In Reply to: Advanced Mind Control Techniques posted by Bryon on January 15, 2003 at 09:22:04:
I could hardly bring myself to finish reading.
The writings were so full of religio-centrism and phobia. It is packaged in an attempted academic light, but offers no enlightment or discussion other than fixed and opinionated views shrouded in pseudo-academic babble. I vaguely recall a time long ago, when I was weak-minded and easily impressed by such writings. Today, they resemble nothing more than the "deep" writings of other cults like the Moonies or Scientologists.
The labeling, the excessive repetition of terminology, the bold and emphasized text, the one-liners, all resemble greatly the invasive mind-conrol techniques used in Berg's writings. Berg and other mind-control geniuses also used word concision, cyclic thought reinforcement and labeling, in the exact style of the author.
Issues and choices did not seem to be explored, but rather debased so as to create a 'safe' and limited mental prison devoid of any flow of free thinking.
In an attempt to create a stable constant and to find meaning in a changing world, the author attacks anything and everything that is a foundation for independant and modern thinking. Any advances in socio-phsychology are labeled and discarded on your behalf. While knocking buzzwords is an easy thing to do - "EMPOWERMENT is just another word for DUPED" - however offering solid reasoning s for arriving at such freely voiced conclusions were sorely lacking. Explanations for such sweeping statements were mostly along the lines of hiding behind being an authority figure - "Much of my research lead me to... (this conclusion so just take my word for it)"
Freedom of thought and freedom of choice are God-given in my understanding. We cannot choose without freedom to think explore options. We cannot make personal and informed decisions when our very freedom to think is threatened. And thinking processes do not thrive in an atmosphere of pressure to conform to the author's (or anyone's) chosen collective mindset. In attacking the peer-pressure that is a very real and legitmiate problem, the author offered no viable alternative other than to create his own pressure system.
The book was a masterpiece of fear and xenphobia. It was a justification of a world order of conservative Christian thought control. Fear of mingling with other minds, other schools of thought, other people, other faiths, does not impress me. It shows weakness and lack of spiritual grounding. If the only way to achieve security is through attacking others, this demonstrates insecurity. Not to mention a lack of respect or understanding for others.
I have not come this far to echange one cultic mindset for another.