"I want to mention, but only very briefly, a closely related aspect of this awful business. Stories have already appeared depicting Adam Lanza in the terms typically employed in the wake of such tragedies: he was a "loner," he was "painfully shy and awkward" (the Daily Mail); he was generally weird, and he "seemed not to feel physical or psychological pain in the same way as classmates" (Yahoo News). And of course, the New York Times will never permit itself to be outdone on this score. The NYT leads with the obviously terrifying and ominous fact that Lanza "carried a black briefcase to his 10th-grade honors English class" (!!), goes on to note that he was "nervous and fidgety" -- and offers what is apparently damning in the extreme: "[His former classmates] said he always seemed like he was someone who was capable of that because he just didn’t really connect with our high school, and didn’t really connect with our town.” And all the stories include the general catchall "explanation": he was "mentally ill" in some form.
You may think all of that is unexceptional in this case -- but I point you to another NYT story from over two years ago. That story described another "loner" in remarkably similar ways -- but the subject of the earlier story was Bradley Manning.
Now, that's more than slightly interesting, wouldn't you agree? I have a great deal to say about it, and it will have to wait for a separate article. But the fact that a murderer and someone who sought to expose the monumental crimes of the United States government are portrayed in largely identical ways is a powerful indication of how profoundly diseased this culture is." - Arthur Silber.
This article is "fiction."
In response to the horrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, lawmakers are proposing aggressive gun control laws to stop the epidemic of mass shootings. This latest mass shooting has focused national attention on the controversial issue of gun control and could serve as an impetus for much-needed legal action to prevent further tragedies.
In addition to instituting a new gun control regime in the United States, some more radical lawmakers are saying that the country needs to set up a national agency dedicated to thought control.
The new agency would have many responsibilities such as tracking down emotionally withdrawn students from a young age and prescribing them psychotropic medications to help them deal with their mental and emotional problems. It is known that the shooter responsible for the Newtown massacre had mental issues and was very distant from society.
The most outspoken proponents of the new thought control legislation are psychologists, doctors, and people connected with the mental health profession. They argue that preventative action in the areas of mental health and childhood development would help create a more cohesive society in which young people are not so isolated that they are willing to kill children as a way to vent their ill feelings towards the world.
The thought control administrators won't only target students and children for thought training and emotional development, but also unemployed people, seniors, and young males. Its main task is to manage the emotions and thoughts of people so that they are not radicalized and estranged from their fellow citizens.
"In these tough economic times we need people to think happy thoughts," said one lawmaker who asked not be identified. "We have to try these new revolutionary solutions, even if the actions taken by the government goes against the will of individuals. There is no ill will on our part. We just want people to have positive thoughts even as they see the collapse of the world economy around them plus all the daily horrors of existence." he added.
Critics of the new law charge the thought control administrators of using brainwashing methods to remake American society. They say that they are using dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to both stigmatize and medicate individuals who wish not to be coerced into living in this new collectivist society.
"They are killing the human spirit by treating everyone as automaton robots with no souls. The thought control advocates deem anyone who has a different thought that deviates from mainstream opinion to be weird and paranoid. Such description of a difference of opinion is a dangerous step to a full-blown totalitarian society," said an opponent of the new law.
The steps towards constructing a thought control regime have already been taken by public officials and psychological professionals. Children as young as six are given drugs by doctors on the payroll of pharmaceutical companies, which are oddly enough the same drugs that were found in the possession of the twenty year old shooter in Newtown. These drugs are known to cause "psychosis, illness, and death."
The reaction to the new thought control legislation in the media has been overwhelming positive because it emphasizes their role. Under the new law, the mainstream media would be given new responsibilities and a new name, the "Truth Prevention Unit." Lawmakers say that the media has a responsibility to the public in its presentation of reality and its outlook on the near future.
A psychologist involved in producing the legislation said in a conversation with reporters, "We can't have people panicking and reaching for their guns in response to every disaster. We must tackle these complex cultural and social problems at their roots, which are in the mind. The mind organizes reality according to the information it receives. If we can control the information that reaches people then we can better prevent anti-social thoughts and behaviour, especially among young isolated individuals. Also, the media has a thought-shaping power that is undeniable so it has a great responsibility. We are asking media professionals to use their power to prevent the truth about the collapse of the economy and its causes from getting out to the public, as well as the truth about many other issues that will raise damaging questions about government policies and the future of our society."
According to this view, the truth is a disease that must be contained, so, naturally, people who tell the truth and report the facts are considered mentally ill. The implications for a democratic society are thought-provoking. America and the West as a whole prides itself on being different from totalitarian countries like China, where people are fed government-controlled information every day. But the differences are only in appearance.
This author encourages the citizens of the United States and other Western countries to raise public awareness about thought control and the use of classical brainwashing methods by public officials, psychologists, and media professionals.
