Watching movies: how to brainwash and anti-brainwash?
Today, I would like to recommend to you a high-scoring film "Jojo's Fantastic World" that I watched three times and was postponed for nearly half a year due to the impact of the epidemic. It was finally released today.
"Jojo's Whimsical World" was released in the United States on October 18, 2019. It won the Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Screenplay at the 2020 Oscar Awards and Golden Globe Awards respectively. 8 nominations for best editing, best art direction, best costume design, best music/comedy, and best actor in music/comedy.
Except for the advantages of full characters and gorgeous scenes, even if it is only the elegant Scarlett Johansson in the film, it is worth wearing a mask for 2 hours to go to the theater to support the best film of the year.
"Jojo's Fantastic World" follows the perspective of the little boy Jojo, showing Germany at the end of World War II.
Under the overwhelming political brainwashing, 10-year-old boy Jojo is an avid Nazi follower. He is immature and ignorant and aspires to be a real man.
Jojo’s father left him and his mother two years ago because of the war. In order to resist the loneliness and helplessness of losing his father, in Jojo’s imagination, he and the "great leader" Hitler are inseparable good friends-in his In the whimsical world, this kind and wise elder will appear by his side at any time, like a father, to provide him with support and company.
The film presents the public—especially children—in the context of the great age, showing absurdity and irrational enthusiasm for politics and Nazis, which makes people laugh at the same time and fall into thinking.
Therefore, I decided to pull out my "Social Psychology" class notes and the classic work "The Crowd", which tells the public psychology, combined with the plot of the film, and from the perspective of social psychology, I would like to share with you one or two.
Social psychology is a science that studies how people think, how to influence each other, and how to connect with others.
In the film, Jojo enters the Nazi youth training camp with his friends of the same age.
When the childish instructor asked the group of 10-year-old children "Are they willing to be strong fighters? Are they willing to kill?", all the children, including Jojo, who was ignorant and hesitant, raised their hands with Da Liuer and said "YES!"
When the instructor called Joe Joe, he hesitated, but under everyone's attention, he still replied immaturely and positively: "Yes, I like to kill."
This is the influence of the group on the individual's psychology.
Individuals who enter the group, under the effect of the "collective subconscious" mechanism, will have an essential psychological change, and will involuntarily lose their self-awareness. In the words of Le Pen, the author of "The Mob", it means "will become another A creature with a very low level of intelligence."
Individuals in a group will show an obvious herd mentality, which Le Pen calls the "psychological law of the unity of group spirit". This tendency of spiritual unity will cause some serious consequences, such as dogmatism, paranoia, The illusion of being overwhelmed and invincible, and abandoning the sense of responsibility.
The moral and social mechanisms that restrain individuals, such as the kindness and empathy that children should have, often lose their effectiveness in fanatical groups.
Individuals in the group are suppressed to varying degrees. Even in the absence of any external force, they are willing to let the spirit of the group replace their own spirit—they are no longer themselves, but become the will of the group. Dominating doll.
Even if you are ignorant as Joe Qiao, you will follow everyone to agree to the instructor: "I am willing to kill, I like to kill."
However, when the instructor really threw him a hare for him to kill, he was shocked and came to his senses-he didn't realize that the promise he had just made would bring such consequences.
Faced with the pressure and bewilderment of a group ritual, even though his heart is full of cowardice, Qiao Qiao still mustered up the courage to let go of the hare.
His kind behavior was humiliated by the instructor and ridiculed by everyone. The sad Jojo was full of inferiority and doubt. He felt that he was timid and humble, and felt sorry for his idol Hitler.
This is the confusion and suspicion that arise when an individual is unable to integrate into the group. Even if the individual’s behavior and decision-making are correct, if it does not conform to the mainstream values respected by the group, he will still condemn and doubt himself.
After all, what Jojo wants to do right is not just a wrong behavior, but also the "power of the majority" and the paranoid attitude of the group when implementing this behavior.
Humans are social animals, and the effects of situations on humans will surpass personality characteristics. When there is a lack of judgment standards, the behavior of others will become the reference standard.
Even the knowledgeable and intelligent elites will not only feel proud of their own sanity when faced with a group that has been dazzled by empty ideas, they will instead feel very pedantic and boring. More sadly, facing the absurdity and fanaticism of the group, individuals who should be full of wisdom may not, or dare not to make resistance efforts, but fall into it with the group, and only marvel at it when they wake up. I was stupid at the beginning.
And to realize the impact on the group, brainwashing is essential.
In "Jojo's Fantastic World", it vividly shows how the Nazis brainwashed children.
First, internalize behavior.
Regardless of whether the children understand and accept it, first PUSH their opinions-for example, take "Long live Hitler" as a daily slogan, organize children to participate in Nazi training camps, and ask them to wear knives to assassinate the enemy at any time, like Participate in various simulated military trainings like the game, and demonize the enemy through classroom learning.
Under subtle influence, children's behavior will be affected just like their thinking.
At the same time, it is also important to find "compliance points".
"Compliance" is a social psychology term, also known as "compliance."
The "compliance point" is generally speaking, to find a reason why others are willing to listen to you.
For children, there is nothing that excites them more than getting recognized and praised by authority. Therefore, brainwashing young children is often the easiest.
Secondly, brainwashing also needs to use the "threshold effect."
That is: to classify the needs, and gradually ask the children from small to large.
Starting from killing a rabbit, and finally sending them to the battlefield, they become tools of murder.
The most important thing for brainwashing is to use the "group effect"-the influence of the group is huge.
Evil groups will make individuals trapped in them lose themselves like marionettes.
The following factors contribute to successful brainwashing behavior:
1. Charismatic and provocative communicator
2. Vivid and perceptual dissemination of information
3. Listeners who are easily affected. For example, young people who have a low level of education, idealism, and are at a turning point in their lives are more likely to be instigated.
From a psychological perspective, every successful leader is an unconscious psychologist. They have an instinctive insight and understanding of group psychology. With their grasp of group psychology, they can easily establish their own leadership. status.
How to avoid or get rid of the influence of brainwashing in the group?
One or two insights can also be gained in this film.
Because he was wounded by bullets in the training camp, Jojo had to leave school at home and separated from the group.
Breaking away from the group and avoiding being depersonalized in the group is the most important part of getting rid of the influence of brainwashing-depersonalization is the easiest way to break through the bottom line of value and cause excessive obedience.
The appearance of the Jewish girl Esha provided Jojo with an opportunity for inter-group contact and gradually eliminated the awareness of racial prejudice instilled in him by authority-a similar situation was also seen in the film "Green Book" that also reflected racial prejudice. reflect.
The departure of his mother Rosie made the young Jojo live and die at close range for the first time. It made him realize that there was something wrong, and it also made a qualitative change in his relationship with Aisha. From then on, he was the same as Aisha. , No relatives, they can only depend on each other.
When attributing the same thing, the actors and observers have different attitudes.
When it’s not about himself, in Qiaoqiao’s eyes, Esa is a stranger, an enemy, and an object that cannot be determined to accept. As a young bystander, he can’t really empathize with him, only when he is also deeply impressed. When you are trapped, you will truly understand the confusion and fear.
In the film, mother Rosie and Jojo have a set of profound plot settings, both of which are related to tying shoelaces.
For the first time, Rosie was about to take Jojo out, and found that his shoelaces were open. She took care to help him tie them, and used the bunny's formula to tell him how to tie his shoelaces.
Before leaving the house, Jojo asked her mother: "Is it dangerous outside?"
His mother made a face and answered him playfully: "Very dangerous."
At the end of the film, the war is finally over.
When Jojo was about to accompany Esa out, he also took care of her to tie her loose shoelaces-at this moment, he has replaced his mother and has grown into a caregiver role.
When Esha asked Jojo with a nervous look: "Is it dangerous outside?"
He imitated his mother and answered playfully: "Very dangerous." Then he opened the door to freedom.
The same door opens two completely different worlds.
The mother, Rosie, played by Scarlett Johansson, is moving not only because of her style and elegance, but also because she represents a wise man who is unwilling to die in the collective unconscious, and represents a few sober, brave and determined people. .
Rosie's departure awakens Captain K, who was eliminated from the battlefield due to injuries in the film and has been paralyzing himself with alcohol.
Although he was a member of the Nazi team, he had already lost faith in fascism. He knew clearly that the war of the country had been defeated, but he had no intention of resisting all of it. He stayed drunk, followed the crowd drunk, numb and cynicism. This absurd and cruel game.
After Rosie was arrested, the Gestapo came to Jojo's home to conduct a search. At a critical moment, Captain K led the adjutant and appeared panting on his bicycle.
From then on, Captain K no longer held the flagon in his hands. In front of the cruel and cunning Gestapo, he soberly and firmly protected Jojo and Esa, and even saved Jojo's life at the end of the film.
Before the farewell, Captain K said to Jojo: "I'm sorry about your mother Rosie, she is a good person, a real good person." And comforted him, "You will be fine, boy, go home now. , Take care of yourself, take care of your sister."
Even if the war is over, Captain K still died in the war like his comrades in arms.
Seeing this scene, it is not only a profound realization of the cruelty and ugliness of war-whether it is winning or losing, who is trapped in it, who can truly represent justice?
May everything you encounter, no matter good or bad, is not set in stone.
May you and me in the crowd, no matter where you are, can maintain a bit of sense and sobriety, and will not easily lose yourself.
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