Producing loyal and passive citizens is something our schools do pretty well. The uncritical thinking aspect of this goal serves a purpose and puts in doubt the place of critical thinking in any national curriculum. A nation of critical thinkers would be a dangerous thing.

Seeds coated in pesticides led to the town becoming a virtual Superfund site, but it is astoundingly common for these seeds to be used to grow our food.

This mindset was evident during the Covid pandemic when the vulnerable and the non-affluent were expected to sacrifice themselves for the economy.

With half the country now questioning the shots, the propagandists surely have their work cut out for them. Perhaps some of them are realizing it’s now a losing battle and they need an escape plan, a new narrative to salvage what little public trust is left.

Others have suggested a Brave New World where citizens will be carefully guided in what they read and see. Democratic leaders have called for a type of “enlightened algorithms” to frame what citizens access on the internet.

The American Surveillance State, much like The Prisoner’s Village, is a metaphorical panopticon, a circular prison in which the inmates are monitored by a single watchman situated in a central tower.