From: "Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 96 13:48:22 PST
To: "James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>
Subject: Re: Net Control is Thought Control
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSD.3.91.960110172255.21390A-100000@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>
Message-ID: <199601112147.NAA21851@netcom13.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I had a request for more info on the book "Coercive Persuasion".

written by Edgar H. Schein. "a socio-psychological analysis of
the 'brainwashing' of American civilian prisoners by the Chinese
Communists". c 1961 WW Norton & CO, Inc

this book was written in 1961 when the word "brainwashing" had
just been invented. the American prisoners came back from China
saying that they believed in communism and that they knew they
were "spies" when they were not, etc.  considers the link between
social situation and beliefs and shows that the former has 
tremendous effect on people's philosophies. 

the Chinese had
pretty much perfected all the techniques of getting people to
change their beliefs without necessarily the overt methods of
totalitarian systems such as torture, suppression of free
speech etc.  in fact they tended to create systems in which
speech was encouraged, but was subtly manipulated so that it was
always used in their favor.

again, as I wrote: thought control without the subject realizing
it was thought control.

this is especially dangerous in cyberspace as I mentioned because one
now has all kinds of "virtual communities" that may not behave
in the same ways that communities now do (such as widespread use
of pseudonymity) and hence have unanticipated effects.