JWL.Freakwitch.net

Hypnotized by the BuShites

This article provides an interesting analysis of the recent political rhetoric of the BuShites, comparing the political rhetoric to techniques of mass hypnosis, specifically those used by Hitler. It's an interesting comparison, actually. The article makes several good points:

Perhaps the clearest likeness between the two men [Bush Jr. and Hitler] lies in their use of emotionally induced hypnosis to plant in the mass consciousness an image of themselves as protectors of their subjects from threats to national survival both inside and outside the fatherland.

Change "fatherland" to "homeland," and you begin to see the parallels. This strategy, appropriated by Bush in his demonization of Saddam Hussein, reflects some advice given by Hitler in his book, Mein Kampf: "The efficiency of the truly national leader consists primarily in preventing the division of the attention of the people, and always in concentrating it on a single enemy."

A salient example of Bush's technique can be found in this analysis of his state of the Union address in 2003:

In search of support for shaky WMD charges against Saddam, Bush found the torture issue and put it on the front burner in his January 2003 State of the Union address: "This dictator who is assembling the world’s most dangerous weapons has already used them on whole villages, leaving thousands of his own citizens dead, blind or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues and rape."

Bush went on to urge Americans to come together in an orgy of fear induced self hypnosis by mentally imaging the dreadful prospect of Iraqi sponsored terrorists attacking the U. S., and tried again to link the Iraqi leader to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers: "Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans - this time armed by Saddam....We will do everything in our power to make sure that that day never comes." If Saddam had not existed, Bush would have invented him.

The key point of hypnotism is the nature of the information being expressed in the address. On one hand, there is the clear, reasoned transfer of information. On the other hand, hypnosis is the intential limiting of the listener's consciousness, which can take several forms. Intentionally oversimplifying the problem to narrow or dualistic terms is probably the simplest, ie, "you're either with us or you're with The Terrorists(tm)."

The author of the article is himself familiar with hypnosis. Regardless, an interesting analysis.

posted by JWL at 2:56 PM |