I was not familiar with this term when I came across it today. As I read more, I now see how horribly pervasive this is in our culture, subculture, and in numerous personal practices. I was surprised I had not run across the term menticide in my exploration of the psychological damage from cults eg. MAGA, and similar related topics like brainwashing, deprogramming, examination of those committed to conspiracy 'rabbit holes', numerous studies on different features/aspects of personal bias, the erosion of critical thinking skills, etc.)
So I performed a search on this topic on my computer so I will share select quotes from several Menticide article sources. I did sense a theme in all of them, which certainly comports with some my own observations and experiences.
The term menticide was coined by Joost Meerloo in The Rape of the Mind, a seminal work on mind control written 70 years ago. Meerloo, who studied Nazi interrogations and later Korean War brainwashing cases, described menticide as the systematic killing of independent, rational thought. It does not always require a prison cell or physical beatings, though despotic regimes certainly deploy such tactics.
The mechanism at work is not merely skepticism. It is a dark process of psychological breakdown and reprogramming called menticide - the killing of the mind.
In a free society, menticide operates by confusing the target audience, degrading anyone who questions that confusion, demanding the rejection of contrary evidence along with the cultivation of perpetual doubt. The goal is to render the victim complicit in the surrender of their rational mind.
On platforms like X, this process unfolds through prominent voices that seize on peripheral details and spin them into sweeping alternative theories. Social media has blown all this into another dimension. Online 'investigators' and certain podcasters function as the new commissars of doubt. The result is confirmation bias. New information cannot be processed on its merits, it must go through the filter of a predetermined narrative. This is classic menticidal technique - keep the subject constantly confused in the early stages, then make them complicit in their own psychological degradation.
Menticide and Its Role in Social Media
Menticide is a term used to describe the systematic, intentional undermining of a person’s or group’s mental independence, often through psychological manipulation that erodes autonomy, critical thinking, and consent
While related to “brainwashing,” menticide is framed as a deliberate, large-scale act — not just individual persuasion — often carried out by corporate or state-aligned media systems.
How Social Media Enables Menticide
Social media platforms have become a primary vector for menticide due to their design and governance:
Algorithmic manipulation: Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube use AI-driven algorithms to deliver content that reinforces existing beliefs, creating echo chambers and filter bubbles This limits exposure to diverse perspectives and deepens cognitive rigidity.
Sensationalism and outrage culture: Short-form, emotionally charged content (e.g., “rage bait”) is optimized for engagement, encouraging compulsive scrolling and reducing capacity for nuanced thought mediarevolution.org.AI narrative farms and synthetic media: Organized groups run multiple AI accounts to seed, steer, and swamp-like comment sections with coordinated messages, often to manufacture consensus or chaos
Echo chambers and polarization: Social media amplifies divisive narratives, framing “us vs. them” rhetoric that bypasses logic and fosters tribalism.
Censorship and suppression: Platforms may suppress contrarian views or flag dissenting content, reinforcing conformity to dominant narratives
Influencer and cultural manipulation: Celebrities and influencers set norms for beauty, success, and morality, while “cancel culture” instills fear of ostracization, leading to self-censorship
Examples in Modern Context
Propaganda and disinformation: Governments and corporations use coordinated messaging to control narratives, suppress dissent, or manipulate public opinion thrivewithmartin.com+1.Psychological warfare: In extreme cases, extremist groups or authoritarian regimes use isolation, emotional manipulation, and repetition to condition followers
Global scale: Oxford Internet Institute research found organized social media manipulation in 81 countries, with professionalized “cyber troops” running AI accounts to influence public discourse
Why it matters:
Menticide in social media is not accidental — it is by design in many cases. It can lead to:
Reduced critical thinking and problem-solving ability
Increased polarization and distrust
Erosion of personal autonomy and free expression
Manipulation of public opinion for political, commercial, or ideological gain
In short: Social media’s algorithmic, emotional, and networked nature makes it a powerful tool for menticide, enabling large-scale, covert manipulation of thought and belief at an industrial scale
Let me close with a quote from a practitioner/victim of menticide, when I questioned that person's sourcing, their unwillingness to examine the topic critically, or any effort to assist this person to identify (not even challenge) their confirmation bias. The person looked me dead in the eyes and said, "They said you would say that."
"It ain't what I don't know that gets me into trouble, it's what I know for sure, that ain't so."
- Mark Twain
That cadre made sure the knife stayed in and was twisted around in America's back following their callow U-turn/s ...
.
One minor point of difference though - I don't believe it was the majority of the American populace who thought Jan. 6 was OK, and were who changed those guys' minds > It was the majority of the "Republican Party" that believed the J6 white-washing effort. And specifically, it was the most radical end of that (formerly not good but nearly so bad as at present) party who were the ones who would be showing up in primary, and general, elections.
.
At the time that (as an estimate) equated +/- to 80% of the 45% who termed themselves Republicans >> meaning about 36% of the country. The other 20% percent of them who didn't go along with the election denial BS were promptly run out of town. Independents have since dropped off of that bandwagon at a 2 to 1 margin and renounced Trump (mainly due to the economy and tariffs). But unfortunately that group remained swayed just long enough - as you said, due in large part to the machinations of the likes of McConnell and Graham - to vote him into office again in 2024.
.
Damn! I can't wait to be rid of the rest of these jokers / looters / evil, greedy & incompetent idiots !!
Lynsey and Mitch, that is, for their U-turn after Jan 6. Having had to run for their lives from a MAGA-crazed mob, they rightly condemned Trump and his white supremacist thugs in the days that followed. Then when the poll numbers started showing that a majority of Republicans still bought into the lies about a stolen election and thought the Jan 6 rioters (who, let's remembered, murdered a capital police officer, beating him to death with a fire extinguisher) were heroes and patriots.
What should have happened in the days that followed Jan 6 is that Trump should've been impeached and convicted and banned from holding any government office. That could've happened if Mitch and Lynsey had shown some backbone.
But it didn't, and here we are.
The old guard are shuffling off at a reassuring rate. Lindsey Graham has gone, Mitch McConnell may have gone or may simply have been miraculously transformed into a zombie. Who else is really, really old and unlikely to be viable for much longer? Obviously the orange turd is high up on this list and is likely in pole position.
Non Deadheads
I've got a non Deadhead friend who lives in America. He emailed me earlier today to say he feels let down at the moment because not only has the price of eggs not gone down - it has actually gone up. He wasn't joking. Shocking what some people have to put up with.
You're what?
Too Much!!!!
Speaking of Liberty...
VGuy pointed out to me how France now wants to Statue of Liberty back because the USA has strayed so far from its core beliefs and world-role. I actually don't blame them. Our country does not deserve it, being led by total asshat fascists.
(Try to) Be Well People!
Sixtus
We don't deserve the statue anymore
The fecal remnant in the White House will keep it though and change the torch hand to a raised middle finger 🖕
Unfortunately, that scenario is totally possible these days
Agreed
As sad as that sounds, I agree.
Our country doesn't deserve the statue of liberty because we simply no longer represent the beacon of freedom and hope that we once did. It's all destroyed and in total shambles.
Dictators gunna dictate.
We, as innocent citizens, get the shit end of that stick for sure.
Sixtus
Roberts
Shambles, yes, totally destroyed? Not yet. Love the idea that Musk saw Tesla going down fast so he made a deal with the idiot devil. Government for sale. Just lay back and let it happen, thats what Stormy said. Roberts had to step up, else the Jan 6 militia would have begun to attack more judges after the dog whistle went out. I could blame television for all this but it's too simple. More music please.
Teslas at a dealership here in Vegas....
....were torched yesterday.
I would have brought smores, but work got in the way.
Not in Kansas Anymore
What's happening right now is really unprecedented in US history. We've had good presidents and bad, conservatives and progressives, Democrats and Republicans (and Whigs and Federalists). But we've never had a president openly defy court orders.
Which is HUGE. Because if the executive branch of the government doesn't have to abide by the decisions of the judicial branch, the whole constitutional system crumbles. The rule of law is over.
And that's what's happening.
Old Baldy
Ali Velshi has been filling in for Lawrence O'Donnell lately on MSNBC and his backdrop picture of DT on the screen is hilarious. It pictures the orange turd from behind in a relatively close full torso shot of the back of his head and Don is definitely having a bad hair day. His hair spray has failed and reveals that he is cue ball bald back there and 100% of it is comb over even in the back. I've seen plenty of bad comb overs but his is most definitely the worst ever, and in his words, "that the world has ever seen". I loved it.
Cheers
Velshi
I hope he isn't put on a plane for El Salvador and when the window blows out, ejected, search parties run by Starlink. I stopped joking about those Musk prisons on the dark side of the moon already, El Salvador is easier.
Luckily...
Ali Velshi has dual Canadian and US citizenship. But I still wouldn't try to cross a border if I were him.
In Tesla news, someone has doxed all the Tesla owners including their addresses and an interactive map of how to find them. Better trade that thing in before you are firebombed or tagged with a swastika. (not that I approve of such actions, lol)
Cheers
The evil is permeating everything.
Ben & Jerry's has said its chief executive, David Stever, was being removed by its parent company, Unilever, in a growing dispute over the ice cream company's political activism.
It comes a month after the ice cream company accused Unilever of demanding that it stops publicly criticising US President Donald Trump.
FUCK DT
I'll criticize him for them
Headlines in Seattle Times
Judges fear for safety amid wave of threats
And
Musk donates to GOP congress people who support impeaching judges
FFS
This is not the USA
This is a mutant bastard child of some sort
Truly incredible
The old USA died
Now the remains are molding and decomposing
Not a fan of doxxing....
....unsold teslas on lots? Sure.
Bumper Stickers
The Doge-bag has created a livelihood for bumper sticker makers.
Seen on Teslas:
I bought this before DOGE
Don't blame me I'm a democrat
I don't like Elon I like the car
Cheers
Edit: That British tourist who has been held by immigration for 13 days was sent home in Hannibal Lector full on cuffs, leg irons and chains. All from a misunderstanding about her visa. That should kill tourism. Just unbelievable!
Edit 2: As if to prove my point, Germany has issued a Travel Warning for travelling to the US as one of their citizens was treated even worse than that.
World Happiness Day
Today's annual World Happiness Report places the US as the world's 24th best country to live in. That is its lowest position ever. Hardly surprising, I guess. The top 4 places went to Scandinavian countries.
agreed that doxxing is excessive
I have a family member or two who have Teslas
travel warning against the USA
wow.
travel warning against the USA
wow.
Don't worry
Its gonna be great again.
The administration is asking that people....
....caught vandalizing teslas should be charged as domestic terrorists due to the "fact" that these events are against the government.
Last time I checked, no one elected Musk to a political position unless I missed something. He also wants to send them to El Salvador.
I really, really hate this.
the cervices...
...are getting deeper and deeper
as the new admin
has HOV lane
into the abyss
Control Function
Sorry to be dark here:
I am regarding recent items on China, Musk, and Trump's Golden Dome boondoggle - as well as Starlink, FAA takeover, (and Doge in the overall sense) as indicating this cadre are bent on creating a [non-Democratic, clearly] government that is so corruptly entwined with Elon's tech businesses that there will be "no choice" (offered) other than to accept it and him as 'critical' to "our national security." BARF !!
Regrettably, the window to prevent all this seems to be closing rather quickly ...
In the dark....
....this is why MaryE created this thread.
Nothing you can post here can make it any darker strat.
Still on the box fence. Uncertainty sucks.
This is just too good
Editor at The Atlantic accidently included on Houti war plans call on Signal.
100% amateur hour! These guys cannot find their butts with both hands.
Cheers
Moron reporter gets Donald confused (easily done) into thinking the editor was hacking into the call, says he doesn't know anything about it, says what's the big deal, the attack was successful.
Galactic Level Incompetence
... in just about every domain.
Who is getting fired for this (my bet is M. Rubio), when ALL of them should be on the block for gross negligence.
It would be laughable, if it wasn't so 'bleeping' PATHETIC
No one will get fired....
....never forget Hilary's emails or the dreaded Hunter laptop though!
Negligence on the grandest of scales. Pretty much the Wall Of Sound of fuck ups.
The emojis were a nice touch though. Very professional. 🤡's
Lock them up.
What a bunch of muppets. Belligerent until it goes horribly wrong, then they're all in denial or suffer an astonishing loss of memory. Unbelievable.
Of course trump said he knew nothing about it....
.....and of course the WH is blaming the journalist.
Accountability? Nonsense.
Signal-Gate
No one seems to be covering why they use Signal. Donald told them to in his last administration so there will be no record of their actions in the national archive. This is their go-to method for everything. That way you can't file a freedom of information request to find out what evil they are accomplishing. They learned this trick from the likes of the proud boys who do it so they can't be investigated for crimes. Supposedly they are to write down those conversations and turn them in to the archive. Yeah, right. Not a chance in hell. The Turd is running his mafia more like the Keystone Kops.
Cheers
Now the Turd is on TV saying, well if it isn't secure we will have to find another way to communicate, apparently not knowing about the SCIF that they were all required to be using, and have 24/7 access to.
Wait, what? Now I'm hearing someone on the chat, envoy Witkoff, was in Moscow at the time? You can bet Vlad was listening in.
Their turn to hear "Lock them up!".
But her emails
ChatGOP
But her emails!
Remember when the big issue in the 2016 campaign was Clinton's emails? In which she supposedly committed treason by discussing classified material in an unsecured medium? Of course, that turned out to be a giant nothing burger, but ***** made promises he would 'lock her up' over it. And the whole non-scandal might've cost her the election.
By now, we've seen that ***** himself was actually guilty of stealing (no other word for it, ie taking into his possession government property he had no legal right to take) some of the nation's most sensitive top secret documents (including details of nuclear weapons type and location) and storing them in the unsecured bathroom of his resort. People have spent years in jail for lesser breaches of security.
And now we get this situation where his defense secretary, whose main qualification seems to be that he was a former FOX news pundit who spoke favorably of *****, putting his complete incompetence on display for all the world to see by discussing details of a planned military attack in an online discussion that included a civilian who had no security clearance.
Because we now live under an authoritarian regime, they will simply say this never happened. They will try to discredit the journalist, claim he's lying, claim they never discussed any sensitive material. And then sue newspapers and journalists who say otherwise. Maybe even jail a few of 'em if necessary.
The irony of this situation staggers my mind.
Welcome to...
the United States of Hell.
People actually voted for this. FOR this.
America the Imbecilic.
Ugh.
MAGA is not my friend....
....nor yours. I work with some. Strictly business. A sister that's one unfortunately. Strictly business. Got a neighbor or three. Strictly business.
Haven't seen charlie3 lately. Shame. Strictly business. And we all know it's going to get worse before even a sniff of getting better is in the air.
I'm done with the bullshit.
Big country wide resistance scheduled for April 5th. You won't find that news on your local news stations or MSM. Gotta poke around online for the good stuff.
My fear is that bitch boy is going to use events like that to install Marshall Law.
The produce section at the store we frequent looked pretty sad yesterday.
I hate MAGA
I don’t say much on this forum, but I hate Trump and I hate MAGA. Makes me sick to my stomach, and I am incredibly disappointed in this country. It’s disgusting. There I said it.
Concurrence
I concur.
Fully:
Fuck MAGA cultists and Fuck Trump along with all of his boot-licking lackey minions.
Sixtus
Bitch boy now wants to compensate....
....Jan 6th rioters with our tax dollars.
Caps
I see that in Greenland you can buy red MAGA caps with "Make America Go Away" emblazoned across the front.
Ireland issued a travel warning....
....to the US today. Join the club.
Never, in my wildest imagination.................
Canada is over it....
....new Prime Minister pretty much gave us the finger, which is perfectly understandable.
The Smithsonian is next on the chopping block.
Vguy
I share your feelings brother it is just so obnoxious and dangerous already. Watch the special elections in florida April 2 should be interesting.
As the Exploited sing
Fuck the USA
Fuck the US, USA
truly tragic and unbelievable times
Another Pardon?
For a scammer from Utah who completely faked an EV start-up company that supposedly had a zero emission 18 wheeler. It was actually a fake (disguised GMC underneath) and was video faked rolling down a hill with the engine off to look like it was actually running on electric. This grifter got millions from investors and now the restitution is in jeopardy following his pardon. Here's the kicker: He gave the Orange Turd a $1.8 million election donation!
Just unbelievable? Not anymore.
Add Portugal to the list of countries with US travel warnings...
....there will be more.
These scumbags
are an utterly lawless bunch of scumbags.
Teach Your Children
I’m sure that as patriotic citizens of the USA you will be prepared to send your teenage children to Florida to work. Remember they don’t need the immigrant labour when they can exploit your children instead.
Florida?
Heck... (Seth) they will be needed for the invasions of Greenland and Canada, which will be announced in ad-Vance for viewing on Starlink if you have the right app on your phone. It's not too late to order your Kristi Noem calendar, salacious poses in front of caged criminals on location in El Salvador. Obedience training included, lucky voters win a million Muskbucks.
Ivermectin is available over the counter....
....in Arkansas.
A horse is a horse of course, unless your Mr. Ed.
Going backwards. Literally.
I don't get it. Guess I never will.
VGUY
would you know if their miracle cure is available as a suppository? 8-) because they are all such horses arses it would make it to their brains faster.