BECOMING AN ANT    

by Berit Kjos - August 1, 2006            

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Mocked and humiliated by the neighborhood bully, ten-year-old Lucas stomps on the first ant he spots in his yard. Then he squirts its anthill with water. The falling drops -- as seen from an ant's perspective -- look like a sky-full of huge shimmering canon balls.

Inside the anthill, revenge is brewing. Zoc, the communal wizard, concocts a magical formula for shrinking humans into bug-sized miniatures. Casting his spell on Lucas, Zoc (voice of Nicolas Cage) sets the stage for an inner transformation far more significant than the boy's physical change. In his new environment, this solitary human "Destroyer" must become a collective server -- a compliant member of the communal ant world he would soon learn to love.

Welcome to the "The Ant Bully," a Warner Brothers animation released on July 28! Do you wonder why a powerful liberal media conglomerate such as Time-Warner would pour millions of dollars into marketing this political allegory for five-year-olds?

A blatant promotion of Communitarian solidarity, the movie illustrates some key steps in today's systematic process of brainwashing. If that's hard to believe, please see "Brainwashing in America" and The Revolutionary Roots of the UN.[1] Then ponder these statements by global minded change agents:

"...all of us, including the 'owners', must be subjected to a large degree of social control... An equitable distribution of income will be sought... the major function of the school is the social orientation of the individual. It must seek to give him understanding of the transition to a new social order."[2]  Willard Givens, Executive Secretary of the National Education Association, 1934.

"...absolute behavior control is imminent. ... The critical point of behavior control, in effect, is sneaking up on mankind without his self-conscious realization that a crisis is at hand. Man will never self-consciously know that it has happened."[3] Professor Houghton, 1970.

"...most youth still hold the same values as their parents.... If we do not alter this pattern, if we don't resocialize.... our society may decay."[4] Professor John Goodlad, a member of the governing board of UNESCO's Institute for Education, 1971.

"Let’s just make sure that social change and transformation are going in the right direction.... The media must act as part of the education process that counters individualism."[5] Ismail Serageldin, former Vice President of the World Bank, 1996.

Those transformational goals and strategies are all illustrated by this movie. They were developed through behavioral research that began at London's Tavistock Institute and the Marxist-oriented Frankfurt School in Germany. When Hitler rose to power, many of the early pioneers of social change and group dynamics fled to Columbia University, MIT and other institutions in the USA. They hoped to create an efficient collective society, where each "human resource" would be managed, molded and monitored to ensure compliance with their revolutionary vision of a global society. Individuality would be ruled out -- and replaced by communitarian oneness and social equality.

Among these revolutionary pioneers was Kurt Lewin, "the father of social psychology." In his report on “Group Decision and Social Change,” he explained a vital part of the overall strategy:

"A change toward a higher level of group performance is frequently short lived: after a 'shot in the arm', group life soon returns to the previous level.... Permanency of the new level, or permanency for a desired period, should be included in the objective. A successful change includes therefore three aspects:

"The 'unfreezing' of the present level may involve... 'catharsis,' which seems to be necessary before prejudices can be removed. ...it is sometimes necessary to bring about deliberately an emotional stir-up."[6]

1. "UNFREEZE MINDS" -- releasing them from traditional views of reality.

Keep in mind, the goal is a new world order with some sobering similarities to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. As flocks of cattle must be fed and nurtured to produce maximum milk or beef, so human resources must be fed and superficially gratified in order to meet the goals of maximum productivity and control. Reaching that goal would require these mind-changing tactics:

● CREATE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES -- real or imagined. Entertainment that stirs strong feelings and clashes with Biblical truth help create cognitive dissonance -- a form of moral confusion that undermines home-taught beliefs and values. It fuels social change, not with credible information, but with tempting suggestions and promising illusions.

Lucas' adventures in the world of ants begins with a terrifying journey down the curving corridors of the ant habitat. Finally, he reaches a cavernous hall, where he must stand trial before the revered Queen of the Colony. Speaking in the kind voice of Meryl Streep, the Queen decrees a respite from execution. She wants to see if a human can be trained to think like an ant. If Lucas would convert to their values and conform to colony standards, he would live. If not, the ants would feast on his soft flesh.

In line with today's global management systems, Lucas is assigned a personal mentor: Zoc's girlfriend Hora (voice of Julia Roberts). She would train the tiny boy in group thinking and make him a worthy team player.

● MOCK TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES.  Early in the movie, Lucas' parents head for a short vacation in Hawaii, leaving their troubled son and arrogant daughter with Mommo, their wacky grandmother. Her old-fashioned ways, false teeth, and strange fantasies make her an object of ridicule, not respect. The subtle message: Don't go to her for counsel. She's stuck in yesterday!

● NORMALIZE CRUDE JOKES AND BATHROOM HUMOR. These desensitize the masses to Biblical morality and sense of decency. Even some secular reviewers were offended: "'The Ant Bully' is rated PG for scenes of animated violence... crude humor about bodily functions, drug content,"[7] wrote Jeff Vice.

● INTRODUCE A TEMPTING SPIRITUAL ALTERNATIVE TO CHRISTIANITY. In preparing his magical potion, the ant wizard Zoc -- like his human counterparts -- calls on the elements of contemporary witchcraft: earth, wind, water and fire. Not only did his belief system involve spells and dark magic, he also acknowledged a mystical Mother, an enticing feminist counterfeit of our Lord.

Zoc isn't the only one who believes in a mystical goddess. At the first sign of collective danger, another communal leader shouted a quick prayer, "Mother help us!" She "will return one day," he explained.

Like Hogwarts wizards, Eastern gurus and Jedi warriors, Lukas must learn to focus his mind and alter his consciousness in order to develop skills such as climbing vertical walls and carrying huge loads. But -- as the movie suggests -- nothing is impossible for those who have learned the New Age skills of mental concentration, creative visualization and mental telepathy.

2. FILL "OPEN" MINDS WITH NEW SUGGESTIONS

The radical suggestions tucked into this movie are imparted to children through the emotions evoked by the story. Since facts and logic are set aside, the subtle as well as obvious suggestions can be interpreted according to each child's "felt needs" and desires. The take-home message is clear: The old ways no longer fit. So -

● Forget traditional values! Ignore the counsel of former authorities.

● Follow the crowd into the new world order. You'll be part of the team. It's fun. It feels good.

● Stir up hostility toward the common enemy -- all who resist this transformation. From the perspective of the ant commune, the initial enemy was Lucas. But he switched sides and joined the forces against the next human enemy: the exterminator whose truck bore the sign "Beals-a-bug."

Read that slogan again. As Thomas Carder points out in his review of this movie, it sounds like "Beelzebub,  the ruler of the demons." (Matthew 12:24)  Would the utopian idealists behind this theme vilify all who are in the business of pest control? The unnecessary ban on DDT gave rise to new swarms of mosquitoes who spread malaria in places it had almost been eradicated -- creating a real crisis in place of the fake crisis. 

3. REFREEZE MINDS IN THE NEW MOLD.

The change agent's goal is to seal the new view so firmly in young minds that they will not be tempted to believe the opposite -- no matter how strong or logical the arguments. UNESCO's 1995 report, Our Creative Diversity, summarized this sentiment well: "Education should... provide a basis for the analysis of concepts that will prevent ...chauvinist and irrational explanations from being accepted.'[8]

When writing his 1960 book Brainwashing, Edward Hunter interviewed former prisoners who had survived Soviet brainwashing strategies. Compare his words with the above UNESCO report written over four decades later: "Even when he stands by himself, the truly indoctrinated communist must be part of the collective. He must be incapable of hearing opposing ideas and facts, no matter how convincing or how forcibly they bombard his senses."[9]

Around the world, people are being trained in UNESCO ideology. They learn to resist contrary (politically incorrect) facts at every stage in life, for UNESCO's "lifelong learning" means cradle-to-grave mind control. Year after year, compliant human ants will practice the habit of following crowds led by well trained facilitators, managers, and media moguls.

A key part of this social transformation is "praxis" -- a concept central to Soviet brainwashing. It meant that dialectic groups must continually apply new information about Communist theory and socialist values. As today's educators tell us, "learning" must be practical and experiential: no need to memorize unnecessary facts about history or science that might conflict with the new vision. Continual practice makes the new way of thinking as natural as walking. Turning a deaf ear to "enemies" who resist this process becomes as habitual as locking your door.

More intense "praxis" for movie fans may come with the computer game sure to follow. In fact, the first one has already been shipped. Its virtual world and repetitive choices will offer plenty of personal practice. Do you wonder how many children will be turned into ants?

RESISTING DECEPTION

1. God has provided spiritual protection certain to guard our children's minds -- if they use it. So teach your child to "put on" The Armor of God.

2. The chart, Brainwashing & How to Resist It, provides spiritual "swords" for dealing with tempting lies that assault young minds through contemporary entertainment. Know them and use them!

"Finally... be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand...." Ephesians 6:10-13

1.www.crossroad.to/articles2/brainwashing.html and www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/chronologies/un.htm

2. Willard Givens presented a report titled "Education for the New America" at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the NEA, held in Washington, D.C. in July 1934.  Cited by Cuddy, 4-5.

3. Raymond Houghton, To Nurture Humaneness: Commitment for the '70s (The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development of the NEA, 1970).

4. John Goodlad, "Report of Task Force C: Strategies for Change," Schooling for the Future, a report to the President's Commission on Schools Finance, Issue #9, 1971.

5. I taped and transcribed this part of the "Dialogue" at the UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul, 1996.

6. Readings in Social Psychology by Theodore M. Newcomb and Eugene L. Hartley, Co-Chairmen of Editorial Committee, Henry Holt and Co., 1947, pp. 340-44.

7. http://deseretnews.com/movies/view/1,1257,430000822,00.html

8. Our Creative Diversity, UNESCO, p.169, 171. See also The UN Plan for Your Mental Health at http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/MentalHealth2-99.html

9. Edward Hunter, Brainwashing: The story of the men who defied it (Pyramid Books, 1956), 201.