Terrorists will never win. They can kill, they can maim, but they will never destroy the human spirit or the solidarity of
mankind.Terrorists are ignorant and single minded individuals who pray on the vulnerable in our society. They recruit by indoctrinating
the weak.
Indoctrination has always been around. Defined, indoctrination is to persistently teach an idea or ideology, especially one with a
specific point of view.
Indoctrination seduces people into believing their lives will be better by following a certain way. Causes good and bad indoctrinate.
The suffragettes indoctrinated the women living the harsh realities of life in the early twentieth century. They recruited women in bad
situations, both at work and at home, with promises that their cause could eventuate to a better life. The reform that occurred for
women due to the Suffragettes persistent protesting and extreme tactics were necessary.It was an enlightenment to women who knew
no other way. But was indoctrinating vulnerable women the way to do it? Does the end justify the means?
Emily Davison, a martyr for the suffragette cause, died trying to tie a scarf to the kings horse at the derby day in Epsom in 1913.
There’s argument as to whether she died for the cause to bring recognition to the suffragettes, or whether she was accidentally killed.
Either way it was indoctrination which led her to take the risks that endangered her life. Women would not be where they are today
without the suffragettes, their cause and their indoctrination.
ISIL target the young, marginalised, lonely teen to indoctrinate. They play on their weaknesses, often isolation. The lonely, isolated
teen with no direction in life spends a lot of time online. Because they are already vulnerable, and wanting to find a sense of
belonging, it is easy for ISIL to fill this void by indoctrinating them with their ideology. Counter terror expert, Greg Barton, says ISIL
pander to the teens self esteem and their sense of belonging. Jake Bilardi was a Melbourne teenager. Quiet and awkward, he was
targeted by ISIL. He was groomed online and began to identify with their ideology. His life came to an end when he gave his life to the
cause in a suicide bombing.
Much of the Nazi’s success was due to indoctrination of the young. By 1937, 97% of teachers were members of the Socialist
Teachers League. Nazi ideas were inserted into each subject. The only learning children were exposed to was littered with Nazi
ideology. Hitler also used to media as an indoctrination tool. Hitlers Nuremberg rallies are an example of how he used the media to
spread his word and glorify his ideology. Making a film in 1935, ‘Triumph of the Wills ‘ he employed actors for the event and brought in
technicians to use unique camera angles to create a distorted perspective. One of the greatest propaganda movies of all times it
indoctrinated the masses into thinking Hitler was going to make Germany the greatest power of all time.
Today, the media and television are the most powerful tools of indoctrination. The reason many people think all Muslims are terrorists
is because of the way the media portrays terrorism. The medias “Grief Porn” and their repeat coverage when an act of terrorism
occurs is reinforcing the association of Islam and terrorism. The Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney is a prime example of this. Man Monis was
a lone wolf, a wannabe extremist. His was not a terrorist act but a crazy man carrying out an evil, repulsive, unforgivable act. The
media continually associated Man Monis with ISIL, despite the fact that he was not part of this terrorist cell.The way the media
portrayed the whole episode gave rise to terrorist interpretation.
Indoctrination will always be around. Is it a good or bad thing? Depends on the circumstances. What we must try to do is to make our
children aware of what it is. Terrorism is only as strong as the people involved. Indoctrination and terrorism go hand in hand. The
ability to persuade is a dangerous tool, yet at the same time, as in the case of the suffragettes, a useful tool for societal change.
