Imperialist Brainwashing

 

While on social media the other day, I came across many disturbing tweets from self-proclaimed "leftists" ranting about the threat of China on the 'free world.' You'll discover many of these people, 1) have never been to China or even left the borders of the US., and 2) have zero understanding of China's history and appear to be echoing State Department talking points.

Over the last 20 years, China has lifted a vast segment of its population out of poverty. But you never hear about this from our western governments or our MSM. China has not invaded another country in over a century. Indeed, unlike the United States, China has a free higher education and health system. Yet, the US government has always been quick to criticize other countries' social and political affairs. The wealthiest nation on the planet, notwithstanding, poverty is rising, student debt is in the billions, the health system is run by corporate gangsters, and the country has been at war since the 18^th century. The hypocrisy is ridiculously laughable.

In Australia, we have an authoritarian right-wing government that does what it's told from the UK and the United States. When the US asks Australia to jump, we respond, "how high, mate." This has been the case since at least WWII.

Indeed, having been alive for a while, moderately educated and traveled, why do much more intelligent and accomplished people than I seem to fall for the imperialist party line? Why do people from the West view that somehow we are better than everyone else and must stick our noses into countries where we have no right to do so? Why do we continue to accept mainstream narratives that somehow we're "exceptional" and bomb other countries back to our kind of democracy?

The answer to this is we have been bombarded for years with false narratives, creating the other, and that the other should be feared and conquered. In the last 50 years, at least, war has never been about toppling dictatorships and freeing the world to our high western values. Every war has been about absolute profit for the oligarchy. The US and their allies, for the most part, have economies based on war. Corporate profit for the elite. The problem is this has been going on for years, and educated people continue to wave the flag and rattle the sword for some lofty ideals that really no longer exist.

When I see grown men and women spreading blatant war propaganda, particularly self-proclaimed leftist, I realize that over a century of brainwashing has seeped in and has become the fabric of their world views.

War is an abstraction. Until, of course, one has been on the battlefield or on the receiving end of carpet bombs. A citizen is placed in prison for killing another human being. Though murdering thousands in a foreign land is acceptable and insanely justified.

Even though our governments have lied to us about going to war over the last twenty years, we are tricked by false flags; we continue to believe what our government tells us. Some even on major (independent) platforms, claiming to be progressive, repeat the lies for war. The brainwashing is so inculcated into our psyches that we repeat the same ridiculous lies. This is the definition of insanity.

For sure, I don't have a solution. But when the MSM continues to keep us fighting each other over silly political ideals, pushing regime change, and commenting on cultural issues that distract, nothing will change.

But something has to change.