Stopthink

As I watch the earth drama unfolding before my eyes on television, on the internet and the newspapers, my mind alerts me to the concept of "stopthink." If you remember the crowd and mind control of the old dystopia, you will remember, for example, billboards announcing one group as friend and one as enemy. Suddenly one day the billboards declared the opposite, the roles were reversed, the enemy was now the friend and the friend the enemy. No explanation.

A couple of weeks ago, talking heads on television were talking about the virus out of Wuhan, the  Chinese virus, etc. That's because it started there. This week, the same heads are saying it is racist to call it the Wuhan virus or the virus from China. No explanation for the shift.

I see this dynamic frequently. The virus is just one of the recent examples. Look at the "news" and you will see both historical and current examples.

I wonder about the success of stopthink, how can it be sold without an outcry? Are most people naive, or numb, or apathetic, or not paying attention? Are we humans easily led this way and that by unscrupulous talking heads on television or other prominent folks? What would happen if we humans stopped, looked, listened and said, "wait just a darn moment"? What if we called them on it? What if we refused to be led/jerked around this way then that way then another way. What if we saw it all and refused to allow it?

What if we asked for proof or explanation or motive? What if we employed critical thinking skills?