Scammed again........

Years ago, while working in the U.S., I traveled to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to do some teacher training. I spent a week living off-base but working with groups of civilian teachers on-base during the day. Fort Leonard Wood was like a small city - a very impressive military 'city'.

As I was driven around in an Army Jeep with my assigned driver, I observed the young trainees marching and exercising. This was during the Vietnam War, a dangerous time to be living in the U.S. I was told the word used for the enemy was "Gook" - a derogatory and pejorative term first used in South Korea. I think the idea was to get rid of the humanity in the enemy. I presume it is easier to kill a "Gook" than it is to kill a fellow human being.

But I am sure young men just out of high school are not the only ones in the world who are subject to manipulation. Commercial advertising, for example, attempts to encourage us that they have the best service or product. Political parties spend a lot of money, especially before elections, telling us we would make a big mistake if we don't vote for them. I remember the war propaganda machine during WW II. Some religious organizations try to convince us that they are the real McCoy, the genuine article.  Today, with all of our devices and easy mass distribution ('that video went viral!') we are totally inundated with advertising, propaganda. and manipulation.

A long time ago the originators of public opinion were the tribal chiefs, the kings or the religious leaders. In a sense, the pressure to get people to change can be good. We need new ideas that are sound and constructive, new products and services to meet the needs of larger populations, new beliefs and habits. Often, bringing about change is slow.

It is now more important than ever that people learn the skills necessary to digest and study the information, not gullibly pounce on every latest gimmick.

For example: Ester Vilar, a German writer in 1971 published a book entitled The Manipulated Man. She put forth the idea that women in industrial societies are not oppressed by men but actually control men to their advantage. "Men have been trained and conditions by women, not unlike the way Pavlov conditioned his dogs, into becoming their slaves."  She goes on to say that for their labours men are compensated with periodic use of a woman's vagina. Her ideas were very popular in some countries, especially Spain!

On the other hand President Jimmy Carter in his recent book, A Call to Action points out that discrimination and violence against women and girls is a most serious and pervasive attack on basic human rights. And he doesn't limit his opinions to any particular part of the world.

I don't want to be accused of comparing apples and oranges, but only to point out that it is necessary to have a little skepticism -  cum grano salis, treat all information with a grain of salt. It is to easy to support a popular belief position, even if it is completely wrong. Unfortunately, you usually find the 'truth' out later.


Me? Well, I like to be a little reserved, avoiding negativity most of the time. As Albert Einstein once said, " If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

        And that's Dick's View of the World this Week.