Full Metal Jacket - The Universal Art Of Brainwashing

Let’s take a look at brainwashing as presented in the classic war movie Full Metal Jacket. Before we get into details I first need to frame the context. This article isn’t going to be a generalized attack on military institutions. We need military institutions because if we didn’t have them then other regimes that do have a military could take over the world, just like if we didn’t have police then organised criminals would take over. And part of having a military is that we need to have soldiers who are trained in the art of violence against violence. So what I’ve referred to in the title of the article as brainwashing can be more politely referred to as conditioning or simply training. Some forms of conditioning and training are extremely useful, such as learning to read and write. And military training can also bring out great qualities in men. At the same time soldiers can be brutalized by their training, which can be made worse in turn by their war time experience. They can end up committing horrendous war crimes or can become crazy spree killers, as is alluded to in Full Metal Jacket’s Private Leonard Lawrence (Private Pyle) looking ominous as his drill instructor talks about Spree killer Charles Whitman. Soldiers, like politicians and academics, can also be so brainwashed that they end up being useful idiots for warmongering regimes. Every war has its complexities and so it’s not always easy to tell which side, if any, has the least brainwashed army. So for any military personnel reading this article, rest assured I’m not denouncing all military training or denying that it has positive functions.