The Message Behind The Madness

I know, I know: we all got a good laugh yesterday at conservatives calling the Muppets some kind of nefarious liberal indoctrination plot. Ha ha, what maroons, I get it.

We’ve seen different versions of this same smear hundreds of times over the years. Barney, SpongeBob Squarepants, the Teletubbies and PBS’ Buster have all been part of the “gay agenda.” The blockbuster film “Avatar” was liberal tree-hugging propaganda. Wall-E was more liberal brainwashing. Bill O’Reilly went on an entire anti-Hollywood tirade in 2007 for what he called “terrorist propaganda films” like “Redacted.”

Same as it ever was. Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s funny, but it’s not.

Remember what’s behind all of this fearmongering about “liberal Hollywood.” These constant smears have a purpose. It’s intended to undermine what conservatives view as a major source of liberals’ support and influence: their supposed control of the entertainment media. And it’s also designed to make people mistrust the media in general. It’s a way the conservative cult maintains control of its audience.

Controlling the flow of information is how cults operate. Psychologist Dr. Robert J. Lifton’s “Thought Reform And The Psychology Of Totalism” is the classic textbook on this subject; decades old, it remains the gold standard on the topic. His “eight criteria for thought reform” (Lifton hated the word “mind control,” which he thought was misleading and erroneous), are as follows:

1.Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

2. Mystical Manipulation. The manipulation of experiences that appears spontaneous but is, in fact, planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority, spiritual advancement, or some exceptional talent or insight that sets the leader and/or group apart from humanity, and that allows reinterpretation of historical events, scripture, and other experiences.

3. Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

4. Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members’ “sins,” “attitudes,” and “faults” are discussed and exploited by the leaders.

5. Sacred Science. The group’s doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

6. Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members’ thought processes to conform to the group’s way of thinking.

7. Doctrine over person. Member’s personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.

8. Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group’s ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.

I read Lifton’s book years ago when researching a fiction project. The conservative movement and the modern Tea Party in particular have a lot in common with a cult. While liberals bemoan Democrats’ inability to stay on message, remain unified ideologically, and control its Blue Dog and Progressive caucuses (remember: Dennis Kucinich voted against the healthcare bill, too), Republicans remain robotically on message. Under the guidance of strategists like Frank Luntz, they are adept at “loading the language” and manipulating the truth. The demand for ideological purity has resulted in such hilarity as Newt Gingrich running away from his recent global climate change stance and Mitt Romney running away from … well, everything.

So yes, we can laugh at the Muppets being liberal indoctrination and Hollywood movies being “terrorist propaganda.” But let’s not lose sight of what this tactic is all about.