Talking "brainwashing" with EdgeworthBox

This article "Some Views on "Brainwashing" by EdgeworthBox discusses the methods of brainwashing in mainland China in one direction, which I think is very good.

But I personally feel that there is actually Western brainwashing in the Western world, so let me share my opinion.

First let's talk about the difference:

The Chinese trick is to instill a lot of things in you and then block the opposite.

The disadvantage of this kind of brainwashing is that when you discover the blocked content, you will be shaken by the indoctrination, and sometimes, the more you believe in the indoctrination before, the more you discover the blocked content. Shocked, from one extreme to the other, from only believing in indoctrination to only believing in shielding. (Note that I did not use the word "truth". In fact, what is instilled may not be the truth, and what is blocked may not be the truth, because indoctrination and shielding are not distinguished by whether they are truth or not, but by whether they are beneficial to the ruling class.)

China's brainwashing method EdgeworthBox's article says a lot, so I won't go into details. Talking about the West, the Western method is much more sophisticated, a bit similar to Douyin. Many people become addicted to Douyin because it understands you too well. What you often watch, he will push you more similar content. Saying this can only be called catering to you, not brainwashing you. This is where Douyin confuses people. If you observe carefully, you will find that Douyin recommends a lot of vulgar and curious things to you, making an inappropriate analogy (here The numbers are what I thought, not the real algorithm of Douyin): If you read 1 sports news and 1 pornographic news, the normal data analysis should be in the next 10 articles, I recommend 5 sports and 5 soft porn for you. But Douyin is not. Douyin will recommend 3 sports articles and 7 soft porn articles to you. why? Because most people are curious, and the content of soft porn is obviously more sticky, the algorithm of Douyin is not really fair, it is consciously guiding you to see what "it wants you to see".

The same is true of Western media. Many people say that the Western government cannot interfere in the media. The media are all commercialized, so they are all real, but they are not. The Western media, whether anti-China or defined as pro-China, actually rarely report on the good side of China. Of course, there is news about China's rapid growth in GDP, but you can't see those subtle information that is beneficial to China, such as How many people have been helped out of poverty, such as what work has been done in terms of education equity, and what work has been done in improving the efficiency of medical care, you can't see it, you can only see how miserable the poor are, the sky-high cram schools, and the cutting of doctors. news of the doctor. This situation has led to the long-term view of the negative news about China by the Western people, and this situation will in turn affect the media, forming a constantly strengthening cycle. Readers do not like to see the advantages of China, so commercial media With less coverage of China's merits, this information imbalance further reinforces the reader's perception, and the cycle continues. This is also why some people change their political views quickly after going abroad, and even ask friends inside the wall some seemingly ridiculous questions, which is caused by information asymmetry.

Using the ancient Chinese water control as an analogy, the Chinese brainwashing is Shun, which mainly focuses on blocking; the Western brainwashing is Yu, which focuses on Shu, but pay attention, where the channel is controlled by the media.

Secondly, why do China and the West adopt different ways of brainwashing?

I think two reasons.

The first Western media has developed for many years, and its influence, methods of operation, and the range of countries it supports are far beyond China's, and its strength is not on the same level. The accumulation of history is not at the same level. The definitions of many concepts are defined by Westerners. If you agree with this definition, you have already lost half of it.

Second, we must admit that Western ideas seem more reasonable and more easily accepted by others. In fact, this is also the result of a century of tempering. The so-called universal values of the West are also constantly evolving and becoming more and more reasonable. Therefore, if it is really open to everyone's discussion, China will lose. There is no doubt that because the Western values accumulated over hundreds of years are too perfect and theoretically impeccable. (There's actually a way to fight back, just don't watch what's being said, watch what's being done, "I really have a cow", you know). This also has a certain inevitability, because with the abundance of material, human beings must increasingly pursue individual freedom, and the various constraints of the Chinese tradition will definitely cause disgust.

Finally, how can I prevent myself from being brainwashed? How should we discuss the issue? Also two points:

1. Be right about things and not people, and avoid expanding discussions.

There is one kind of post that I basically don't reply, that is, if you say "Murder is illegal in China", he will come up with a triple attack: "Can you go to the streets? Do you dare to scold the government? You are only worthy of drinking poisoned milk powder. "...It's inexplicable and illogical. China has too many shortcomings, and no one said that China is perfect, but whatever topic is discussed, it is whatever topic is discussed. Expanding to irrelevant matters will not help the discussion.

2, do not double standard.

Still using the above example, if someone says that the United States is good, I will attack three times: "The President of the United States eavesdropped on the German Chancellor! Saudi Arabia dismembered their employees, and Trump did not pursue it for money! Using North Korea as an excuse to station troops in South Korea, now Not only that South Korea has tripled its military spending, but also that South Korea promises to continue garrisoning troops even if the peninsula is denuclearized. Isn’t this a forced buy and forced sale?” Do you think you can discuss the issue with me calmly? Certainly not. Therefore, when you cross-examine others, think more about whether the logic you uphold is fair, and whether the other party can stand in the opposite direction and use the same logic to question yourself. Many times, you will not say something that makes people laugh and cry.

As long as you uphold these two points, you will jump out of ideology to see right and wrong, and you will not be so easily brainwashed. Sometimes there will be less troubles. I see a lot of people complaining about their pain and feel that everyone around them has been brainwashed. The world is drunk and I wake up alone. It must be painful. The premise is that the world is drunk and you wake up alone, right? ?