The Brainwashing of My Dad

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.

A fantastic and accurate representation of how it feels to be a family member of someone who has become brainwashed and a worse human-being due to right-wing propaganda. The personal story hit home for me, while the facts presented are undeniable. The other people in the comments that voted it 1/10 are clearly still brainwashed, despite this fantastic documentary showing very clearly what is actually happening to them - which poses the question of: did they even watch it? I doubt it.

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.

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???