Yes, I know this exact feeling. Thinking back to how I used to be feels like I was under a sort of spell. It's only now that the spell is over or at least has changed does everything start to feel real. The brainwashing you receive as a child is fucking intense.
Oh yeah, it just straight-up feels like realizing you're in the Matrix, and that the warning signs have been there the entire time.
Our entire media ecosystem thrives on telling people they're in the matrix, and giving them none of the tools necessary for getting out
Do you mean English-speaking media in general, or leftist online spaces in particular?
I was thinking American media specifically, but really any developed capitalist country creates the revolutionary-tinged product the masses crave while neutering it. From punk to hip hop, fight club, the actual matrix movie, and so on. Leftist spaces at least gesture towards theory, even if memes aren't the best delivery system
Our entire media ecosystem thrives on telling people they’re in the matrix, and giving them none of the tools necessary for getting out
Liberalism in a nutshell. "We are aware of the problems and we should feel bad about them, but trying to fix them would be worse."
I was brainwashed one way but now I’ve brainwashed myself a different way. We must keep our brains squeaky-clean!
I'm having thoughts like that sprout up ever since I started seeing stuff about China bad. Sometimes it feels like I'm not even conscious or capable of critical thought. It has profoundly impacted my ability to make decisions - even minor ones like what to eat. I haven't had a deep conversation in over a year and I don't know what I'd talk about if I were in a situation like that again.
Thank you, comrade. I only know that I agree with your assessment of ham man
Yeah in the past year or two I've noticed no mention of China can happen anywhere, at any moment, without there also being conversation about how their government should collapse or they have labor camps or anything. Even with otherwise apolitical people or if the conversation is just about music or movies or something. If China comes up, gotta mention how much you hate them.
It's exhausting.
No you literally cannot escape from ideology. What you do is pick up and view things from new ideologies, but there is no view which is unideological. That’s what libs say when they are promoting evidence based approaches of market based austerity, but there is clearly an ideological framework in place.
You can’t try even. What you do is switch the lens you are looking through because ideology is pervasive.
Edit: removed clipped video which missed the point.
Better video: https://youtu.be/CpaKKKEkn8g
What does escaping ideology looks like to you? What even is your understanding or definition of ideology?
Yes, and I get a reminder every time I talk to family members and they freak out when I violently oppose neoliberalism and call me right-wing for saying the news lies.
It's like the They Live glasses, or rather the opposite; you take off the glasses you've been living your life with, and you can see around the ideology. Someone should make a movie.
