Dear Cecil:
Is brainwashing possible? How does it work? Does the government really use it? How would I go about brainwashing someone? --JRMecca, via e-mail
Cecil replies:
Let's define our terms. If by brainwashed you mean "presenting a zombie-like appearance and having no interest in normal human contact," all you have to do is sit your subject down with a Game Boy. However, if you're looking for something a little more advanced, e.g., a
preprogrammed assassin as depicted in the 1962 movie and 2004 remake The Manchurian Candidate, that could be a little tougher to deliver on. As with many manifestations of cold-war paranoia, brainwashing was about 80 percent fantasy and 20 percent fact.
For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050318.html
Does anyone else here read The Straight Dope and/or have a favorite for them?