The almost effortless takeover of America’s government by a ranting clown backed by the most morally compromised, spineless Congress, judiciary, and institutional leadership in American history, continues. This despite the steady destruction of the economy; the occupation of major American cities by our own military; abduction off the streets by heavily armed, masked secret police; and a shattering of our global alliances in a world already a few match strikes away from nuclear war. Nazism is even getting a public relations face-lift. How did this happen?
Clearly a major shift has occurred in how many Americans’ view society. This was achieved via a propaganda program planned, funded, and pursued relentlessly by a cadre of very wealthy and powerful right wing extremists. Many are also bona fide religious fanatics. But “propaganda” and “brainwashing” are broad terms and magnets for lurid imaginings. Examining how propaganda works is critical to understanding why our democracy is threatened as never before. It also helps explain a core truth about authoritarian movements in general: they are primarily neither political nor psychological in nature. The chief battleground for hearts and minds is—the brain.
The brain behaves more like a coral reef than a computer. Pursuits as diverse as chess, writing in cursive, exercise, meditation, juggling, music, pleasurable and/or comforting physical contact, good nutrition, owning a pet, and learning in general integrate left and right brain function, stimulate the growth of neurons and new neurological patterns and pathways, and reverse brain atrophy. Stress, mindless repetition, trauma, isolation, substance abuse, poor nutrition, constant anger and fear, loud noise, and lack of sleep all inhibit brain function. Not surprisingly, whatever affects the brain has a direct impact on the body’s other physical systems.
Propaganda is not just about the content of a message but its mode of delivery. The right-wing media moguls and their ranting hirelings; a radically politicized fundamentalist Christianity that preaches a puerile albeit vivid biblical literalism; the erosion of education; and collapse of thoughtful public discourse have reshaped not only the American “mind”, but millions of brains as well. Delivery of a simplistic, repetitive message at high emotional “volume” and directing an unremitting frenzy of contempt and hatred for a convenient “enemy”, are vital to effective propaganda campaigns. Once the volume and rhythm are in place, the lyrics don’t matter—”Lock her up”, “Build the wall”—the crowd goes wild.
For the first time in our history, our government is controlled by a cabal with a well-plotted program to:
- Monopolize all wealth (several steps beyond establishing a monopoly to maximize profit from a given industry);
- Impose “medieval” theocratic values, a Christian version of Islam’s sharia law;
- Privatize the military and militarize law enforcement in order to conduct illegal overseas operations and suppress domestic dissent;
- Plunder the economy while slashing any government program—medical, educational, nutritional, environmental, worker safety, etc.—that saves and improves lives;
- Replace civil liberties with repressive social measures;
- Reinstate racial disenfranchisement and segregation;
- Suppress LGBTQ individuals and women seeking abortions;
- Debase public discourse so that, as with Orwell’s “Newspeak”, it becomes difficult and illegal to express ideas outside the official template; and
- Eradicate the very notion of a constitutional republic governed via a give-and-take of diverse viewpoints.
That a large portion of Americans voted for this “project [2025]” displays a collective neuropathy as surely as did Nazism, the 1960s Chinese Cultural Revolution, and American racism. And despite the many Americans who reject racism and the idea of empire, we all participate in the system’s distortions. Those of us horrified at our current circumstances are nonetheless prey to its influence, transfixed by the awful momentum driving it to its logical conclusion.
The brain is a physical organ that governs every aspect of our physiology, and from which our thoughts, feelings, and sense of self emerge. Brain science is currently in the midst of a golden age and scientists have shown how virtually every experience affects brain morphology and function. Doctor Donatella Marazziti writes, “Every kind of trigger and stimulus leaves traces in our brain that, if positive, may become good incentives or memories…but if negative, may…lead to a permanent ‘scar’. In both cases…the brain continuously changes and remodels itself through neuroplasticity, that…permits neuronal development, growth, repair and survival.” According to Doctors Eberhard Fuchs and Gabriella Flügge, “A strong external stimulus that evokes numerous neuroplastic changes is stress. Repeated or chronic stress changes the morphology of neurons in various brain areas.” And Doctor Joe Dispenza points out that “If a person thinks every day about how little money they have, the neural networks that have to fire for them to process those thoughts repetitively will be easily activated and ultimately strengthened.” The brain can be branded with unremitting messages that alternate fearful images inspiring paranoia and hate with calls for a redemptive release via revenge, violence, and extermination.
Propaganda reroutes brain circuitry into a primitive, closed Pavlovian loop. This happens at a cellular level. For example, when the brain receives powerful repetitive signals, the nerves activated by those signals, and the emotions they trigger, are “insulated” with a fatty layer called a myelin sheathe. This enhances their efficiency and attracts traffic away from alternative routes and destinations— a sort of violation of “brain neutrality” akin to the algorithms that feed consumers on Facebook and Google. Propaganda bypasses the frontal lobes, where much of our rational thought takes place, and aims straight for the amygdala and hypothalmus, the reactive “red button” areas of the brain. The brain, and with it the mind and emotions, responds as predictably and automatically as Pavlov’s salivating dogs.
Simplistic, “loud”, repetitive signals not only program the brain, but limit neuronal activity and growth and disturb the brain’s chemical balance. The result is cognitive dissonance in which an individual’s frame of reference has little relationship to reality. Indeed, propaganda aims to convince us there is no reality other than the matrix of simplistic ideas and emotional impulses it promotes, haunting with spectres and shadows the perceptions of those under its spell.
This is not the unrealistic brainwashing of The Manchurian Candidate where a subject blindly fulfills a pre-programmed task on cue. It is instead a drawn out campaign aimed at those already sympathetic to its world view that can brainwash a large segment of society. People do not become zombies à la Invasion of the Body Snatchers but they are more susceptible to irrational and violent actions encouraged by the cult-like, religious zeal and fellowship that mob manipulation inspires. The induced cycle of stress and release may well act as an addictive dopamine cycle. It is no surprise that a brainwashed population will support demagogues whose policies clearly harm them. The satisfaction of rage and release overwhelms, at a physical level, the ability to think abstractly and analytically.
Propaganda almost always blames the frustrations, shortfalls, irritations, and disappointments that naturally bedevil all societies on “outsiders”, “aliens”, “minorities”, etc. The mainstream’s anger and violent impulses can be directed at groups depicted as polluting an otherwise pure edenic society. Soon, however, shared hatred proves a shaky foundation for trust and the systematic violation of basic rights and protections soon applies to everyone other than the ruling elite.
Such techniques were pioneered by Hitler, his early advisors, and the ministers (Rosenberg, Goebbels) responsible for his propaganda output. Donald Trump et al have gone in whole-hog on the Nazi playbook. It is important to recognize that the divide is not over “two visions of America” or “coasts versus heartland”. Those are polarities our nation has often worked to resolve. But when one side uses propaganda to promote authoritarian rule, rational political and psychological arguments—such as pointing out contradictions in their positions—do not work.
We all don’t have to agree on policy. But we all must agree to govern with tolerance for other views and to use facts, reason, and compassion as the basis for determining action. Action inspired by hatred, blind belief, anger, and violence bites back with a vengeance and almost always misidentifies the true threats to a society’s stability. When the ship goes down, it doesn’t matter whether we’re in steerage or seated at the captain’s table, we’re all going down with it.
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