The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015) Online

This is an important documentary. It takes an admittedly important and relevant explanation and makes it personal. This is the story of one family and how the older man was brainwashed to become a hateful and resentful conservative racist and shows how it is being played out systematically in our larger society. It is important to put into words and images the things we have already seen and felt for ourselves and have an explanation for it. Noam Chomsky, who is the foremost intellectual of our times, provides a short but fascinating explanation among others.

Watch it, but do so with family.

The personal story of filmmaker Jen Senko's dad is a cautionary tale many of us can relate to. And it's directly related - we learn - to the disinformation coming from the Right Wing media that has driven so much political acrimony in this country. In fact, the fanatical political divisions in the US are the same ones that divide families on a personal level. By following the thread of American politics and how it relates to the rise of the Right Wing media, Senko builds a solid case. We learn how and why all of this came about.

There have been other films that examined the subject of the Right Wing Media and its negative effects on democracy, but they tend to be dry treatises.

This should be required viewing for anyone who cares about a free and informative media in this country. An important film. And an entertaining one!

As she did in THE VANISHING CITY, Jen has delivered another great feature documentary film that is timely, smart, cogent, and incredibly thoughtful. THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD is an important film that all Americans should see so they can understand the intentional manipulation of their minds by the free market ideologues who bought media outlets right and left to masquerade their so-called cause as patriotic, intentionally playing on the patriotism of well intentioned folks like Jen's father. FOX NEWS was never conceived as a real news organization dedicated to informing the public. Instead FOX NEWS was born out of an abundance of cynicism, and as nothing more than a shill machine for those bent on seeking monolithic political power and the insane profits, their real aim, that result. All of this at the expense of the rest of us.

I fell under the spell of conservative talk radio when I was out of college and working as a delivery driver. I was bitter and angry that the 4-year liberal arts degree I worked hard to obtain was seemingly worthless. As academia had failed to deliver success, I was eager to find and alternate worldview: looking for something to believe in, or, a purpose. Neil boortz, Michael savage, and bill o'reilly were my guides on this fruitless journey. Their rhetoric was effective because they (1) created an enemy: either enemies to prosperity (lazy welfare dependents, illegal immigrants), or enemies to security (radical Muslims): basically, people I could feel superior to. (2) "real listeners" calling in to share their victimization from political correct "social engineering" (3) the hosts' unwavering confidence and focused message, which is amplified by talking over those people who call in with alternate viewpoints. According to this documentary, these tactics are commonly employed by right-wing talk shows and foxnews (great collage of fox news "journalists" shouting over their guests to prevent them from expressing their ideas). How did I manage to give this up? A combination of things: my parents always had fox news on in the house and I grew annoyed at the lack of critical thinking and one-sidedness. I found that my media choices were putting me in a category of people who deferred to their tribal mentality than think critically. I began to see these media hosts more as propagandists than informed critics (Michael Savage's assertion that Obama attended an "Islamic Madrassas" in Indonesia--a country I had some personal knowledge of--was laughable). This documentary was enjoyable as it helped me understand how my political identity went on a certain path for a brief time

This film should be required viewing for all U.S. voters for they will understand just how insidious, wide ranging and effective the right wing media machine (e.g., Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio etc.)has been on the cultural landscape for the past 20 years.

Beyond the expected debunking of what we know is a sham -- Fox New's "Fair and Balanced" misreporting and Limbaugh's outlandish comments -- Ms. Senko's film takes us beyond the dictated talking points of Fox President's Roger Ailes to something much deeper and chilling.

The skill of these propagandists and their toxic effect on ordinary citizens (as seen through the lens of her own father) is an eye opener. The ending was especially moving. See it for yourself.

Using her dad as an example, Filmmaker Jen Senko, who wondered how her Democrat father had become a Fox News fan, exposes the tricks behind the right-wing media. In discovering what happened to him, Senko reveals the bigger picture of what's happening behind-the-scenes to influence our national discourse.

I was attracted to this documentary because I've had discussions with my own parents and friends who think Fox New is a News Station. People have become fearful and quote Fox News like it's journalism.

I can't believe their slogans: 'fair and balanced' and 'we report you decide' because to suggest that these slogans are behind FOX News is ridiculous. Yea Jen!

I came across this on Amazon Prime. I thought that this documentary was informative, thoughtful and compassionate whilst exploring the creation of the fierce and angry media machine that supports the right wing political machine. It shows the triumph of capital over humanitarian values through the lens of the writer/director's personal family struggle; it shows the toll on her family and others simply and clearly.

I think someone called the machine's proponents "faeces-chuckers" at one point - this elicited a childish giggle from me but it was also a beautifully illustrative example as their stuff sticks, even when patently nonsense or false.

I kept hearing about how strange Fox news is but, as I am in the UK, I was unaware just how uninformative their 'news' actually is. It was really eye-opening (eye-popping even) learning how the process of 'brainwashing' works and its payoffs. It was fascinating and has deepened my understanding of how people become so heartless and why they think that this is a good thing.

Bringing what I watched up to date, it is a bit scary thinking that Fox News want to bring this extreme brand of disinformation to the UK - as if the Express and the Mail aren't bad enough already.

I am also appalled to think that President Trump insists in his tweets that Fox is his main form of 'news'; this does not bode well for the either the US or us in the rest of the world.

Firstly, this movie was excellent in terms of getting Americans to start thinking about the media, ideas, rhetoric and emotional tone we are steeped in on a daily basis. I have been more and more disappointed in the media since the mid-80's, but especially since the 90's forward.

This documentary tells us why, and surprise, it is almost the same as everything else in this country and the world that have gone sour ... the political prioritizing of having every facet of our society taking over by money, corporations and billionaires. This movie does a good job of covering that in a broad sense. I always thought it really hit home when they struck down the "Fairness Doctrine" which I think we desperately need in the media if we are to foster a culture where people can think for themselves ... because otherwise what goes freedom or speech mean if all we can do is parrot someone else's words?

The weaker part of this documentary, and the reason I could not award it a 10/10 is the story of the family and the Dad who turned into a right- winger. We don't really get any clear sequence of events leading to the documentarian's father and what he was like, what drove him, what changed him and what ultimately changed him back.

By the time he is interviewed it is clear he has some kind of dementia, and pieces of his conversation are being cherry picked to back the narrative of his "brainwashing". I have had relatives too that have this same problem. The turning of one's thoughts into right wing anger is very depressing when you like someone and all they can do is to push their ideas that they get from radio or FOX News without any critical thinking at all.

I didn't feel it was very nice or respectful to turn one's father into a puppet for the making of a documentary, particularly if there is no real proof or theory as to how he got to where he was. They speculated it was the long drives to work listening to the captive audience of drivers alone in their cars. But many jobs themselves have pressures for people to either buy into right wing rhetoric, or to remain silent about criticizing those who criticize. For me there were many reasons not to appreciate the story of the father.

I also was a bit disappointed to hear certain left wing websites recommended as the cure for these right wing sites. The whole problem is that only people who agree with each other are on specific sites, so many of the Left wing sites are just as bad as right wing sites ... they just do not have as many and as much money. But the intolerable part of both sides is that it is impossible for anyone who does not want to argue and name-call to participate in these forums ... which we should be able to do, and our form of government really demands.

I don't know there are any answers here, but there are some suggestions and a lot of thought provoking information, which is great. We need more of this kind of documentary. I recommend this documentary and that all Americans begin to understand how their country has been evolved around them to cut most of them out from knowing what is going on and what they should do about it.

10/10

This was released three years ago, but it is more relevant in 2018 than ever before. Great history and explanation of why our country is so divided and what gave rise to a President that can spew lies and hate and it makes no difference to his supporters. It seems that half of our country is now brainwashed.

It is quite apparent that those who gave this movie low marks are among the brainwashed. How do we deprogram a nation???

I rated this movie 9 rather than 10 because it's got a few imperfections but non of those blemishes effect the core story in the least. Jen interviews some amazing philosophers and some of the people who actually manipulated our culture to show us why we are where we are right now.

Jen shares with us a story involving her own family; her mother and siblings observed changes in her fathers behavior and she explores the causes of those changes. This isn't a minor thing, this gets to the heart of some very important social issues we're seeing around us right now; xenophobia, fear, patriotism and personal conflict. She gives us insight into some of the drivers behind these emotions and why they might be pushing our culture in a specific direction (that some of do not like at all).

The best part? She leaves us with hope and that's worth quite a lot.

It reminded me of Michael Moore's films but in some ways even better! Because it is the personal experience of the director's father and family. Who are quite likable. Very true to life. It is after all a documentary. I loved the ending which I won't give away. But was thoroughly impressed by the history leading up to changes in journalism and the experts on the film. David Brock was instrumental in this piece by being evidence of the information stated. Jeff Cohen and Noam Chomsky? How can you go wrong there among many more experts. Also love the cartoon spots which made it fun. Go see this movie. You won't be sorry!

This documentary is very low quality and borderline unwatchable. It might be acceptable if were made by a middle school student, though a schoolgirl would have been more conscientious, and also wouldn't have scammed people out of money to make it. The historical footage and visual effects are low quality and silly, and the original interviews of Democrat partisans lack any insight. Of course media manipulation could be a valid topic, but if you prove that "conspiracy theories" are planted by corporations to get people to vote "against their interests" for Republicans with a clip of corporate-backed Hillary Clinton pointing her finger at a "vast right-wing conspiracy" you need to straighten out your thinking.

The title is really a bait-and-switch, since there is more analysis of Limbaugh and Fox News, which are very stale topics at this point, than of the director's father. The only examples of his "brainwashing" presented are that he thought the government should encourage people get jobs and that waitresses shouldn't be arrested for immodest clothing, which are neither extremist or even particularly conservative positions. It wouldn't be surprising for a retiree to become grumpy and fixated on a topic, but Senko's accusations against her father are left at the level of innuendo. After its various pointless digressions and pretensions of academic thoroughness the movie does return to the subject to show footage of her father, now confused and childish as his mind has deteriorated to such an extent that he doesn't notice that his wife has deviously blocked TV channels and his email subscriptions. The smugness of mother and daughter at achieving this "cure" is almost a reason to watch the movie. Nothing reported second-hand in even the most vehement right-wing media can come close to demonstrating how vile and irredeemable leftist nuts are compared to their own personal accounts.

About five seconds into this, I solved the mystery of why this old WWII vet was so "angry" and "bitter" He had a condescending witch of a daughter who was embarrassed of him, who's love for him was conditioned upon his sharing her viewpoint on everything, and who cashed in on how funny her friends thought it was when she made fun of her old dad by turning it into a mockumentary after he died.

The reason conservative talk radio is so successful is because people like Ken's dad work their entire lives to make sure their children want for nothing only to have their children become preachy, ignorant, self-entitled know it all who do not understand the value of family, loyalty, or respect.

It's just a good thing this poor guy died before his daughter could announce to the world that he was a dottering old moron who couldn't be trusted with a radio let alone his own point of view.

I felt torn after watching this flick. On one hand, it's a not-half-bad way to get introduced to the history and methods of right-wing media. For my money, Manufacturing Consent is better, but "Brainwashing" gets some of the job done, fairly effectively.

But something niggled at me after watching. I needed time to further metabolize my experience and nail down my remonstrances. Luckily, my subconscious mind did it's usual dependable voodoo, and I feel I can now tell you what it is that takes some "stars" away from my rating.

It's this: The movie fails to show the real cure for what it was that ailed the titular Dad of this story.

It ends by describing how the family eventually weaned "Dad" away from right-wing media, and toward more positive social/civic messaging. And, by story's end, Dad seems to have brightened up and appears to be in a better place.

But... why does this not feel like a happy resolution/"positive takeaway" for me?

It fails because it doesn't show the true cure for what ailed Dad. The true cure is an abiding, (small-'r') republican concern for decent governance. These days, I would call this a healthy, life-affirming stoicism. At the beginning of the story the Dad is a dupe for negative emotional oversimplification; at the end he's dupe for positive emotional oversimplification.

The name of the game is to not be a dupe, of *any* stripe.

I remember when I first heard Rush Limbaugh. I heard him for about 20 minutes on a commute to an office gig, driving an old Dodge Colt that only had AM radio. I found him entertaining enough on that first exposure. So I turned him on again on my next commute. It was either on that second exposure, or maybe by my third, that my stoic self sat up and took notice: Rush had no real civic sensibility. I eventually would have needed to hear that he had his feet solidly on the ground of civic engagement and factual awareness. But I began to notice that his exposition was like a swiss cheese riddled with holes, where those holes are various and sundry dodges and tricks of emotional oversimplification that I was supposed to metabolize as an abiding concern for the American republic, but which I recognized for the sham they were. I probably didn't listen to him a fourth time, done with him after a week.

The film can't give us an image of a Dad who's become more truly circumspect and stoically engaged with the world around him... which is what's fundamental to the promise of sustainable (small-'r') republicanism. It can't give us that image probably because the Dad never figures that out.

Not the best resolution to the key issue, by my way of evaluating these things.

Which is why I can't really recommend this movie, or might give it a hedged recommendation.

I recommend the writings of Chomsky and Herman if you want to understand how right-wing media works. As mentioned above, the Canadian production of the "Manufacturing Consent" movie is a pretty decent way to get a fairly comprehensive overview of the issues broached by the book(s).

If you need an example of leftist propaganda this film works perfectly.

Point of fact, the Left has dominated academia, media, and the entertainment industry for decades. These also happen to be the greatest shapers of political opinions for the masse. If you want to brainwash a populace you need to be dominant in those three fields.

It is then richly ironic that this film is accusing Fox of brainwashing when the film itself is attempting to do the same thing. It was created to distort and mislead, the two things lefties accuse Fox of doing. They are right in that Fox does this, but then Fox is merely a response to a decades long assault upon the American people by the Left from the aforementioned quarters.

There is a war for your mind. Both Ledt and Right are going all out to win your heart and mind through manipulative and deceitful practices. This film is an example of that.

If you are s simpleton or a leftist fanatic you will love this film. If, however, you are a person capable of critical thought you should pass on this tripe and watch an episode of Garfield and Friends. That would be a more productive use of your time then watching this bilge.

I'm baffled that this was even done. The fact that ANYONE, even the most staunch liberal, would say that conservatives in the media and conservatives who are "power-brokers" would need to "brainwash" anyone in America is troubling and almost surreal. It's not even an idea worth investigating, but Jen Senko did it anyway. I saw it on my Xfinity "On Demand" list of documentaries and thought it was a comedy when I pushed "start". If you can watch this, I'd invite you to do so. After you watch it, see if you can find a place to watch the MSNBC election night 2016 coverage with Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow. After watching the two video productions think about them and see if you can see where the concept of the US media having a "liberal bias" and see if you find it comical that Ms. Senko spent the money and took the time to make this "documentary". The MSNBC coverage, that was meant to be a coronation of Hillary Clinton, shows in the most tangible and in your face way that "liberal bias" is not only in existence, but it's alive and VERY WELL.

Also, think about this... when looking for documentaries LIKE THIS, there aren't any and that is for a reason. Because the entire concept is laughable.

Let's all "Make America Great Again".

My opinion refers to actual outcomes of the documentary, so this review should be considered a "spoiler": Kind of ironic how the title of the documentary is "The Brainwashing Of My Dad" supposedly refers to how Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, FOX News, etc. "brainwashed" her Dad into right-wing thinking. As it turns out, in my opinion, the real "brainwashing" was by the Mom and daughter who modified the TV and email to only allow left-wing views to be presented. The Dad did eventually moderate his views back to left-leaning and that is fine.

Both sides present slanted information. Some things are "fact" and there is no wiggle room for compromise. Obama did refer to right wing conservatives who cling to their Bible & guns. Hiliary referred to right wing conservatives as a basket of deplorables who were not redeemable. But, some things are just factual: if you are a Conservative you likely oppose abortion. Usually the Democrat candidate does not oppose abortion, but the Republican candidate does oppose abortion. Ditto (see what I did there) with the topic of the Death Penalty, higher taxes for welfare vs. defense, estate/death taxes, gay marriage, 2nd Amendment gun rights, illegal immigration, global climate change, etc. If a news source is on the other side of the argument on these topics, then someone like me is not likely to give them as much credence as we will when we hear opinions that we agree with.

This documentary implies that the FOX News side of the story is the only one out there. Without FOX News we'd be left with CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and NPR. These are ALL obviously biased to the left and a source of "false" news. FOX News simply allows us to balance the sources with just ONE channel on our side! It is thoughts like those from Slate that contributed to Hiliary's LOSS this year. It is time to put America first again and brag about our exceptionalism rather than apologizing for ANYTHING we did in the past! We WILL make America GREAT again!

This is strictly a liberal propaganda piece brought to you by far-left organizations such as Media Matters and DemocracyNow!. Not a single conservative interviewed or anything opened up for a dissenting opinion. The liberal bubble in all its pathetic glory. In one segment you can tell the director has never even listened to Rush Limbaugh. She also blames Rush for her father not wearing a seat belt when driving a car. No, I'm not making that up. The "big lie" told by FOX News is apparently that "no-go zones" in Europe don't exist. A simple YouTube search will prove that THEY DO. I mean 60 Minutes has a whole report on Swedish no-go zones. Just go on YouTube and type in "60 minutes no go zones" and you'll find their report. I guess 60 minutes is lying to you as well. Honestly, I laughed through the whole movie. It's particularly ironic that Media Matters is a STAPLE on MSNBC which has had to issue at least 10 apologies over the past 8 years and had multiple anchors and producers fired for perpetrating fake news and unabashed bias. This mockumentary actually makes Michael Moore look like Edward R. Murrow. Truly, truly, TRULY sad.

This movie is so one sided it will make your head spin. I wonder how in an age of mass communication such a documentary could be made. I don't watch Fox and hardly ever listen to Rush but JFC this movie would make you think them and the collective right is the Anti-Christ. The same can be said of right wing radio and TV but this is just as ridiculous with a left POV. I literally had to stop the movie three times to keep my head from exploding by the the sheer hypocrisy. Bonus is David Brock complaining about conservatives being allowed opinions in op-eds. ???? People being allowed opinions other than mine that's absurd. God bless America folks.

Left wing propaganda. I am not a Republican, I am an independent who cherishes the views of the left... and the Right. Will Durant wrote " In every extreme there's a half truth" (The Lessons of History, Will and Ariel Durant, 1968). If you want to know the truth, remember that quote. I agree that it's true that the Right have their own propaganda, but the Left doesn't? Can it not be seen how terribly one sided that the media has become today, and not to favor the views of conservatives? When something is said that is obviously untrue, it's akin to hearing fingernails scratching against a blackboard. This is what I experienced when watching this documentary.

I consider myself pretty progressive, so I am often annoyed by the views found in conservative media. But it is the irrationality portrayed by people filled with hate that frustrates anyone's efforts to seek knowledge. When those on the lunatic fringe are handed the mic and put in front of a camera, you'll always find hypocrisy, exaggeration, lies, and intentional misconception. This "film" has all those ingredients and more. A pathetic attempt to incite what they view as a voting base, it is nothing more that backhanded excuse for her fathers racism (which is not truly visited in the context of the documentary), while at the same time being a platform for her own bigotry and hatred.

Interesting enough, this is very much like the disgusting rhetoric spewed by ignorant hate-driven KKK members of the 50's and 60's in flyers found on buses and in restrooms around the nation. Hopefully, it will find it's rightful place among those other pieces of propaganda. Laying in the filth, trampled and ignored, while the world continues to move forward above it.

True Progressiveness is not a conservative or liberal movement. Its cultural evolution. Look closely and you'll see views from each side of the spectrum that are good and purposeful. Ignore the rest, including this selection of disinformation.