Propaganda Doesn't Only Come From The Media

One of my acquaintances was asked in a gathering, "Why you don't pray and call the almighty creator?", insinuating that he is a non-believer. He quipped "He is me, why would I call him?" Boy, did that raise some brows! The people were stunned and felt their religious view was desecrated. They shunned him from then on. This reaction shows anybody who goes against the herd, in this case jokes about going against the herd, is automatically ostracized. This knee-jerk reaction doesn't happen only when it comes to religion, it happens everywhere else in life. All you have to do is say something that goes against the mainstream. If you can condition the masses into thinking something is "right", they think anybody who thinks anything different is crazy. Propaganda does not only come from the media, it also comes from the very people you hang out with, friends, family members, coworkers, etc. They force you to believe what they believe by ridiculing your views. Their closed mind does not only limit your freedom of expression, it also permeates their long held beliefs in the psyche of others. And when their thinking is forced upon others, they don't think they are desecrating the thinking of the ones that go against the herd.