Critical Thinking: Does Identity Politics Cause Some People To Suffer From Thinkaphobia?

It could be said that the main purpose of the education system is to give people the guidance that they need in order to be able to think for themselves. Along with this, it will be important for them to receive the tools that they need to stand on their own two feet.

In an ideal world, that is what would happen during someone’s time in the education system. This would then allow someone to leave with their own mind and they would soon be able to support themselves.
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Back to Reality

But while this is how some people will be when their time in the education system comes to an end, there are going to be plenty of people who won’t be like this. The trouble is that even if someone doesn’t know how to think for themselves, it doesn’t mean that they will realise this.

One way of looking at this would be to say that this shows that their indoctrination has been a complete success; the last thing that these teachers/lecturers want is for their students to see what is taking place. And when someone thinks that the views they have been given are their own, there is going to be no reason for them to change what is taking place in their mind.

In The Same Boat

Then again, to say that these teachers are knowingly indoctrinating people might be going a bit far. What this comes down to is that they can believe that what they are saying is the truth, meaning they won’t be doing something that is wrong.

When this takes place, a teacher will pass on what they believe is the truth and a student will take it all in. It will be as if they have been given a tasty treat, a treat that they will end up swallowing.

A Form of Abuse

What makes it easier to indoctrinate people who are at the beginning of their life is that their brains are still developing. Taking this into account, along with the fact that they are generally not going to know a lot about the world and they will be there to learn, it is going to mean that they are in a vulnerable position.

If a teacher/lecturer is aware of what they are doing, they are going to be intellectually violating other human beings. And, even if a teacher/lecturer is unable to see what they are doing because they are deluded, they are still going to be behaving in an immoral way.

Modern Times

One of the ways that the education system is currently indoctrinating people is through identity politics. A very simple way of looking at identity politics would be to say that certain groups are seen as being oppressed, while others groups are seen as being oppressors.

Having said that, it would be more accurate to say that while people, and white men in particular, are seen as the oppressors and every other race are seen as the oppressed. It paints all white people as perpetrators and every other human being who isn’t white as victims.

A Complete Framework

After someone has learnt this, it is going to be normal for them to either see themselves as someone who is oppressed, that’s if they are not white, or they will see themselves as someone who oppresses others, if they are white. The former can then feel angry and believe that they are morally superior, and the latter can feel ashamed and as though their race is morally inferior.

This is then going to be something that is completely black and white; they won’t need to engage their brain. It will be as though these teacher/lecturers have given them glasses, glasses that will define how they see everything.

Out of Touch with Reality

The down side to this is that it is going to be a challenge for someone like this to live in the real world. Instead of seeing people as individuals, individuals who have good and bad moments, for instance, they will put everyone in a different box.

It then won’t matter if they come across someone who is black and is doing well, or someone who is white and has suffered their whole life, as they will project what they have been told onto these people. One is then not going to be able to empathise with other human beings; they will be completely consumed by their own mental constructs.
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The Death of Thinking

As a result of how they have been programmed to see the world, they can have moments when they label people. This can be put down to the fact that they have been taught what to think, not how to think.

Most of what they believe about the world is not going to stand up to scrutiny, so they will need to resort to words that will hopefully silence the people who do think for themselves. They can accuse someone of being a racist or a fascist, among other things, or they could say that they have some kind of phobia.

Projection

When someone behaves in this manner, there is also the chance that a lot of what they accuse other people of is a reflection of what is taking place within them. But as they can’t face their own issues, they end up projecting them onto others.

If they were to take a step back and to reflect on their own behaviour, they might see that they have an irrational fear of thinking. Consequently, this is then what has caused them to internalise identity politics and to allow it to define how they perceive everything.

Conclusion

With this in mind, it is going to be a good idea for them to look into why they suffer from thinkaphobia. By asking this question, it can allow them to get in touch with why they avoid thinking for themselves.

If they had another type phobia they might need to see a therapist, yet this might not be necessary when it comes to this type of phobia. But if they do need external support, it will be vital for them to reach out for it.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk