our society than that of Brave New World, but is it really complete? Going back to television news sources, our freedom of thought is restricted. Whenever there is a restriction, I believe this is some type of manipulation. Watching MSNBC, I am pushed to think in a way that's anti-Republican and pro-Democrat. The opposite happens for FOX news. Our freedom of thought is restricted based on the information, or lack of, that's provided. I'm pushed one way or the other based on what news I watch. How do I know what the real story is? Yes we have more freedom in choosing what to listen to, but anywhere we go, there is some inescapable bias. How can we get the real story?
Every organization that exists in our society has some sort of agenda they wish to push onto the general population. The government, major news broadcasting corporations, and even charities all have ways of advertising or presenting information in a way that will lead to fulfillment of their goals. In this way, we are exposed to manipulation by many different factions. On a day-to-day basis we see and hear things from aa variety of sources telling us to buy Apple's latest product, or to vote McCain or Obama, or even to donate to a specific charity. By seeing and hearing these influences we are subject to mental manipulation, whether conciously or not. These factions that introduce these influences on us may have benevolent or harmful intent, whether Apple Co. or your own mother, all these things are introduced to us with the intention of making us think a certain way, which would constitute as manipulation of our minds.
In response to Erik... Certainly we have the freedom to decide what factors influence us and don't, but at the same time these factors are most of the time outside of our control. Neuroscience has recently shown that 50% of our personality is based in our genetics. This almost certainly determines how we react to certain factors, and since we have no say in our genetic heritage, it makes it harder to say that we have complete control over what affects us and doesn't. Seeing as such, it wouldn't be too hard for our government or the media to manipulate the ways in which we think. We are not completely independent of the conditions in which we grow up, and of our genetic heritage. Basically, what I am trying to say is that idea of free will is not all that free, I am one that believes that the behavior of humans isn't all that unpredictable.
In psychology last year we learned that in life behaviors and personalities are pretty much developed by half nature and half nurture. This means that half (if not more) of ourselves are shaped by our surroundings, whether that be the media, or peers, or even social position. Actually social stratification might be the biggest contributor overtime to the development of human beings different personalities. TI do not really believe that this is mind control though, because no one is forcing you to perform a specific task or say a certain statement. No, those outside influences seem to be choices; we can choose to believe them if they align with our values, or we can choose to discard them if they do not align with our values. In BNW, John is presented with the civilized way of life and chooses to run away from it because it does not align with this values.
In response to Timmy: I too do not choose to believe that I am just a product of things I have seen or heard throughout my lifetime. I know something that shapes me more than anything else is my emotions and my conscience. I can meet a person and get a feeling about them one way or another just by observing how they greet me or with what language they choose to address me. A good example of this philosophy is that there are so many billions of people in this world, and we all have different tastes in the opposite sex. Even someone raised in a very very similar environment as me might disagree with me on the attractiveness of a person. While some people might argue the exact opposite, that celebrities have warped our judgment of beauty, stop and think about the people who actually get married. Very few people actually marry the “celebrity look alike” that the media has portrayed to us and instead, focus on personality or attitude.
I would have to agree with rachel, that ultimatley when we are born that we dont have a completely blank slate but are very vulnerable to our enviornment. Our genetics play a slight role in what kind of person we will turn out to be along with the people that surround us as we grow up. This correlates with how if you have someone who is abusive in your family then you are more likely to become abusive since it is what you know and are familular with. Though with a mass group, conditioning can be very sensitive subject if not gone about correctly, there are so many things that may alter one persons thinking if not carried out properly. But i would not agree with this kind of society since it eliminates personal freedom, that may not be known mind you, but also eliminates creativity and differences among people, good or bad.
I would have to agree with rachel, that ultimately when we are born that we dont have a completely blank slate, but are very vulnerable to our enviornment. Our genetics play a slight role in what kind of person we will turn out to be along with the people that surround us as we grow up. This correlates with how if you have someone who is abusive in your family you are more likely to become abusive since it is what you know and are familular with. Though with a mass group, conditioning can be very sensitive if not done correctly. There are so many things that may alter peoples thinking if not carried out properly, leaving a large margin for error. But overall, i would not agree with this kind of society since it eliminates personal freedoms, that may not be know to the person mind you, but also eliminates creativity and differences among people, good or bad.
Mind control is an inherent side effect of society. When people function as a group, they're inevitably going to be exposed to the thoughts and opinions of others. Conditioning one's thoughts and behavior is not always bad, such as when a child is growing up and learning socially and morally acceptable behavior. The media specifically is the largest contributor to conditioning in our day and age. In BNW, the government mandates conditioning that is necessary for its society to function. Regardless of the differences in intensity, the same is done by the media in our society. The media tells us what is popular and what is "the in". Our thoughts and behaviors are shaped and influenced by those and the world around us, and the unity in our preferences and behaviors is evidence of this.
In response to what Katelyn said, I fully agree. I think that in every individual there is a balance between nurture and nature and this conditions the being into what they will be in their adulthood. I also agree that maturation isn't necessarily mind control and that there is variation in degrees of mind control. The situation as seen in BNW where innate behaviors come second to socially designed processes are just an extreme case of how people can be scientifically manipulated. Human psychology is complex in design, but simple in nature and its obvious that the behaviors and beliefs of everything are a product of genetics and environment.
Everything that we have ever seen, touched, felt, smelled and heard has influenced us in some way, though some much less than others. When you talk about manipulation of people via mass media/government, the influence of our senses and basic instincts are being consciously toyed with by someone with a specific adgenda. A very common example used in advertizing is the manipulation of our sex drive (probably more in males...). Through the imagry and stimulation the advertisement gives, we grow to feel more desirous of a product due to its correlation in our mind with a basic need. A more extreme and commonly viewed as negative influence media has on us is the news and its portrayal of current events and politics. Though I personally do not think that you can justify the manipulation of mass amounts of people to support what you think is best for our nation, I do empathize and think that because the majority of people in America are completely ignorant to politics and have no clue what is good for America, slight manipulation may be justified to achieve a greater good.
Trevor, I think its important to distinguish the difference between influence and manipulation in social psychology. I know this probably has been said before amongst these 80+ posts, but the key difference is intention, and you cannot say that group biases and other effects of the group mentality are the result of manipulation.
It seems that manipulation carries with it the connotation of intention to influence, and sometimes this influence is not for the better. In the case of the media and the government, the benefit is most likely for them, for example, to sell a product or to promote a policy. In the case of peers, hoping that those peers are friends, the manipulation could definitely be for the better, e.g. convincing a friend to not make stupid decision.
Everything in some way makes an impact on one’s life. Whether it is something as obvious as media or ambiguous as language usage, people cannot be free of exterior influences. It seems obvious that mind manipulation can be used in a harmful way; however, for the most part its intents don’t seem evil. For example, commercials on TV manipulate the minds of people in order to sell a product, which doesn’t harm anything. In Brave New World mind manipulation definitely goes too far. Playing messages to children while they sleep to make them live a certain way is corrupt. Also in cases such as the third Reich where people’s minds were engineered to hate, mind manipulation is obviously bad. Really it comes down to the extent at which it is used.
Call me a cynic, but I think that the commercials on TV more often then not do more harm then benefit to the individuals watching it. The obvious benefit is to the company which gains by advertising, but people don't need everything which they might buy from watching a television ad. The status quo of people's lives is generally in a good enough state that whatever new consumer product will simply harm them by costing them more money.
As a result of the numerous external influences we are exposed to in the world, we certainly are manipulated by outside sources. While this does, of course, include television commercials, government endorsement, and peer pressure, the negative connotation that these bring does not fairly represent the effects of mind manipulation. Learning on its own is a form of mind manipulation. We condition our minds to have the ability to recall certain facts. This form of mind manipulation is undoubtedly positive. Without the ability to learn, we wouldn't be allowed any intellectual growth. There are unsavory methods of mind control. The hypnotherapy mentioned in Brave New World is one of those unsavory methods, along with some forms of advertisement. But the positive effects that we can gain through forms of mind control are invaluable.
I agree that television advertisements (and advertisements of all forms, for that matter) have malicious effects more often than not. It seems that the goal in advertisement is to make the target audience unhappy. By pointing out something that the target audience lacks and proving that it can cause an improvement in quality of life, the target audience feels they need the advertised product to be content. Making people unhappy or worried for the sake of monetary gain is absolutely a morally questionable process. There are the rare cases where advertisements are truly intended for public awareness and for the betterment of society, but these instances occur far less than the situations of forced discontent for profit.
Our minds are manipulated based on what our current wants and needs are. If we want something to eat, and we're indecisive- the next commercial we see that features food could cause us to head over to that restaurant and grab a bite to eat. The government puts out ads against opposing parties in political debates and they are created in order to sway our opinion. Our peers of course try to get us to do things via peer pressure if we seem unwilling at first, and depending on the situation we may give in to their requests. Society seems to base its decisions on what other people will think, or what others have to say- we need to come up with our own thoughts and ideals through logical thinking and have our own stance on issues of life and stick to them.
I agree with Andrew- Yes there are certain ads that work towards the bettering of the individual, but as he said most are just for the sake of selling a gullible consumer something they don't need. Media and advertisement try to make us feel the need of wanting more...being more...maybe even being someone else. How many kids grow up watching people on TV and believing that what they are seeing is how life actually works? I'm sorry, but if life was like it was on television we'd all be drowned in money, self conceit, and paperwork for the brand new car we just won. I'd say, along with many others here, that advertisement and media ultimately work toward the demise of us as a country, whether it be intentional or not- I feel like the media misinforms and twists the consumer to benefit the people behind the screen rather than assist the decisions and thoughts of the viewer.
Norma n, I understand your point that by mind manipulation on commercials hurts people’s checkbooks, but I don’t feel that consumers are actually being harmed. Really the only realm where I see the potential for mind manipulation to be truly damaging is in politics. If a corrupt leader can send slanted messages to the public and gain their approval, its inevitable bad is going to come from it. But this goes back to my original point that it really depends on the degree of which the mind control is used.
In response to David... I agree that everything around us manipulates us, and that we need to find the ability to come up with our own ideas. We can use the things that we are bombarded with on a daily basis to make our own informed decisions about things. There are too many people in the world who go along with whatever the media or their peers say. We need to use the opinions and information around us to our benefit, instead of just blindly following what we hear. Instead of basing our ideas on what other people think, we should create our own opinions by looking at both sides of an argument or thinking logically about other people's opinions.
Obviously we are exposed to hundreds of outside influences every day. From advertisements to our peers to our family we are constantly having other the opinions of others thrusted on us. However, without the beliefs of others being pushed on us, we would not become who we are today. There is a theory many people have that it is impossible to come up with a new, original story because the author will always be inspired and influenced by other stories. The same principle can be applied to people. People's identities are influenced by other people's identities. Obviously, some influences are good, some are bad. For example, when I was a very young boy, my parents influencing me to practice good hygine was a good influence while the commercials for Mcdonald's telling me to eat there every day were bad. The bad manipulations are only truely bad if we let them affect us.
In response to Annelise, it has become increasingly difficult to come up with our own ideas whether we realize it or not. Even if I am not conciously taking one of my friend's opinions into consideration while I am making a decision, I can very well be subconciously. In a world where we are exposed to so much, it is difficult to be truely creative. Having a mind that completly creates is nonexistent these days, instead it will only take already existing opinions and vary them. So even if the person is not blindly following another person, it is very hard to say they are thinking completly on their own.
Our minds have been manipulated by society and social norms for thousands of years, but it has become especially prevalent in modern society. As the world becomes "smaller" and more connected through the use and invention of technology, it has become next to impossible to avoid the influences of the media. Problems that are now plaguing our society, like anorexia, have become increasingly common as people are forced to compare themselves to models and actresses who are abnormally thin, adjusting our idea of the "norm" and creating new problems for our society. But not all media influences are bad. The media can and has been used for positive things as well, like informing people of important events like elections etc. and making them more involved in their government. Thanks to the media, and television especially, it has become easier than ever to raise awareness for issues like poverty and genocide around the world, and people have become increasingly involved and aware. So well I would say that the media probably has more of a negative effect than a positive, I wouldn't be able to say that it's "always bad", because it does have its positive attributes. Caroline F.
In response to Nathan: I think you've raised an interesting point about our school systems. It's true that children accept what their teachers have said without question, but I don't think that this has become a problem in our society. Most of the opinions voiced by elementary school teachers go over the heads of the children they're teaching, who don't understand political views etc. By the time that teachers' views can be understood by their students, namely high school, the students are old enough to reject opinions that they disagree with. There are circumstances though where this has been misused with Brave New World being an excellent example. Children and brainwashed into accepting the views of their society, taking it even farther than simply teaching it to them, with whisperings in their sleep of future views they should hold. Therefore, I think it's an interesting point that children are so easily influenced, as it can and has been misused before. Caroline F.
Complete your reading of Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World as assigned in class. When you reach one of the stopping points, respond to the question for that section of the novel. For each of the essential questions, you should respond to each question in 100-200 words and to the comments of your classmates in separate posts of the same length. Since this is a Web Log, your comments will not be nested, so be sure to restate the question or response you are addressing. I expect 2 responses/question from each of you.
NOTES: I expect to read direct references to the novel and relevant discussion of pertinent ideas. Lastly, sign your posts with first name and last initial. Like this--John D.
"Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axles, sane men, obedient men, stable in contentment."
When talking about manipulation on how we perceive things in our everyday lives, there are endless examples that each of us experiences daily throughout our lives. Everyday our minds are shaped around what we see and hear from the media, the government, or our peers. From an early age, we learned what was right for us to do and what we should be aware of what not to do. Everything has a message that is sent to our brain that manipulates how we view that certain scenario. News channels have biases that help manipulate us into perceiving a situation differently from someone else. Political parties believe in different ideas that differ from one party to the next. Overtime we accept these ideas and call them our own. But were they really ours in the first place? Outside perspectives help shape our minds into how we perceive the world as we do today. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing either. I believe that without the input from the media, government, or peers, we would not be who we are today. Personal identity is formed by outside perspectives and whether we agree with their beliefs or not.
ReplyDelete- Connor B.
Anything we come in contact with, whether it is a form of media, an individual, or an experience, can influence us and shape the way we think. There are definitely outside influences that affect us negatively both directly, such as violent video games, or indirectly, such as our dependence on the internet which has lead to a desire for immediate gratification and lessened our ability to think deeply. Yet, it would be wrong to assume that all outside sources are bad. Many outside sources have a positive influence on our lives, such as religious organizations that teach basic morals or humanitarian projects that appeal to us emotionally and encourage charity. Also, many influences have both positive and negative aspects to them. For example, the internet has been a positive influence in allowing us greater access to knowledge, but has limited our ability for deep, concentrated thought. Therefore, while we are influenced by many things it is not always black and white between what is good and bad. It is our role as individuals to be aware of how we can be influenced and limit what is harmful to us, while increasing what positively affects us.
ReplyDelete-Sarah B.
I think the most obvious form of manipulation comes from the media. It’s a source of communication that tells us current events, yet oftentimes the way it is presented is biased. Two people can be told two completely different sides of one story based on whether they are getting the information from CNN or Fox. The Japanese sure did not consider themselves the enemy when they bombed Pearl Harbor; the United States was. Manipulation has such a negative connotation because people don’t like the idea of having their thinking altered without being aware of it. Yet there are plenty of circumstances when manipulation is incredibly beneficial. Take peer manipulation, for example. Peers are often the ones who stop us from making bad decisions that could hurt others or ourselves. Their guidance keeps us from falling apart and making decisions we will later forget. The government manipulates one’s mind by distributing propaganda of the American flag and Uncle Sam so the citizens feel proud of the country they represent and to support the country so it does not collapse. “Brave New World” shows the terrifying side of manipulation, but there are scenarios where manipulation helps the situation at hand.
ReplyDeleteJulia H.
Our way of thinking and percieving is manipulated by multiple things. For example, the education system forces us to think a certain way based on the classes we take, the teachers we have, and what the state requires that we learn. Our peers influence the way we think in that the more time we spend with them, the more likely we are to either think like them or be able to see things their way. The media has a large influence on the way we think in that it forces us to shift our focus onto what it deems to be important.
ReplyDeleteThe way our minds are manipulated is good and bad. It is good in that we can learn to see things from another perspective and learn to identify what is important and how to analyze it. However, it can be bad in that our minds can be warped into something that is either harmful to ourselves or harmful to the society around us. We must take the positive or productive influences and figure out how to apply them to the negative influences, thus limiting their effects.
-Sarah K.
Our minds are influenced by everything and everyone that is around us. Some things are able to influence us more than others. Someone you trust strongly may be able to manipulate you more than someone who you really don’t know. However, this does not mean that things that you see around you will be able to not manipulate you. Television is such an easy way to manipulate a mass number of people. Manipulation from television can be so effective. However, it is not always a negative affect. Take the anti-drug campaign that is currently on television. They depict drugs to be so terrible that it seems that no one would ever use drugs. So some of the manipulation used by television and the government help society. But there is also the side of manipulation that companies can take hold of. News companies like CBS, CNN, FOX, and NBC are all running similar stories, but all have a slightly different set of facts.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes outside sources are able to manipulate your minds in a negative way. However, these outside sources also manipulate our minds in a positive way.
Thomas G.
I think our mind and ideas are fully the mixture of the influence of media, peers, family, and government. Growing up, we learn how to act and think based on others. I think our ideas end up being a compilation of everyone's else ideas and beliefs. In that way, I suppose we are not unique at all, except in the sense of how we combine these ideas. I wouldn't really call this good or bad, just kind of neutral. If the influence of one component becomes too strong though, I think that could be negative. If you overall view the world with a perspective skewed toward the side of the government, you are unable to have a balanced, neutral perspective. I guess now that I think about it, we all have skewed perspectives. I think a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives, one that bases on the concept of neutrality.
ReplyDeleteWe are manipulated every day, for better or for worse, by our surroundings. The most significant influence in many peoples lives come from the society in which they live. A good model for our society is the school system. School is fundamentally a good thing, or at least it is taken to be in our society. However, what can occur is the manipulation of the minds of the youth by teachers or professors. Often times, teachers voice their political opinions in class. That’s all well and good except that we are taught from a young age that people in authority are always right, and so we often take things as we see or hear them without asking questions, so students will often take the sometimes extreme views of teachers and professors as fact. This human tendency was invariably proven in the Milgram experiment, conducted in 1961, in which people listened unquestioningly to orders of an authority figure even when it meant harming another person. This is rather disturbing in that it means that really, no education is happening in this scenario but rather manipulation is. And that’s just not right, is it?
ReplyDelete- Nathan F.
Our minds are manipulated by everything we come in contact with. If a child gets stung by a bee, their minds are manipulated to associate pain with bees. Therefore, they are afraid of bees (unless they are sadistic children who enjoy pain?). I understand that our minds are also manipulated intentionally by the media and government. I don’t think manipulating a person’s mind in necessarily a bad thing, but I can be taken to an extreme. I personally think manipulating a young child’s mind to fear dangerous situations is a good thing. On the other hand I think manipulating a child’s mind the way Huxley describes is extreme. Overall, I think manipulation of the mind isn’t always bad for us, as long as the manipulation is not taken to excess.
ReplyDelete-Carli L.
The primary goal of the media and the government is to influence and shape the way in which we think. Others are constantly looking to align our thinking, morals, and values with theirs. Advertisements are constantly appealing to our emotions in order to convey a message. The meaning of what another person says depends much on their tone and choice of words, in essence their opinion. For this reason, everything that we perceive or interpret is dripping with bias and unconsciously we are influenced. Our thoughts and beliefs can and will be altered by the influence of others. Not all messages are inherently bad. Through this influence we may develop an unhealthy and unwanted habit. However, this is the same influence that parents and other adults use to instill children with morals of right and wrong.
ReplyDelete- Mel B.
In Response to Nathan-
ReplyDeleteI agree that the school systems manipulate our way of thinking, especially when a teacher voices his or her opinion (even though they’re not supposed to.) So I agree with you on the idea that manipulation does happen in the school system, but I do not agree that it is that way on purpose (maybe you never thought that, you never really specified). Even if teachers didn’t speak their opinions in class I would still agree because of our hidden curriculums. Teachers manipulate our thinking from a young age. We are taught to be curious, prompt, prepared, to name a few of the “hidden lessons”. For this, I do not think what they teach is necessarily a bad thing because these are skills we need for our futures. As for the part about listening unquestioningly to your authorities, I honestly do not know one teenager that conforms to that idea. But in all seriousness I agree that there is a certain danger in being taught to listen to your authority, especially if the authority has malicious intent. So to answer your question, I believe manipulation without education is unnecessary and wrong.
-Carli L.
I agree with Nikhil’s statement that growing up we learn how to think and act based on others. However, I disagree with the statement that our thoughts are a compilation of others and that we are not unique. All manipulation by a given source will affect people differently. We all grow up in unique environments meaning that no two people have experienced the exact same things. These experiences and influences are what lead us to becoming who we are which is why I think Huxley’s manipulations to force people into a certain fate are completely absurd. People need the opportunity to interpret the manipulations how they want and change based upon what they have perceived and learned. The book states that societal stability can only be achieved through individual stability. However, Huxley is only promoting individual stability by taking away the ability to interpret. Huxley completely ignores the fact that humans are perceptible creatures and no two people think alike nor ever will. Instead of influencing people by creating morals, he is taking them away.
ReplyDelete- Mel B.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that we are not only manipulated by the media and our peers, but also by our parents. A classic example of that would be religion. If religion is a big part of your parent's lives, chances are, you will grow up with religion as a big part of your life as well. But if only one of your parents embraces religion while your other parent doesn't, there will be more room for you to explore different options than what your parents believe is the only religion or the best religion.
ReplyDeleteI think that this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing would be with drugs. The government and other antidrug organizations can use propaganda to show society that drugs aren't good for you and look at what can happen to you if you use them. A bad thing would be that it takes away a part of who you are. We, as human beings, need to go out and explore different things in order to figure out what we like and who we are.
Becky A.
Our minds are manipulated everyday by not only the media, government, and peers but by all our surroundings. Our families, community, and other important factors that we are exposed to in our everyday lives contribute to many of our ideals and morals. Although in many cases manipulation from these outside factors can be for the worse sometimes they teach us positive notions. Religion, as Becky mentioned, is a great example of how outside forces manipulate our beliefs. Media sometimes sways us to believe negative things, and produce false facts which we live by and talk about everyday. In essence, these factors can be bad as well as good it all depends on how we absorb the manipulation and release it.
ReplyDeleteObaida D.
In Response to Obaida....
ReplyDeleteYes the media does sometimes influence us wrongly, but many times they act as a watchdog for the public safety. In this way they are a good influence. For example, a little while back, it was the media who widely publicized the lead tainted toys from China. So this influence is not necessarily bad. Where it can become bad, is if how I mentioned earlier, people blindly follow whatever the face on the T.V. screen tells them. I have met plenty of people in my life who are content to do just that. That has most probably come from the parents, who can also serve as a good or bad influence. Really, the only answer is that, we are influenced from the time we are born, there's no stopping that. However, we do not need to take that to the extreme as Huxley does, with the children being influenced to discriminate against others and to be complacent with their status.
- Nathan F.
Yes I do believe that the media shapes the way we think. A good example of this is video games. In the past couple of years video games have become a hugh part of younger generation's lives. In games like modern warfare 2 you are supposed to kill other humans, but we are told that it is only a game so that it is okay to kill them. This has desensitized our youth to not take killing and death as serious. Also, the government is one of the biggest brain washers. As a citizen you have to trust what the government tells you is true and if you doubt the government then you are a trader. For example, after 911 the American people were trained to think that all Muslims were terrorists. So in my mind the more patriotic you are they more the government has control over you.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a world of manipulation. Almost everything around us is manipulating us. The goal of school is to shape the thinking of students in certain ways. Environment plays a big role in thought patterns. Religion has to be one of the major manipulation "organizations". This manipulation can be good or bad. For example, school generally shapes thinking in a beneficial way. Some media ads manipulate people to become more self-conscious in order to buy their product, manipulating in a more negative way. I think our thinking patterns change everyday as we experience more.
ReplyDelete-Swathi M.
From the moment we enter this world, our brains are manipulated to think and percieve a certain way, and are shaped towards certain morals or ideals. Our friends and family contribute to the way act, the mannorisms we speak and shape our morals. Whether it is through familular beliefs or your heritage that is being taught, our minds are being shaped to accept or think through those ideas. Also, the government and media have an impact on showing us the good and bad in global affairs. Often times they can make us believe that somthing is good or bad to gain support for their cause, which i believe to be a negative manipulation because i fail to see the free thinking behind it. Though not all manipulations are bad, patriotism being an example, i do believe that the goverment may abuse its ability to control the media and how people think in excess.
ReplyDeleteKaili W.
As I said in class today, many of the beleifs that we cherish stem from those of our parents. As a result, we tend to only take in the outsides sources that agree with our core values. However, I do think that it is possible to be manipulated into thinking at least slightly different ways. I like the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" example because of the very subtle appeals to buying a Mac. The guy who represents the Mac is young, maybe 25 to 30, wearing casual clothes, an image that is easy to relate to. Meanwhile the PC is a middle-aged man with thinning hair and dressed in a suit. His character is stiffer; awkward. These ideas hit the viewer without either of them ever saying a word. It is this kind of sublime appeal that can manipulate the thinking of the witness.
ReplyDelete-Jeff M.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Connor B. There is rarely an idea that is genuinely our own because of outside influences. Going back to the book, Brave New World, I think Huxley is over exaggerating the manipulation by having the children listen to the messages at night. Although it seems drastic because it is more of brainwashing than only manipulating, I only think he is over exaggerating by making it overly obvious. Actually, as we go about our daily lives, we are being manipulated to almost the same extent as the children in the book. We hear ideas and messages over and over and make eventually believe them our own, just as the people in the book.
ReplyDelete-Swathi M.
Response to Nikhil:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nikhil that while growing up we are influenced greatly by what others instill in us. Yet, I do not agree with his statement that “a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives, one that bases on the concept of neutrality.” First off this ideal is totally unattainable in our world where we are influenced immediately right after birth by our parents’ and society’s beliefs and constantly there after. Yet, even if it were reasonable, it would not be the perfect world as a world without skewed perspectives would be a world without beliefs and passions. Any belief one holds carries along with it a prejudice or bias against another opinion, no matter how large or small, recognizable or subconscious that bias is. A world of neutrality I believe would be a world of apathy, which would leave humans most susceptible to mind control and prominent influence of an outside source as people would have no steadfast beliefs of their own. A think perhaps a better way to describe this perfect world would be a world of passionate, yet open-minded individuals, who will inherently have skewed perspectives, but at least will be able to recognize that fact.
-Sarah B.
I completely agree with Nikhil on the statement that humans are only shaped by their outside influences. For example, the majority of what we know and learn is taught to us by someone else. You do not discover everything on your own. The problem here though is deciding what a good influence is and what a bad influence is. Also, several people have mentioned that religion is a good influence. I tend to disagree with that statement. When I look at all of the main religions their main purpose is too make you think a certain way. To make you believe that their way is the best way and that if you do not follow them you will suffer. I believe this is the wrong way to go. Now, do not get me wrong not everything about religion is bad but come on their main goal is for you to obey their ways and none others. Why can there not be more of an open ideology instead of complete control?
ReplyDeleteAs humans we are products of our environment. We are affected by every aspect of our lives, especially those that we are exposed to at an early age. This is seen in Brave New World in the conditioning of the infants. Determining whether or not this is good for us is rather difficult. It seems to me that what is “good” is something that varies a lot depending on the person. To us, this kind of conditioning seems repulsive, but to the people of the “world state” in Brave New World, it seems like the only reasonable option. In the end I think that it comes down to the idea that morality is relative, and ironically enough a product of our environment.
ReplyDeleteAndrew G
I feel as though much of who we become is shaped by the environment around us. Sure we are born with certain genes, but what we wear, what we learn, how we speak, what actions we deem appropriate, all these come from the outside sources constantly surrounding us. The media plays a huge role in this. I think it is something around the lines of us believing that if the media thinks something should be one way, we should too because there are thousands of other people out there watching the same thing who will do so as well. The media does a superb job of appealing to the ethos, pathos and logos through commercials, newcasts, games, etc. These appeals can affect one in a positive way, such as getting someone to volunteer at an animal shelter after watching the heartbreaking animal abuse commercials. But they can also affect us in a negative way, such as letting a child think it is no that big of a deal to shoot someone because he does it all the time in his favorite video game. All in all, it is safe to say that we are always affected by outside sources, and whether these sources affect us positively or negative is truly up to us.
ReplyDeleteAmy J
The devices we use and the people we come in contact with everyday are constantly impacting how we view the world, whether we acknowledge them or not. As Sarah brought up, with the excessive use of the internet, we are moving from a prior frame of thought to a completely new ability, now having resources at our fingertips. I think this same feeling of instant gratification has come from the widespread use of cell phones in the US. We are now able to be constantly in contact with the hundreds of people in our phonebooks. This is a new form of contact though, instead of meeting face to face for discussions we changed to only calling people and now we are simply accustomed to send a text. What would be next? We are losing the personal relationships we are meant to, and need to, have. As I said, the people we interact with influence our mindset, but I would not consider texting an adequate form of interaction.
ReplyDelete-Farah S.
Social control takes the form of not a single influence, such as the media, but an entire lifestyle that embraces us from birth. We are raised within a society, and it is that society that teaches us our values, from broad concepts like morality to little details like the foods we eat and the clothing we associate with certain stereotypes. This is far from being an innocent influence that affects trivial outer appearances. Entire lives can be changed by the consciousness society raises. Huxley mentions the "Class Consciousness" lesson forced on the children in Brave New World, and we learn the same lessons through our everyday interactions. Daily we are reminded about things like college, jobs, and the future in general, always with a slight economic twist. Assumptions are made based on random statistics, such as a test score or a family income range. If it were not for society, we wouldn't know what a "29" meant the instant someone mentioned it, or whether "100,000" was a high family income. The tone accompanying these social fundamentals shapes the way we approach others, a less polarized version of the groups in BNW.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Swathi's post that manipulation occurs at all levels, often including massive "manipulation organizations", such as religion. The government is often the agent in instituting such campaigns, as we can observe through the ads on our TV. Many of us grow up with negative images of sexuality, a concept that is embraced in Brave New World. This stems from the taboos of world religion, right from the covenants in the Ten Commandments to our Health classes sophomore year. The government involves itself in this too, having produced extensive videos campaigning against sexuality. The religious right's take on this matter is expressed even in network television. As I watch TV on channels such as ABC, there are often cases of people with unplanned pregnancies, and it always shocks me to see that they never even consider the option of abortion. I'm not saying that I feel one way or the other about this, it just always amazes me that they ignore the entire dilemma completely, another way that we are being subtly conditioned to reject certain actions as wrong.
ReplyDeleteOur minds are constantly being manipulated, or constantly undergoing attempts at manipulation. We are exposed to countless outside opinions and suggestions, whether they come from an ad campaign or simply from statement made by a friend. Either way, we take that information in and it will forever play a role in shaping us, in forming our opinions and deciding the actions we take. However, I do not think that we are merely left to the whims of the things we see and hear. We have control over how we react to information, and how the information forever will affect us.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the things we see and hear are always bad for us. As I stated above, I think that we have control over our relationship to the information that we take in. The information itself isn’t the critical component of all of this, we are. Despite the enormous amount of information and opinions we are exposed to, I believe that we still have control over our own-selves.
Tim R.
As my earlier post infers, I agree with Daniel and Nikhil that as humans we are shaped by our environment. However, I take issue with Daniel’s claim that religions teach us to be fixed in our beliefs. While some religious sect are undoubtedly intolerant and inflexible, if you look at the actual teachings of the religions they all preach tolerance and acceptance of others no matter what their beliefs are. For instance, Islam generally promotes religious tolerance and the peaceful exchange of ideas. However, religious extremists have caused us to believe otherwise. Buddhism is another example, in addition to Buddhism; many Buddhists practice other local religions and philosophies. If that isn’t religious tolerance, I don’t know what is. Also the Pope, traditionally a figure of intolerance, is moving towards more tolerant view points. A few weeks ago, he began welcoming Anglican clergy members back into the Catholic faith, something that would have shocked his predecessors. In general, I think that even if we weren’t tolerant of other religions in the past, we are moving toward more tolerant positions.
ReplyDeleteAndrew G
From the time we were young we have been influenced by the environment we grew up in which includes the media, government and our peers. We develop our own value system based on the influences of these outside sources, which shape our minds negatively and positively. Whether it be our parents telling us what is right and wrong or the media forcing advertisements everywhere we look so we will buy their product, everything influences us. Today, listening to different television stations or reading different articles on the internet may lead you to having different opinions on different situations. We tend to listen to the people we look up to more than others like parents, friends, and teachers. So, often we will take into account their view on certain situations before developing our own thoughts and beliefs. Even though media is typically looked down upon for having a negative impact on society, there are times when the media will present inspirational events that have a positive impact on the way we perceive things.
ReplyDeleteIn response to what Julia H brought up:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the point you made about peers having an influence on the way we think. Peer pressure, has a negative connotation to it, but in actuality, I think peer pressure can be extremely beneficial in society. You become very much like the people you associate yourself with. They can definitely manipulate someone to do something harmful, like do drugs, steal or cheat. But on the other hand, by hanging out in a crowd which has important ideals and that is successful, drives you to become the same.
Media bias is a prevalent issue in America and around the world. We have all heard about the Fox bias and may or may not choose to watch it due to their reputation. For example, while watching the 2008 Presidential Elections, I was able to switch between networks and hear a noticeably different attitude towards the candidates. Without exposing myself to the different opinions being presented, I, as well, would have become part of the mind manipulation. Stimulation to multiple resources and thoughts are important in order to form personal opinions.
-Farah S.
I agree with Becky when she said that we should explore the world to find out who we are. I think it is very important to be open to new things and accept people for their beliefs. We should listen to what others have to say about different situations. Often the media tries to make decisions for us and tries to persuade us that what they think is best. However, we have the right to develop our own thoughts like Becky said, and try things for ourselves. We must take into account that when we are in the process of finding ourselves friends and society are still influencing us. It is impossible to not form opinions on everything we see in the public and the way we formed those opinions was by watching and listening to others.
ReplyDeleteMacKenzie L.
I agree with everyone when they say that we are a product of our environment and that almost every thought we have is the result of someone else forcing (and by forcing i mean even a statement of beliefs) their beliefs onto us. Nathan mentioned (way up there) the Milgram experiment. It tested just how much a human can be manipulated into listening to what another person (specifically a person of higher authority or presumed higher authority) tells him/her to do. The results of the experiment showed that humans are swayed very easily by the commands of another person, and this can be applied to the way a human defines themselves.
ReplyDeleteBecky mentioned that we need to get away from our current environments to discover who we really are. I disagree with that wholeheartedly. This is not only because you can not expect to find yourself in a completely foreign setting, but also because wherever you go, you will be influenced by the environment you encounter. You can not "find yourself" when there are still others that make you think a certain way.
-Sarah K.
... Well, let's not conflate "manipulation" with "influence". No one here seems to deny that there are is a "veritable plethora" of influences on our beliefs/perceptions/thoughts, but understanding the difference between the two concepts is critical to understanding why manipulation should be feared much more. "Influence" should be used to describe how we are affected, intentionally or otherwise, by our environment. On the other hand, "manipulation" refers to deliberate and often malicious influence. Basically, "manipulation" is to "influence" as "murder" is to "death". So when are we truly manipulated? Only when we are influenced by those who consciously use such influence to achieve a goal. By definition then, manipulation may not always be bad. If the goal is to save lives, and the manipulation is successful, then it would seem to be beneficial - presuming, of course, that free will would not be inordinately interfered with.
ReplyDeleteZach B.
I agree with Tim's idea that people have some control over their beliefs. Individual ads, campaigns, etc. can be flooded with bias and the intent of manipulation. For some people, these forms of communication alter what and how they think. Yet if someone absorbs multiple viewpoints of one scenario, Tim's idea becomes valid because the person can now choose which "story" to believe. It is true that everyone at one point becomes manipulated for better or for worse from outside sources, but not everything that one absorbs is through manipulation and that idea gives a much more positive outlook on the mind’s power.
ReplyDeleteJulia H.
I really enjoy reading these. I wish I had more time to think about what you're thinking about.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Carli and others ...
Is there really a hidden agenda in school? Is there something fundamentally wrong about the expression of opinion? That's a tough one for me because opinions--call them claims, positions, or whatever--are my stock in trade. I'll use the examples I've used in class to flesh this out a little. I use The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to fuel discussion, in part, because I often agree with their left-leaning positions. I was aware of the bias that I was putting in front of you, and tried to use clips from Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck, but they're not as free with their proprietary material. My point is this: Can we/should we avoid the expression of personal opinion in a classroom? I can try to hide behind my frequent claim that I'm only interested in how people think, not what, but we can't really separate how we think from what we think. Can we?
School policy dictates that personal opinions be labeled as such, not that they be censored.
In response to Zach ...
Influence v. Manipulate = Potato v. Po-TAH-to
Now, back to reading BNW!
In response to the Resident World Controller of Western Europe:
ReplyDeletePerhaps rhetoricians can use intentional fallacy with abandon, but I'm no rhetorician. It would be a mistake to assume that in real life every bit of influence is intentional and deliberate. Take for example Sarah B.'s mention of violent video games and the internet. Do you really think it is the intention of gamemakers to perpetuate violence or the intention of ISP's to ruin our critical thinking skills? However, being an Alpha Double Plus, you must be so much more intelligent and wise than me, so I should probably just accept your views (that is, if I don't want to be shipped off to some island). Even so, think of our very own class! By watching videos that ridicule some conservative viewpoints, there is little doubt that you are influencing some students to be more liberal. I sincerely doubt your intent is to "brainwash" us into voting for Giannoulias or Jackson a year from now, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of your influence has that effect. So no, not potatoes ande po-TAH-toes, apples and oranges.
Zach B.
In response to Nikhil...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nikhil that our mind is the creation of everything that we have experienced all throughout our lives. No matter where we go, everything that affects us has an impact on how we perceive our surroundings and how we react to certain situations. I don’t think for one second that this is a bad thing. However, to some extent this power can and has been used to manipulate others into following the same type of perspective the manipulator portrays, whether he is aware of it or not. But I go back to my first idea that without outside sources, we would not be who we are today. I strongly believe that we need outside sources to help influence ourselves into becoming individual human beings. Without the influence or manipulation, none of us would be who we are today. But after I say all of this, I do address that manipulation can be used to alter ones thought process for something worse. But I do not believe we can stop this because in some instances the manipulator is not even aware that they are manipulating the witnesses.
- Connor B.
In response to Mustapha Mond in response to me
ReplyDeleteI do not think expressing your opinion is a bad thing at all. My point was that not all of the teachers honor the school policy of claiming their opinion to be theirs, they teach it like the bible. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but you get the idea. I hope. And my point about hidden curriculums was to merely point out that we are influenced even if we are unaware. Unless my teacher (MR.RIFE) lied to me and there is no such thing as hidden curriculums...
-Carli L.
In response to Connor.....
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with what Connor is trying to say. The fact that manipulation is exsistent in our lives, and influences our behavior is evident. The way in which it manipulates us can vary from time to time, and can vary from what the manipulation is. The manipulator can sometimes have intentions incorrectly perceived by those listening, or vice versa. Manipulation is the foundation on which the people base their thoughts and opinionss, and sets a precedent for future generations and so forth. All in all, manipulation comes in all froms the way we absorb these manipulations form us into who we are as individuals.
Obaida D.
In this day and age outside sources are all about getting our attention at all costs. Whether this be with flashy adds on Google or by airing a funny commercial on TV, its all about keeping the attention of a demographic whose attention spans grows weaker and weaker by the day. Nowadays these advertisements unashamedly make their pitch to influence you. They may make a catchy jingle to make you remember the phone number to LUNA carpets (773-202-LUNA), mock their competitions shortcomings (Swiffer) or in some cases straight up tell you that you would be making a mistake by not buying their product (basically any car commercial). These influences are straight-foward and are meant to have an immediate impact. There are no hidden messages or puzzles to solve, the outside sources have a message to send and you are going to receive it at all costs.
ReplyDeleteOther parties make take a more subtle approach. Barack Obama promised to raise taxes on the wealthy to influence those in the middle and lower class to vote for him for example thus effectively using one message to send another.
These influences shouldn't be neccesary classified as good or bad. In the end they are just influences, you are the one who is meant to act on them. If you tend to give in easily and commit negative acts due to these influences then there is only your own resolve to blame. It is up to the individual to determine what is right and wrong because it is the individual who has to live with the consequences of their actions, not the outside sources of influence.
I agree with Tim that our minds filter out a lot of undesirable, or at least disagreeable information that comes at them. As humans we are conditioned to think this way. I also think that he is right in saying that all information that comes our way is not bad or negative. In fact, a lot of the influence on our minds is positive and nurturing. School teachers, counselors, ministers, rabbis, business consultants, and many others dedicate their entire careers to doing this. Of course some people try to manipulate the minds of others in negative ways, but these cases are not the norm.
ReplyDeleteJeff M.
In response to Zach's response to Mustapha Mond's response to Zach's post.
ReplyDeleteZach is totally right. I agree with everything he said. You are manipulating us into writing on this blog, assigning us to do this for a grade goes way beyond influence. The end game in manipulation is that we commit to do whatever it we want you to do regardless of whether or not we wish to do so. If you were influencing us to post on here not nearly as many people would do so for they would the freedom to not post on here and not worry about their grade.
I agree with Daniel when he says that video games have played a strong role in desensitizing our youth to the act of killing. Our youth sees killing so frequently in video games, and i think this has attributed some violence to our schools and communities. On his other point, I don't think that the government is fully to blame, especially in the case of Muslims being portrayed as terrorists. I think that some of the fault must fall on society, for racially profiling these people. For example, airport security may be told to look out for a certain type of people, but I doubt that they are told to stop all Muslims. I think that some of it is their own fault for racial profiling.
ReplyDelete-Nikhil H.
While it is hard for one person to become convinced by one person preaching a particular message or opinion. However, when many people are convinced that something is true, people are much more likely to believe that "truth". It is through this effect that governments, media outlets, and organizations can brainwash people. Convincing people to one particular view point is a snowballing effect. As more and more people come in line with the particular view, even more people will take notice of it and be more accepting of it. This snowball effect can be started by an effective marketing technique that is heavliy biased on the issue at hand. The message will carry it self once it gets to enough people. I dont believe it is right to present a heavily biased or opinionated view in a form that convinces people that it is fact.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Zach Bakal's Post...
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, any class with a curriculum which is dictated by the teacher can be considered an outlet for mind control. Though we are making reflections of our opinions of the pieces we read and the clips we watch in class, we are ultimately being exposed to Mr. Sander's opinion on what is worth discussing, and ultimately, his personal beliefs. I have felt this after every English class I have taken. By the time the course is finished, I am more inclined to follow the correct pattern of thinking outlined in the class throughout the year. Though I sometimes catch myself doing this, this change in thought often occurs in the most subtle of ways. Very astute point Zach.
Rajiv R.
I agree that we are certainly exposed to lots of opinions and information in school, but I think that these are not necessarily things that immediately grab onto us and manipulate us into thinking a certain way. Ultimately, we must change our own opinions- I don’t hear a teacher’s opinion and then automatically change my own. I disagree with Zach’s suggestion that showing left-leaning videos influences students to be more liberal. I believe that these videos, just like all information we take in, can give us things to draw on to form our opinions, but we are the ones that must form them- the videos do not just do that for us. Perhaps I’m too optimistic, but I refuse to believe that I am just a product of things that I have seen and heard over the course of my life.
ReplyDeleteTim R.
I think that basically everything around us has an influence on us, but it is up to us as humans to choose how those things affect us. We are bombarded with information on a daily basis, but we choose what information we listen to. Seeing a lot of a certain thing can influence someone in a certain direction, but we are not mindless drones who change with every opinion or advertisement thrown at us. It takes time for a person to be noticeably influenced by something, and we have the mental capacity to decide what to ignore. As long as people don't let the media be too big of a part of their lives, it isn't a bad thing, it's just more information for us to sort through.
ReplyDelete-Annelise Q.
I agree with what Nikhil has said about how we act and think. I do believe that we are able to come up with some of our own ideas, but a majority of them ar a compilation of everyone else’s thoughts. The way that I use these thought and ideas is often different than someone else will likely use these ideas.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nikhil when he said “I guess now that I think about it, we all have skewed perspectives.” The things that influence our ideas and how we act will defiantly skew the way that we look at things. For example, if your parents believe one ideal strongly, a child would likely agree with their parents and will likely for quite some time. So I believe Nikhil is correct in saying that a perfect world would be one without skewed perspectives.
Thomas G.
The mind is manipulated from the very beginning of life. When a child is born, they are pretty much just a blank slate, manipulated by mainly the actions and words of their parents, and later their peers. Everything heard by that person, everything the seen, everything around them is manipulating the way they think. This tends to affect the way we think. As far as these manipulations being a negative thing- I think that manipulations of the mind are unavoidable. However, when a person or group of people purposely controls and manipulates peoples’ minds to create their version of utopia, with complete uniformity it is no doubt wrongful both morally and ethically.
ReplyDeleteMeg G.
This reports back to the nature verses nurture. It is hard to determine that only one of those effects us. There is far too much proof that our environment shapes our thinking and actions. It also effects the way we feel about certain issues and debates. Everything around us effects us in a way. It is up to our minds to let it effect us or not. If it seems important to us or appeals to our emotions then we will let it effect us more than something that you do not feel anything for. Our parents and friends are some of the biggest influences. We are conditioned to feel a certain way about certain issues. This is not always a bad thing because they could just be looking out for us or giving us unknown information that needs to be considered.
ReplyDeleteRachel K.
I agree with Meg. Although I do not think that we are a complete blank slate when we are born. I do think that our genetic makeup makes us have a tendency to be a certain way when we grow up. Also I think it is what is on this slate when we are first born that effects the way we are going to let our environment effect us. Everything does effect us from the moment of birth on, but I believe that things effect certain people differently because of the way they were created. We all have different personality traits and that is because of our genetic makeup and the way we let our environment shape us. It is okay to let people and situations shape our minds because everyone will take those things differently. However it is wrong to condition an entire group so that they all think things the same way. When everyone’s genetic makeup matches, and their experiences of growing up, they have no way to be different.
ReplyDeleteRachel K.
I agree with Julia that media is one of the most obvious forms of manipulation, most of the time we don’t even realize the extent it. Every time you see a commercial, or read an article on the internet, your mind is being manipulated. I also think however that manipulation is completely unavoidable. Everyone has a right to voice their opinion, and the things a person hears and sees are, no doubt, going to affect them. I do agree with Julia, that our news broadcasters should try to stay as unbiased as possible. Manipulation can be a good thing, but when the authorities become too influential, to the point where information isn’t questioned, then manipulation becomes dangerous.
ReplyDeleteMeg G
Media has a great effect on us and no one can deny that unless they live in a box. They influence our decisions and our minds. They do this by surrounding us with it. For example, 10 commercials on average run per hour. The average American watches about 3-4 hours a day of TV. That means we watch about 30-40 commercials a day. Eventually they take an effect on us and we start believing their messages since we hear it nonstop. Media is not necessarily bad for us as it doesn't force us to make a certain decision but it definitely does effect it. Overall, I can't say that I haven't made a bad decision or been influenced by media but in the end, it's really up to us what we do and media doesn't force us to do anything.
ReplyDeleteresponse to Tim R.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Tim said. Media is there to try to get us to do something but it's really our decision in the end so we can't blame media for anything. Although there is one thing I have a problem with. The problem is that I think it's wrong when the media tries to take advantage to uneducated people and give out false information. This is why people need to research on a particular subject before listening to everything they hear.
-Mike M.
It simply cannot be argued that our minds are not influenced by outside forces. We are bombarded with advertisements day in and day out. World-wide governments try to change their citizen's minds by building a strong sense of nationalism, maybe by using propaganda. We have also all heard lectures on peer pressure, which is just one example of the way our peers change our minds. In psychology students learn about the false consensus effect, which leads people to believe that because their group of friends thinks one way then so too do most other people. There are countless other biases which demonstrate that control our peers have on our mind: the bandwagon effect, the outgroup homogeneity bias, and the group polarization effect, to name a few.
ReplyDeletewhat this comes down to is whether or not these effects are bad for us. Advertising may not be bad for us, the consumer, and definitely is beneficial for the seller. It depends on the perspective. The government's ability to control our minds--to an extent--is commonly viewed as a bad thing, but it could make a stronger nation. Nationalism has a lot of power and influence on how countries function with each other. Countries functioning with each other is essentially just the same as humans interacting one-on-one. All of these things simply come down to social psychology. What must be understood is that our psyche evolved in this specific way for a reason. It has furthered our species for whatever reason. I conclude that because it has allowed us to become such highly-functioning, adaptive beings that it is a good influence on us.
Trevor T
I feel that an individual has a great urge to be like his peers, to be normal, to be accepted. Individuals actions, thoughts, and feelings are greatly swayed by the influences or their peers. This process may continue to the point that they are no longer an individual, but part of a mass. Advertisements surround us constantly. Advertisements use peer pressure to attack the individuals habit to be like their peers. This can be good and bad for the individual. Anti-drug use campaigns aimed towards individuals may use peer pressure which results in a positive choices by the individual. The individual is then attacked by gangs and groups of people at school to pressure them into drug use. The individual is constantly being attacked by peer pressure. The pressure is not always a bad thing. It is a bad thing when the individual looses the ability to decipher which pressure to give into or any at all. The individuals in the Brave New World were constantly pressured to act a certain way or else they were to be punished, as Bernard nearly was. The Brave New World was successful because there were no opposing pressures to pull the individuals from acting like the others. There is only one choice for the inhabitants and in essence that means there is no choice, and that is why the Brave New World is so dangerous.
ReplyDeleteLuke M.
I agree with Rajiv's statement on the influence of teachers in the classroom. It is particularly interesting to consider that something which should be pure and unbiased, and aims to teach us to be objective as well, is biased in nature and therefore, fundamentally flawed. Yet we find that the system works. Undoubtably as I have taken Sanders' class I have started to analyze arguments and literature in a similar way as outlined in class. I am not flawed because I think like mr. sanders--or rather a hybrid of my teachers and my self. Education cannot be unbiased. But that doesn't make it bad, it just shouldn't be its goal. the goal should be to collect a wide enough spectrum of influences in school to be able to make that combination of influences your own. This is just another example of positive mind manipulation.
ReplyDeleteTrevor T
In response to Tim
ReplyDeleteI believe you when you say that you are "not just a product of things that I have seen and heard over the course of my life". I do not believe I am either. That is because I have strong underlying morals and fixed opinions that I hold to. I compare all I see and hear to these morals and opinions. Not all people have strong underlying morals and if they do, people may not hold to them or compare what they see and hear to them. The media trys to form our underlying morals and opinions for us. And if they can't do that, then they certainly don't want us going back and comparing what they just told us to our morals. The effect the media has on an individual is up to them. The media wants us to let it think for us. Some people do let this happen. But if you hold to certain truths and constantly compare and analyze what you hear and see to those truths, then the media can't touch you.
Luke M
I think that 'mind manipulation' has too strong of connotations to accurately describe the influences by these outside sources. There is really no way for somebody to not be influenced by their environment. Even if a person chooses to reject an attitude or behavior that is being encouraged, that person’s rejection is still a response to the outside source, and the opposing attitude/behavior that they choose is still effectively influenced by the outside source.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, to say that the suggestions that the media, government, and peers make are able to control our minds and our actions, in my opinion, underestimates our capacity to decline the suggestion when it is not particularly advantageous (like advertising a really cell phone so that it looks really cool- but then selling it at a ridiculous price).
-Natalie B.
I like Trevor’s idea that our ability to be influenced by our environment is good for us because it has allowed us to become adaptive and functioning beings. I think that at least part of the cause of that is (a bit ironically) the fact that we as individuals are so opposed to being controlled. We live in a society in which nearly every opinion and action is criticized by SOMEBODY (just look at all the anti-this and anti-that blogs on the internet). I think that we allow ourselves to be influenced by society because of this critical spirit, having faith in the idea that if something is gravely unjust, SOMEBODY would have said something about it. And though this state of being has the potential to go very wrong, I think the progress our society has made as a result of it is enough to say that it is inherently good.
ReplyDelete-Natalie B.
In response to Natalie's post, I agree. Mind manipulation is a bad thing, and is used in so many ways in our society today. One way would be in advertising. In a phone commercial, the phone company will show you how "cool" the effects and applications are that come with the phone. Three minutes later you might see another phone commercial for a different phone company, offering the same phone with the same characteristics, but maybe at a lower price. They are trying to compete for your mind and your money. At the time, you might not be bought over, but it will stick in your mind so then when you DO go out to buy a phone, you will remember that certain type of phone.
ReplyDeleteBecky A.
I think mind manipulation is a bad part of American society. The American media is largely responsible for this happening to the public. For example, news stations have a tendency to present the war in Iraq and Afghanistan from the American perspective, not showing the other sides of the war so that they can make more money. They don't are not being fair to the public, presenting one side of an issue. As a result, the people gradually start to lose interest in the war and stop questioning the government. This could lead to the government doing whatever they want to, right or wrong, while the American people do not hold their government accountable for their actions.
ReplyDeleteScott K.
I agree with Sarah B. that not all outside influences are bad. In today's society, people have access to a wide variety of technological influences: cell phones, the Internet, television. They were never intended to negative influences, rather they were meant to be technologies that brought people together and made us more informed about the world. Today, the issue we are facing, as a society, is how to be good stewards of this burgeoning technology. We can either let it overtake our lives or make it not our primary focus. These technologies are powerful and have the potential to bring very good or very bad consequences. Brave New World shows us the extremes of letting technology grow out of control, letting it govern the society in all aspects of life. It becomes important that in the future, there is social responsibility and ethics when new technology is developed. This is a task that faces the teenage generation, as technology is a bigger part of our lives
ReplyDeleteScott K.
Nothing that we think is solely from our own thoughts. Every single idea that we have is influenced by our parents, friends, peers, government officials, and everything else surrounding us. In Brave New World, they conditioned kids to like what would support the economy and country best. "We conditioned the masses to hate the country...but simultaneously we conditioned them to love all country sports." (23). Aldous Huxley was trying to say that the human mind is moldable in any direction possible. This can be good or bad. Society, including the people we trust most, our parents and friends, condition us to remain within our gender roles. Even in an increasingly unsexist society we still are encouraging seperate gender roles. It is these roles that cause our society to function smoothly. Without them we would not know where we fit in. However, this can also be a bad thing. As children we are taught to blindly follow our parents and teachers. We don't ask if what they are doing is ethical because they are the ones who taught us ethics. This gives the outside world a lot of power over us. If we are taught one thing it is very hard for us to accept that it is false. That is the reason most people remain the religion that they were born into. Not because they know it to be fact but beacuse they cannot accept that their life was a lie. This is a problem because humans cannot always think purely logical because they are so influenced by others. These ingrained ideals allow us to fit in, but they could also allow us to belong to an immoral society.
ReplyDelete-Becca W.
Farah mentioned the affect that technology has on how we view the world. I agree with her that the technology we use influences us more than we know. It changes the way we behave in almost any situation. I would be at a loss if I needed my cell phone in an emergency and didn't have it. I wouldn't know what to do next. It is influencing us in ways that we don't know therefore we cannot decide if it is for the better or worse. When we acknowledge that we are being influenced, that is when the threat of being influenced is minimized. it is when it goes undetected that we are in the most trouble.
ReplyDelete-Becca W.
Our minds are constantly being manipulated by the people and ideas that surround us. Two influential sources of manipulation include the media and our peers. The media has become part of our everyday lives. We are exposed to it constantly, through television, the internet, and various publications, such as newspapers and magazines.
ReplyDeleteOur peers also have an incredible amount of influence over us. Humans have always had a desire to fit it with others. Therefore it isn’t unusual for someone to conform to the ideals of a group so that they feel that they belong. Sometimes this is beneficial to the individual, if the group has good ethical and moral ideals. Other time our peers can influence us negatively by encouraging us to engage in harmful activities, such as consuming drugs or alcohol.
In BNW the media was negatively impacting the people. Through the use of hypnopaedia individuals began to reflect ideas of the state. They were stripped of their individuality. Lenina is a good example of this.
Lauren S.
I think that the manipulation of outside sources has its pros and cons. I think most of the time, when money is the driving force behind this manipulation, the manipulation tends to be bad. It seems that all of today's news has a rather strong bias left or right. Then there are news organizations like CNN who have a very strong bias towards Facebook and Twitter, which just seems downright silly to me. As far as the manipulation we receive from the government is concerned, I think it is generally for the good... Politicians, no matter what their agenda want to be re-elected. I do not think republican or democratic views are better or worse, they are simply different and balance each other out so that things work out in the end. Peer manipulation can go so many ways. Peers can have the intention of making someone better, but end up making them worse, or vice versa. They could also have good intentions and end up being beneficial or vice versa. I dont see manipulation having very many negative effects on me as far as peers are concerned. My peers tend to make me stronger whether their intentions are to do so, or to bring me down.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lauren:
ReplyDeleteI think the manipulation one receives from one's peers depends on that person. As far as being around a group that does drugs and alcohol in our high school is concerned, I would ask you this question: How many people at BHS have had some sort of experience with marijuana and how many of them turn out to be successful people? Id say that most of the kids at Barrington who have had experiences do not get addicted for life, will eventually learn their lesson (the hard way or the easy way), and will still go on to be successful... Take the last three Presidents of the United States for example. I believe that any influence of todays everyday world will probably not have a long term negative effect on a person. Eventually, people figure out whats best for them and they learn this through experiences with negative and positive influences. I mean most of us will probably live fairly long and successful lives right?
In response to Becca
ReplyDeleteI think that Becca presents a good point. Much of our being is shaped by those around us. We are especially vulnerable to others influences when we are young. As we grow older and are exposed to more ideas and people our perspectives begin to change. We may begin to question the ideas that we once viewed as absolute truths. In that regard I don’t believe that everything we think is directly influenced by others. At some point I think that we are able to compile the thoughts and opinions of others to create our own, unique opinion.
Lauren S.
I would like to bring back Zach B.'s point from many posts ago because it is very important. Manipulation and influence are completely different things. The main difference is in intention. Of course we are influenced by society; we grow and learn based on our surrounding environment. But a manipulator has a certain goal to achieve whether it's stability like in Brave New World or creating prejudice. Look at manipulation between different news sources based on political views. Mel said that the goal of the media is to shape the way in which we think. If they work to have a certain influence, this is a form of manipulation. While the true goal of news sources should be to inform, it is not the case. Look at fox news and MSNBC. If you watch a segment on these very different stations about the same topic, the information will be different. They are essentially manipulating information to fit a certain viewership. The manipulation of news is incredibly dangerous. We think that their goal is to inform, so we take in their bias as fact. I guess manipulation can have good results. Class consciousness in Brave New World allows for stability and happiness. But the misinformation is unsettling. It is dangerous when people realize they are being manipulated, like Bernard. He feels empty without freedom or love. False information is never good.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Erik:
ReplyDeleteYes, the freedom of thought is far greater in our society than that of Brave New World, but is it really complete? Going back to television news sources, our freedom of thought is restricted. Whenever there is a restriction, I believe this is some type of manipulation. Watching MSNBC, I am pushed to think in a way that's anti-Republican and pro-Democrat. The opposite happens for FOX news. Our freedom of thought is restricted based on the information, or lack of, that's provided. I'm pushed one way or the other based on what news I watch. How do I know what the real story is? Yes we have more freedom in choosing what to listen to, but anywhere we go, there is some inescapable bias. How can we get the real story?
Every organization that exists in our society has some sort of agenda they wish to push onto the general population. The government, major news broadcasting corporations, and even charities all have ways of advertising or presenting information in a way that will lead to fulfillment of their goals. In this way, we are exposed to manipulation by many different factions. On a day-to-day basis we see and hear things from aa variety of sources telling us to buy Apple's latest product, or to vote McCain or Obama, or even to donate to a specific charity. By seeing and hearing these influences we are subject to mental manipulation, whether conciously or not. These factions that introduce these influences on us may have benevolent or harmful intent, whether Apple Co. or your own mother, all these things are introduced to us with the intention of making us think a certain way, which would constitute as manipulation of our minds.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Erik...
ReplyDeleteCertainly we have the freedom to decide what factors influence us and don't, but at the same time these factors are most of the time outside of our control. Neuroscience has recently shown that 50% of our personality is based in our genetics. This almost certainly determines how we react to certain factors, and since we have no say in our genetic heritage, it makes it harder to say that we have complete control over what affects us and doesn't. Seeing as such, it wouldn't be too hard for our government or the media to manipulate the ways in which we think. We are not completely independent of the conditions in which we grow up, and of our genetic heritage. Basically, what I am trying to say is that idea of free will is not all that free, I am one that believes that the behavior of humans isn't all that unpredictable.
In psychology last year we learned that in life behaviors and personalities are pretty much developed by half nature and half nurture. This means that half (if not more) of ourselves are shaped by our surroundings, whether that be the media, or peers, or even social position. Actually social stratification might be the biggest contributor overtime to the development of human beings different personalities. TI do not really believe that this is mind control though, because no one is forcing you to perform a specific task or say a certain statement. No, those outside influences seem to be choices; we can choose to believe them if they align with our values, or we can choose to discard them if they do not align with our values. In BNW, John is presented with the civilized way of life and chooses to run away from it because it does not align with this values.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Timmy:
ReplyDeleteI too do not choose to believe that I am just a product of things I have seen or heard throughout my lifetime. I know something that shapes me more than anything else is my emotions and my conscience. I can meet a person and get a feeling about them one way or another just by observing how they greet me or with what language they choose to address me. A good example of this philosophy is that there are so many billions of people in this world, and we all have different tastes in the opposite sex. Even someone raised in a very very similar environment as me might disagree with me on the attractiveness of a person. While some people might argue the exact opposite, that celebrities have warped our judgment of beauty, stop and think about the people who actually get married. Very few people actually marry the “celebrity look alike” that the media has portrayed to us and instead, focus on personality or attitude.
I would have to agree with rachel, that ultimatley when we are born that we dont have a completely blank slate but are very vulnerable to our enviornment. Our genetics play a slight role in what kind of person we will turn out to be along with the people that surround us as we grow up. This correlates with how if you have someone who is abusive in your family then you are more likely to become abusive since it is what you know and are familular with.
ReplyDeleteThough with a mass group, conditioning can be very sensitive subject if not gone about correctly, there are so many things that may alter one persons thinking if not carried out properly. But i would not agree with this kind of society since it eliminates personal freedom, that may not be known mind you, but also eliminates creativity and differences among people, good or bad.
I would have to agree with rachel, that ultimately when we are born that we dont have a completely blank slate, but are very vulnerable to our enviornment. Our genetics play a slight role in what kind of person we will turn out to be along with the people that surround us as we grow up. This correlates with how if you have someone who is abusive in your family you are more likely to become abusive since it is what you know and are familular with.
ReplyDeleteThough with a mass group, conditioning can be very sensitive if not done correctly. There are so many things that may alter peoples thinking if not carried out properly, leaving a large margin for error. But overall, i would not agree with this kind of society since it eliminates personal freedoms, that may not be know to the person mind you, but also eliminates creativity and differences among people, good or bad.
kaili W.
Mind control is an inherent side effect of society. When people function as a group, they're inevitably going to be exposed to the thoughts and opinions of others. Conditioning one's thoughts and behavior is not always bad, such as when a child is growing up and learning socially and morally acceptable behavior.
ReplyDeleteThe media specifically is the largest contributor to conditioning in our day and age. In BNW, the government mandates conditioning that is necessary for its society to function. Regardless of the differences in intensity, the same is done by the media in our society. The media tells us what is popular and what is "the in". Our thoughts and behaviors are shaped and influenced by those and the world around us, and the unity in our preferences and behaviors is evidence of this.
John C.
In response to what Katelyn said, I fully agree. I think that in every individual there is a balance between nurture and nature and this conditions the being into what they will be in their adulthood. I also agree that maturation isn't necessarily mind control and that there is variation in degrees of mind control. The situation as seen in BNW where innate behaviors come second to socially designed processes are just an extreme case of how people can be scientifically manipulated. Human psychology is complex in design, but simple in nature and its obvious that the behaviors and beliefs of everything are a product of genetics and environment.
ReplyDeleteJohn C.
Everything that we have ever seen, touched, felt, smelled and heard has influenced us in some way, though some much less than others. When you talk about manipulation of people via mass media/government, the influence of our senses and basic instincts are being consciously toyed with by someone with a specific adgenda. A very common example used in advertizing is the manipulation of our sex drive (probably more in males...). Through the imagry and stimulation the advertisement gives, we grow to feel more desirous of a product due to its correlation in our mind with a basic need. A more extreme and commonly viewed as negative influence media has on us is the news and its portrayal of current events and politics. Though I personally do not think that you can justify the manipulation of mass amounts of people to support what you think is best for our nation, I do empathize and think that because the majority of people in America are completely ignorant to politics and have no clue what is good for America, slight manipulation may be justified to achieve a greater good.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, I think its important to distinguish the difference between influence and manipulation in social psychology. I know this probably has been said before amongst these 80+ posts, but the key difference is intention, and you cannot say that group biases and other effects of the group mentality are the result of manipulation.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that manipulation carries with it the connotation of intention to influence, and sometimes this influence is not for the better. In the case of the media and the government, the benefit is most likely for them, for example, to sell a product or to promote a policy. In the case of peers, hoping that those peers are friends, the manipulation could definitely be for the better, e.g. convincing a friend to not make stupid decision.
ReplyDeleteEverything in some way makes an impact on one’s life. Whether it is something as obvious as media or ambiguous as language usage, people cannot be free of exterior influences. It seems obvious that mind manipulation can be used in a harmful way; however, for the most part its intents don’t seem evil. For example, commercials on TV manipulate the minds of people in order to sell a product, which doesn’t harm anything. In Brave New World mind manipulation definitely goes too far. Playing messages to children while they sleep to make them live a certain way is corrupt. Also in cases such as the third Reich where people’s minds were engineered to hate, mind manipulation is obviously bad. Really it comes down to the extent at which it is used.
ReplyDelete-Andy H.
In response to Andy:
ReplyDeleteCall me a cynic, but I think that the commercials on TV more often then not do more harm then benefit to the individuals watching it. The obvious benefit is to the company which gains by advertising, but people don't need everything which they might buy from watching a television ad. The status quo of people's lives is generally in a good enough state that whatever new consumer product will simply harm them by costing them more money.
As a result of the numerous external influences we are exposed to in the world, we certainly are manipulated by outside sources. While this does, of course, include television commercials, government endorsement, and peer pressure, the negative connotation that these bring does not fairly represent the effects of mind manipulation. Learning on its own is a form of mind manipulation. We condition our minds to have the ability to recall certain facts. This form of mind manipulation is undoubtedly positive. Without the ability to learn, we wouldn't be allowed any intellectual growth. There are unsavory methods of mind control. The hypnotherapy mentioned in Brave New World is one of those unsavory methods, along with some forms of advertisement. But the positive effects that we can gain through forms of mind control are invaluable.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Norman L.:
ReplyDeleteI agree that television advertisements (and advertisements of all forms, for that matter) have malicious effects more often than not. It seems that the goal in advertisement is to make the target audience unhappy. By pointing out something that the target audience lacks and proving that it can cause an improvement in quality of life, the target audience feels they need the advertised product to be content. Making people unhappy or worried for the sake of monetary gain is absolutely a morally questionable process. There are the rare cases where advertisements are truly intended for public awareness and for the betterment of society, but these instances occur far less than the situations of forced discontent for profit.
Our minds are manipulated based on what our current wants and needs are. If we want something to eat, and we're indecisive- the next commercial we see that features food could cause us to head over to that restaurant and grab a bite to eat. The government puts out ads against opposing parties in political debates and they are created in order to sway our opinion. Our peers of course try to get us to do things via peer pressure if we seem unwilling at first, and depending on the situation we may give in to their requests. Society seems to base its decisions on what other people will think, or what others have to say- we need to come up with our own thoughts and ideals through logical thinking and have our own stance on issues of life and stick to them.
ReplyDelete-David L.
I agree with Andrew- Yes there are certain ads that work towards the bettering of the individual, but as he said most are just for the sake of selling a gullible consumer something they don't need. Media and advertisement try to make us feel the need of wanting more...being more...maybe even being someone else. How many kids grow up watching people on TV and believing that what they are seeing is how life actually works? I'm sorry, but if life was like it was on television we'd all be drowned in money, self conceit, and paperwork for the brand new car we just won. I'd say, along with many others here, that advertisement and media ultimately work toward the demise of us as a country, whether it be intentional or not- I feel like the media misinforms and twists the consumer to benefit the people behind the screen rather than assist the decisions and thoughts of the viewer.
ReplyDeleteresponding to norman
ReplyDeleteNorma n, I understand your point that by mind manipulation on commercials hurts people’s checkbooks, but I don’t feel that consumers are actually being harmed. Really the only realm where I see the potential for mind manipulation to be truly damaging is in politics. If a corrupt leader can send slanted messages to the public and gain their approval, its inevitable bad is going to come from it. But this goes back to my original point that it really depends on the degree of which the mind control is used.
-Andy H.
In response to David...
ReplyDeleteI agree that everything around us manipulates us, and that we need to find the ability to come up with our own ideas. We can use the things that we are bombarded with on a daily basis to make our own informed decisions about things. There are too many people in the world who go along with whatever the media or their peers say. We need to use the opinions and information around us to our benefit, instead of just blindly following what we hear. Instead of basing our ideas on what other people think, we should create our own opinions by looking at both sides of an argument or thinking logically about other people's opinions.
Obviously we are exposed to hundreds of outside influences every day. From advertisements to our peers to our family we are constantly having other the opinions of others thrusted on us. However, without the beliefs of others being pushed on us, we would not become who we are today. There is a theory many people have that it is impossible to come up with a new, original story because the author will always be inspired and influenced by other stories. The same principle can be applied to people. People's identities are influenced by other people's identities. Obviously, some influences are good, some are bad. For example, when I was a very young boy, my parents influencing me to practice good hygine was a good influence while the commercials for Mcdonald's telling me to eat there every day were bad. The bad manipulations are only truely bad if we let them affect us.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Annelise, it has become increasingly difficult to come up with our own ideas whether we realize it or not. Even if I am not conciously taking one of my friend's opinions into consideration while I am making a decision, I can very well be subconciously. In a world where we are exposed to so much, it is difficult to be truely creative. Having a mind that completly creates is nonexistent these days, instead it will only take already existing opinions and vary them. So even if the person is not blindly following another person, it is very hard to say they are thinking completly on their own.
ReplyDeleteOur minds have been manipulated by society and social norms for thousands of years, but it has become especially prevalent in modern society. As the world becomes "smaller" and more connected through the use and invention of technology, it has become next to impossible to avoid the influences of the media. Problems that are now plaguing our society, like anorexia, have become increasingly common as people are forced to compare themselves to models and actresses who are abnormally thin, adjusting our idea of the "norm" and creating new problems for our society. But not all media influences are bad. The media can and has been used for positive things as well, like informing people of important events like elections etc. and making them more involved in their government. Thanks to the media, and television especially, it has become easier than ever to raise awareness for issues like poverty and genocide around the world, and people have become increasingly involved and aware. So well I would say that the media probably has more of a negative effect than a positive, I wouldn't be able to say that it's "always bad", because it does have its positive attributes.
ReplyDeleteCaroline F.
In response to Nathan:
ReplyDeleteI think you've raised an interesting point about our school systems. It's true that children accept what their teachers have said without question, but I don't think that this has become a problem in our society. Most of the opinions voiced by elementary school teachers go over the heads of the children they're teaching, who don't understand political views etc. By the time that teachers' views can be understood by their students, namely high school, the students are old enough to reject opinions that they disagree with. There are circumstances though where this has been misused with Brave New World being an excellent example. Children and brainwashed into accepting the views of their society, taking it even farther than simply teaching it to them, with whisperings in their sleep of future views they should hold. Therefore, I think it's an interesting point that children are so easily influenced, as it can and has been misused before.
Caroline F.