OPINION: Are you brainwashed?

The short answer is yes, we all are to some degree brainwashed. Our society is flooded with competing messages designed to influence your viewpoint and perceptions. Some brainwashing efforts are small and localized while others involve the entire country or even the world. Regardless of scale, every stream of information seems to have a bias. 

The reasons for this are power and money. So called “news” sources have a financial interest in attracting as many eyeballs as possible. Revenue is a direct function of attention, so their programming is structured to get as much attention as possible by feeding their audience exactly the information they want to receive and let confirmation bias build viewer loyalty. There is no penalty for lying or misrepresenting the facts, but there is an immediate penalty for a loss of viewers so the truth is sacrificed for clicks and views.

Remember that reality is a construct within every individual’s mind. What you perceive as reality is the sum of all the information you have received and no two people receive exactly the same information. In the information age, most of what you “know” about the outside world doesn’t come from direct experience. What do you know of the situation in Ukraine other than what you have been told by people who have no direct knowledge?

If everyone is brainwashed to some degree then can you tell how badly you are brainwashed? Unfortunately you can’t in absolute terms, but there are clues to follow. People who are highly brainwashed are far from reality and if you don’t understand the reality of a situation then you cannot predict what will happen next. 

In 2016, Democrats brainwashed themselves into thinking Trump couldn’t win. They were devastated when he did. In 2020 Republicans brainwashed themselves into believing Trump couldn’t lose to dementia basement Biden. They were devastated when he did….or did he?

Politicians and their parties have little incentive to be truthful. Hyperbolic statements and spin are normal, even expected. There are even examples of “designated liars,” people like Adam Schiff or John Brennan who are trotted out whenever a real whopper of a lie needs to be offered up for public brainwashing. The “Hunter Biden Laptop is Russian disinformation” lie is one example of many. 

One of the best examples of a brainwashing campaign is the Jan. 6 Insurrection narrative. You likely have a strong opinion about that event. First question, were you there? If not then everything you know about J6 was fed to you by biased sources. Second question, has anyone presented a rational scenario where unarmed protestors sauntering through the U.S. Capitol building could overpower the world’s most powerful country, its military and its courts and gain access to the nuclear launch codes? No? Unless you have the “means” you don’t have a crime. We have been told it was an insurrection, but nobody has been charged with that crime. Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth. Feeling brainwashed yet?

If you watched the J6 hearing and saw justice served, then you were brainwashed. If you watched the J8 hearing and saw political theater, you resisted the brainwashing. 

Half the country thinks that banning a candidate from running for office is protecting “democracy.” I thought democracy is where the people, not the courts decide. Where are you on this? Brainwashed or not?

The scope of this brainwashing proves it can be done on a large scale, which means doing it on a small scale should be easy, and it is. 

The current voter initiative campaign is attempting to brainwash people into believing Ranked Choice Voting and eliminating political party primaries will somehow “open” elections to more participation. Using this logic, Idaho should allow residents of other states and non-citizens to vote in Idaho elections, making them even more “open.” If you recognize the absurdity of that argument then you have resisted the brainwashing. 

Locally there is a small group of Never-Trumpers and Biden supporters, the “North Idaho Republicans," who want you to believe that members of the official Republican Party should have their freedom of speech restricted when it comes to some elections. They say Republicans should not recommend candidates. These same people, who claim to be Republicans, have no problem giving their candidate endorsement as they try to brainwash you into believing that they represent the Republican Party. Again, if you recognize the absurdity of their argument then you have resisted the brainwashing.

Remember how those with a good grasp of reality can better predict the future? If you understand what voters want you can predict and support the winning candidate. Candidates that NIR endorses typically lose their elections. During the last Republican Primary, none of their backed candidates won in Kootenai County while all of the candidates recommended by your official Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, the KCRCC, won in Kootenai County.

Why? Maybe it is because the members of the KCRCC are elected by you, one from each of our 73 precincts. KCRCC members represent an accurate cross section of our county and they better understand what our citizens want in a candidate. The KCRCC also conducts professional polling to help understand your most important issues. Your KCRCC Precinct Committeemen knock on thousands of doors in their precincts to distribute information and hear directly from you what is important to you. 

NIR members are a self-selected club that doesn’t even try to interview all the candidates. 

NIR wants to brainwash you into thinking they are the true Republicans and yet the candidates they endorse are the same candidates endorsed by Democrats. Members of NIR leadership have already come out for Nikki Haley, the candidate openly supported by Democrats who believe she will lose to Biden.

The KCRCC is working closely with the Idaho GOP to ensure that in Idaho all Republicans, but only Republicans, can participate in our Presidential Preference Caucus. Know that the KCRCC is working hard for you. Don’t be brainwashed into thinking otherwise.

It’s just common sense.

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Brent Regan is chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.