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169 sats \ 6 replies \ @elvismercury 16 Jan \ on: Brainwashing starts at home Politics_And_Law
I read about a poll that for many years was given to elementary students where they asked the kids who was going to win the Presidency. The results of this poll turned out to be hugely predictive of election results, not (obviously) because the kids were political geniuses, but because kids' opinions are a good proxy for what their parents' beliefs are.
I'd venture to guess that there's less of this brainwashing than there used to be.
And of course, one person's "brainwashing" is another person's "cultural transmission." It is, after all, pretty remarkable that Christians overwhelmingly have Christian parents, Muslims Muslim parents, etc.
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And of course, one person's "brainwashing" is another person's "cultural transmission." It is, after all, pretty remarkable that Christians overwhelmingly have Christian parents, Muslims Muslim parents, etc.
I'll push back against this a little bit.
To me, I'd call it brainwashing if the message that's communicated is more of an unthinking, us against them, variety, which is what I think the 5th graders were presenting.
If it's a more fully fleshed out worldview that's been communicated, like "this is why we believe what we believe", or "these are our values", then that's what I'd call cultural transmission of the non-brainwashing variety.
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Fair.
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And of course, one person's "brainwashing" is another person's "cultural transmission."
I agree that what some call "brainwashing" could also be seen as "cultural transmission." It's natural for parents to pass down their beliefs, intentionally or not. That’s how cultures, traditions, and even biases persist across generations.
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That is very true, when I was little I heard many things over and over again and many times I believed them, just by hearing them.
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Kids are like tofu.
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