If Adolf Hitler asked me to execute another person, I am going to say yes, probably. I think that any member of that particular society would have done so. I am fully aware of the power of persuasion by people in a position of great wealth and control and the magnitude to which it can reach. The mass media is the main tool used to carry out the brain washing. For example, Hitler’s Mein Kampf was written to cater to the intellectual level of the general public’s. Whether or not this was a conscious process, one cannot say for sure. But what is certain is that it worked. Hitler wrote his book using short, choppy sentences. He also repeated the scattered thoughts that made up the book – from blaming the Jews for all of life’s problems to the superiority of the Aryan race to the upper class and back again. Hitler basically “dumbed down” his book in order to meet the intellectual level of his readers so that they may understand – or think they understand.
To brainwash, one doesn’t have to be rational. One merely has to “appear” to be rational to people who are confused and vulnerable. Hitler unquestionably fit the mold. It is easier to appear rational and to manipulate people when they are in an environment concentrated in fear and uncertainty, which Germany certainly was thanks to such a powerful elite circle. When someone is in constant fear and uncertainty, he or she will do nearly anything as long as they are pushed in the right direction. The further one stretches a rubber band the more pliable it gets, and the more pliable it gets the easier it is for one to snap it. Those with a weaker, more impressionable mind are more susceptible to “snapping.” When in fear, people have a tendency to make emotional decisions, rather than logical. Hitler knew all of this and had like-minded and self-interested scientists and commanders working under him to create an illusive general temperament and a falsified environment.
The human mind is a remarkable tool, as well as toy – it can either be an instrument of rational decision-making or it can be managed and manipulated. Hitler surrounded himself with powerful, like-minded individuals. When a like-minded elite group of individuals conspire, their influence becomes nearly unbreakable. The essence of compliance to this power consists in the fact that an individual comes to view oneself as the instrument for executing another person’s desired actions, and he therefore no longer sees himself as accountable for his actions. Once this critical shift of viewpoint has occurred in the person, all of the necessary features of obedience follow. This idea represents the foundation of military respect for authority: soldiers will follow, obey, and execute orders and commands from superior officers, understanding that responsibility for their actions rests with the commanding superior officers. It is when there is no more sense of “self” that a person will act in accordance with the pressure placed upon him without question.
People are drawn to symbols. Symbols are used to establish camaraderie and unity within a group. Military elitists thrive on symbolism with a particular agenda. With Germany’s mystical swastika, subtle suggestions run the range of emotions: political status, security, love, pride, hate, and fear. Empty promises, carnival shows, social gatherings, flags of all sorts, slogans, hatred, hope, fear, and arrogance – all swept the unsatisfied and disheartened German people onto a band wagon labeled with the swastika. Since the introduction of the “National Socialists,” the power of the agencies of hate propaganda has been exaggerated and managed so that all outlets of communication such as schools, radio, newspapers, film, and church, would transmit one propaganda to the public mind. This exclusive propaganda would then express a single will, a single voice, and a single opinion. That is exactly why the Hitler regime, like any other fascist country, had established an organization wherein authority trickles from the top down – and coming from the civilians was an immediate blind, unquestioning compliance.
Those in control of where a society is headed fear the educated, intellectual person, for education brings power in the ability to see through the shroud that has blinded so many citizens of truth. Those that question are not as easily manipulated, thus sending chills down the spines of those whose job it is to manipulate. We, as people, are accustomed to living in fear, for fear has forever been a part of our existence; and of course, change of any kind is most often rejected. When in fear, people have a tendency to make emotional, rash decisions, rather than logical. When confronted with uncertainty, people habitually attempt to explain and give structure to the situation at hand; people do this, of course, in accordance with their own cultural tradition and way of life, thus allowing for a wide range of alleged “truths.”
