How the media reinforces mental slavery

In this day and age, mental slavery is much more than just a term. It’s a psychological warfare tool that the media utilizes (in the programming that we are exposed to on a 24/7 basis), to manipulate the minds of targeted populations.  Think about the significant role the media plays in entertaining, informing, and even instilling values to diverse audiences in our society.

Most people  don’t seem to truly understand that the media uses purposeful persuasion that attempts to influence the emotions, attitudes, opinions, and actions of specified target audiences for ideological, political or commercial purposes through the controlled transmission of one-sided messages (which may or may not be factual) via mass and direct media channels. This is otherwise known as propaganda.

But the problem is the fact that the average person is not aware that they’re being fed propaganda because it usually includes the reinforcement of societal myths and stereotypes that are so deeply embedded within a culture that it is often difficult to recognize the message as what it is: propaganda. This is an example of being mentally enslaved.

When I say media, I’m referring to the mainstream media that is owned directly by large multinational corporations, and through their boards of directors are connected with a plethora of other major global corporations and White elite interests. And these elitist interests involve planting seeds in the minds of folks who are watching reality shows, commercials, videos, etc. These seeds contain bits of biases and prejudices and are used to influence the way we see one another and how we view ourselves and the standards by which we raise our children.

As a Black woman, I am well aware that I’m fighting the negative and ignorant imagery that is portrayed on these reality shows that showcase the worst traits and characteristics of Black women. Now, do some of us perpetuate these images? Of course, but who’s exploiting them?

The images that are being created by the media’s use of stereotypes and generalizations, helps shape how our subconscious constructs our opinions as well as our social behavior. It’s also through these images that certain ideologies are created. Although stereotypes and generalizations are found everywhere, they affect and impact the mindset of many. And we have seen firsthand how society often perpetuates and creates stereotypes. In other words, art imitating life, and vice versa. Mental enslavement at it’s finest.

The bottom line is the media remains extremely influential and the reality is certain gender, ethnic, and racial stereotypes can not begin to change until the media projects them differently. Enough of us must”wake up” and acknowledge that what we’re being “fed” is in fact propaganda used to mentally enslave us in order to cause a hate fueled divide in our communities, and the truth that we’ve all been affected by it.

There needs to be a push towards enforcing the media to promote social, political, economic and environmental change by shifting stereotypes and generalizations in a positive, reality based direction that encourages gaining more knowledge and understanding about people and different ideologies in general, as opposed to the subsequent misjudgment and unfair discrimination towards people of color, women, poor people, and the lgbt community that happens all too often.