Something so fucking grim about the idea that, at least from what I have seen, the most "successful" brainwashing method is still literally just a systematically abusive cult structure where you isolate someone from reality, break them down as a person and then control their new reality. Even moreso than stories about like "yeah we stuck a footlong metal spike into a guys skull and shocked him to see how he'd react and he looked confused for a while then died".

And then not only that but the fact that again and again its been deployed seemingly for fucking profit, like yeah there are sickos getting pleasure from it but like every organization cant only be made up of sex sickos.