u/Immediate_Return_864

Starting to realize that words like “brainwashing” and “extremist” aren’t really neutral terms. A lot of the time, whoever controls the state, media, and dominant institutions gets to decide what counts as “acceptable” politics and what gets labeled as “dangerous.”

Historically, anti-colonial and revolutionary movements were often branded extremist before later being recognized as legitimate struggles. Makes me think how much language is shaped by class interests and existing power structures.

Also noticing how “brainwashed” is sometimes used to dismiss people’s political consciousness instead of asking what material conditions pushed them toward those beliefs in the first place.