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View Full Version : Radicalism, Indoctrination, and "Terrorism"



Stephen Colbert
13th July 2010, 07:21
It seems more often than not that the typical portrait of U.S. enemies of state-- that being, Islamic fundamentalists, are always the product of a so called indoctrination. Indoctrination is used by the political right an awful lot to describe their attitudes towards leftists they don't agree with. In my experience, "indoctrination" is simply a buzzword pejorative for things you don't identify with and want to discredit the merits of. How many times have you encountered in your everyday life the word indoctrination and "brainwashing" in the same context? It seems to me that the general consensus among people is that becoming indoctrinated is synonymous with becoming brainwashed and a zombie.

That being said, most of us here identify with doctrine. Doctrine--- you know, that thing that apparently makes you indoctrinated. I don't entirely understand this idea that reading things people don't like leads to radicalized and subsequently "indoctrinated" and ultimately acts of "Terror" against a state or whatever.

Do the terms "indoctrination" and "radical" hold any weight whatsoever? Seem more like smear tactic to me to discredit unpopular ideas.

mikelepore
13th July 2010, 08:37
It's not that reading a few books changes anyone drastically. Its more about how being raised since early childhood to believe something tends to make the adult brain incapable of thinking outside those limits. In past historical periods people were indoctrinated since young ages to believe that sorcerers cast magic spells, the king is the smartest person in the country, slavery is normal, the pharoah is a god, etc. People in modern times are also indoctrinated, but with different ideas. If a person hasn't rejected one's childhood teachings by age 20 or so, that person is unlikely to be willing to consider new ideas later. We all develop confirmation bias - whatever we see seems to confirm what we already believe. I believe that religion is one of the worst poisons of the mind; religion teaches people that logically invalid reasons for drawing conclusions are valid reasons.