Why the Rest of the World thinks Americans are Brainwashed (we all are, and that’s the point, but having a look at the USA-specific propaganda, might help us all see our own government’s propaganda, and might help USA see through it).
April 2026 YouTube | Mirror-Rumble | Download-Telegram | / @holykoolaid
0:00 – Introduction
1:26 – US-Centric Education
2:43 – The Cold War Binary
5:47 – The Land of the Free Myth
9:05 – The Military Budget
10:40 – The Pledge of Allegiance
12:24 – The Christian Nation Myth
14:25 – American Exceptionalism
1. US-Centric Education
- American history is taught as the center of human history, while world history is framed only in relation to America (e.g., Vietnam War = “war for freedom,” Westward expansion = “brave pioneers” not genocide, WWII = Americans saved the day, ignoring the 27 million Soviet casualties).
- This lack of global knowledge prevents citizens from questioning America’s role in the world.
US-centric education – Legitimate critique. Most US world history courses do spend disproportionate time on America, and textbooks have historically sanitized events like westward expansion. (01) (02)
What Gets Left Out
Genocide of Native Americans; forced removal; broken treaties (04) (05) (06)
Vietnam War
“Fighting communism to defend freedom”
US supported a corrupt dictatorship; killed millions of civilians; lost to a nationalist movement. (07) (08)
World War II
“Americans saved the day”
“Holocaust”
Soviets lost 27 million people (62 Soviets died for every 1 American); they did most of the fighting against Hitler. (09) (10) (11)
The soviets lost more than the entire population of Australia, and all we were taught in school is about the Jews / Holocaust. We’re given a version where Americans saved the day and six million Jews were murdered, but where the 27 million Russians are barely a footnote. That’s not history. That’s a choice about what history they want us to remember.
The US reframes its wars as “good vs. evil” so citizens feel righteous rather than asking hard questions about whether America is actually the aggressor.
The Template
Every war gets the same script: We are angels. They are devils. Don’t ask questions.
Step 1: Create a “Good vs. Evil” Story
Every war is framed as:
- Us = Freedom, justice, saving people
- Them = Evil, tyranny, threatening the world
This is called a Manichean worldview (light vs. darkness). No grey areas. No complexity. (12)
Step 2: Use Emotional Labels
- Adversaries are called “the new Hitler”
- America is called “the liberator”
- Critics are called “unpatriotic” or “pro-terrorist”
Step 3: Punish Dissent
If you ask questions like “Are we the baddies?” you get:
- Called a traitor
- Shamed by neighbours, co-workers, family
- Told to “love it or leave it”
This is social enforcement (you comply because you don’t want to be the outcast). (13)
The Propaganda Machine (How It’s Delivered)
Schools
History textbooks sanitize US actions; kids recite the Pledge daily
Media
News relies on official sources; “enemy” deaths are numbers, “our” deaths are human stories
Movies
Hollywood constantly shows Americans as heroes saving the world
Political Speeches
Presidents always say “we fight for freedom,” never “we fight for oil or empire”
Social Pressure
Questioning war gets you labelled un-American
In healthy democracies, criticizing your country IS a form of patriotism (you want it to do better).
In the US (and many other countries), criticizing your country gets you treated as a traitor.
That social pressure (the fear of being called un-American) is itself the most powerful form of propaganda. You don’t need a government censor when citizens censor each other.
“If another country did exactly what the US just did, would I call it terrorism?”
If the answer is yes, then you’ve spotted the propaganda.
Every country tells itself it’s the hero. The mark of a free citizen is the willingness to ask: “What if we’re not?”
2. The Cold War Binary
- The U.S. teaches a simplistic framework: communism = evil, capitalism = freedom, with no nuance.
- It omits U.S.-orchestrated coups against democratically elected leaders (e.g., Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954, Chile 1973) to protect corporate interests.
- This binary persists today, where policies like universal healthcare are labeled “communist.”
Cold War interventions – Factually correct. The CIA did orchestrate coups in Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Chile (1973), etc. These are declassified historical records, not conspiracy theories.
Cold War Propaganda
How “Communism = Evil” Became American Scripture
~ Geneva Graduate Institute, 2023
“Both sides sold simple ‘good vs. evil’ stories. America’s version won.”
The U.S. taught a simple framework — communism = evil, capitalism = freedom. It omitted U.S.-orchestrated coups against democratically elected leaders and other actions that mirrored exactly what the U.S. claimed to oppose in its enemies. That propaganda campaign is still alive today.
According to the Geneva Graduate Institute, American propaganda “painted a dark picture of communist oppression” while “heralding the virtues of democracy and free markets” as the only alternative. Political scientist Glenn Diesen notes that the Cold War “cast the debate as capitalism versus communism, democracy versus totalitarianism, and Christianity versus atheism.” (14)
A 1951 CIA document critically assessed U.S. propaganda (Voice of America) and found that most Americans would be “surprised by the similarities” between U.S. and Soviet propaganda techniques. (15)
Iran 1953 coup
~ CIA’s own declassified history (2013) (16)
“The CIA admitted it: they overthrew Iran’s democracy for oil.”
The CIA overthrew Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, because he nationalized Iranian oil. The U.S. and Britain wanted that oil.
Guatemala 1954 coup
~ National Archives + CIA’s PBSUCCESS history (1997) + Documentary (17) (18) (19)
“The CIA overthrew a president to protect a banana company.”
The CIA overthrew Guatemala’s democratically elected president, Jacobo Árbenz. His crime? Land reform that threatened the United Fruit Company – a powerful American corporation.
The National Archives holds official U.S. government records of the operation, codenamed PBSUCCESS. The CIA’s own classified history was declassified in 1997.
Chile 1973 coup
~ CIA Presidential Daily Brief (released 2023) (20)
“Nixon knew about the coup plans. Kept it secret for 50 years.”
The U.S. supported the military coup that overthrew Chile’s democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. He was replaced by Augusto Pinochet, a brutal dictator who tortured and murdered thousands.
The CIA’s President’s Daily Brief from September 11, 1973 (released in August 2023 after 50 years of secrecy) shows President Nixon was briefed about coup plans that morning.
Universal Healthcare = “Communist”?
“The ‘Lenin quote’ about socialized medicine is fake. The “communist” healthcare label is based on a 76-year-old lie.
Every time an American politician suggests universal healthcare, someone calls it “communist.” That label traces back to a lie.
In 1949, the American Medical Association (AMA) fought against national health insurance by inventing a fake quote from Vladimir Lenin: “Socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of a socialist state.” The Library of Congress confirmed the quote does not appear anywhere in Lenin’s actual writings, but it’s still used today against “Medicare for All.”
3. “Land of the Free” Myth
- Despite being taught as the freest country, the U.S. ranks #57 on press freedom (below Sierra Leone) and incarcerates more people per capita than almost any nation, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Land of the Free myth – The U.S. press freedom ranking (57th) is real. Note Australia is not free either – it’s press ranking is 29th for 2025, and 39th for 2024 (and will probably fare much worse in 2026 with the new censorship laws). (22) (23)
Mass incarceration – Mostly Accurate. The US is home to the largest number of prisoners worldwide. Had the world’s highest incarceration rate (2001-Oct 2022), and racial disparities are well-documented.
More than 1.8 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. at the beginning of 2025. In China, the estimated prison population totalled 1.69 million people that year. Other nations had far fewer prisoners. (24)
The largest share of the U.S. prisoners in federal correctional facilities was of African-American origin. As of 2020, there were 345,500 black, non-Hispanic prisoners, compared to 327,300 white, non-Hispanic inmates. The U.S. states with the largest number of prisoners in 2022 were Texas, California, and Florida. (25)
On Elections – A Princeton study found voter preferences have near-zero impact on policy; only economic elites and lobbyists matter. (26) (27) (28)
Elections are bought, gerrymandered (drawing electoral district boundaries in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage over its opponents), and suppressed, and the two-party system traps voters. (29) (30) (31) (32)
RCV is not a magic solution – I have to absolutely disagree with him about Australia (I know nothing about Ireland). We have the supposed “ranked choice voting” here (or rather, “preferential voting”), but Australia still functions largely as a two-party system. Both systems are bad. I would advocate for voting on “issues” instead of backing a party, but I’m not “Queen” (and don’t want to be). We also have the same mass propaganda problem (where people vote how their parents voted, or how the tv tells them to vote), and we have corruption in how the “preferences” get managed behind-the-scenes. Parties negotiate “preference swaps” in backroom deals, and distribute “How-to-Vote cards” telling supporters how to rank candidates. Many voters follow these cards exactly as they are handed these cards at the polling stations. It’s just as “rigged” here – we can’t vote our way out of the shitshow we’ve got ourselves into. We still have a two-party system, preference deals are corrupt, and our famous ‘independents’ are funded by billionaires. (33) (34) (35) (36) (37)
4. Bloated Military Budget
- The U.S. spends more on its military than any country in the world, funding 750+ bases globally, interventions, and regime changes.
- Meanwhile, domestic infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social services crumble. This “imperial overstretch” is how empires collapse (Rome, Britain, USSR).
Military Budget – In 2024, the U.S. accounted for more than any other country in the world ($997 Bn) (38)
If you add the next highest military spenders together, you still don’t reach that number! (China $313 Bn, Russia $149 Bn, Germany $88.5 Bn, India $86.1 Bn, UK $81.8 Bn, Saudi Arabia $80.3 Bn, Ukraine $64.7 Bn, and France $64.7 Bn = $928.1 Bn) (39)
In 2025, it was $2.7 trillion!!!!!, again exceeding all the other big spenders by miles! China ($374 Bn), Russia ($271 Bn), India ($128 Bn). etc. (40) (41)
Regime Changes – Scholar Jeffrey Sachs notes over 100 U.S. regime-change operations since 1947. (42)
Meanwhile, domestic infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social services crumble:
A recent analysis found that routine repairs delayed in favour of other priorities have accumulated into an estimated $1 trillion backlog of deferred maintenance costs with real consequences. (43)
Between 2001 and 2022, healthcare corporations diverted at least $2.6 trillion from patient care to shareholder payouts. (44)
Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) are worried they won’t be able to afford necessary healthcare. 120M lack adequate access; 1 in 5 can’t afford prescriptions. (45)
Public education investment has stagnated since the Great Recession. U.S. ranks below 22 peer nations. (46)
Social services are underfunded and deteriorating. (47) (48)
5. The Pledge of Allegiance
- Forcing children to stand, face a flag, and recite a loyalty oath daily is described as “creepy” and akin to authoritarian regimes.
- It is a “feudal fealty oath” that creates mindless loyalty, contrary to the Founding Fathers’ emphasis on questioning authority and resisting tyranny.
One legal scholar described the phenomenon as “forced patriotism” (49)
A legal journal describes the mandatory recitation of the Pledge in public schools is “unconstitutional” under existing Supreme Court precedent, arguing that the practice violates both the Establishment Clause and free speech protections, as it forces students to profess a belief. (50)
US Schoolchildren Bellamy Salute (1942)
US Schoolchildren Pledge of Allegiance (1899)
Hold a mirror up to ourselves with the same critical eye we use on Russia, China, or North Korea.
If you saw footage of Russian/Chinese/North Korean schoolchildren standing, facing a flag, and reciting a loyalty oath every morning – what would you call it?
- “Indoctrination”
- “Cult-like”
- “Authoritarian”
- “Creepy”
- “Propaganda”
Now apply those same labels to the US Pledge of Allegiance, the Australian National Anthem, or any similar methods in our own countries.
The Pledge feels normal to Americans because it’s been done daily since kindergarten. That’s exactly how indoctrination works. It doesn’t feel like indoctrination when you’re inside it.
A Russian child reciting loyalty to the Russian flag doesn’t feel brainwashed either – they feel patriotic. The difference isn’t in the behaviour; it’s in who is observing it and whether they’ve been taught to see their own culture as “normal” and others as “weird” or “dangerous.”
Just as Israel is taught to fear all “others” as “wants us dead”, every country has propaganda, and humans are exceptionally good at excusing their own group’s behaviour while condemning identical behaviour in others.
6. Myth of a Christian Nation
- The U.S. was never founded as a Christian nation. The Constitution mentions no Christianity, the First Amendment separates church and state, and the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli explicitly states the government “is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”
- “Under God” (Pledge) and “In God We Trust” (currency/motto) were Cold War additions (1950s) to contrast with “godless communism.”
This is correct. The word “God” does not appear in the Constitution, and there is no mention of Jesus Christ or Christianity. (51)
The first clause of the First Amendment forbids Congress from adopting any laws tending to the “establishment of religion”. (52) (53)
However, culturally and at the state level, Christianity (specifically Protestantism) was deeply embedded in American institutions, and many founders assumed that republican virtue required religious belief. (54)
The original motto of the United States was the pluralistic “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of many, one“) (55)
The addition of religious language to the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. currency was a deliberate Cold War strategy to distinguish the United States from the officially atheist Soviet Union. (56) (57)
7. American Exceptionalism
- This is the core belief that America is inherently superior and divinely favoured, which functions as a social enforcement mechanism.
- Criticism of the U.S. is treated as betrayal or being “unpatriotic,” whereas in healthy democracies, critique is a form of patriotism.
- The social pressure to never question the status quo is itself a powerful form of propaganda.
The belief that America is “divinely favoured” originated in the 17th century (1630, John Winthrop). (58)
Scholars describe it as an ideological framework that defines the U.S. as “qualitatively different from and morally superior to the rest of the world”
The ideology creates a dangerous double standard. Because the U.S. is perceived as a force for ultimate good, it allows the government to justify suspending civil liberties at home as temporary “exceptions” to the rule.
The logic suggests: We are the world’s greatest champion of freedom, therefore we must make exceptions to normal laws to protect that freedom. This explains how a government can torture suspects, wiretap citizens, or deploy military forces against protestors while still claiming to champion liberty.
This is where the ideology acts as a control mechanism. By framing the nation as uniquely good, it delegitimizes dissent. Criticism of U.S. policy is framed not as a specific objection, but as an attack on the nation’s soul. (59)
Exceptionalism is not just a belief; it is a “psychopathology/mental disorder” that leaves Americans with “illusions of innocence,” punishing those who point out that the emperor has no clothes. (60)
Criticism of the U.S. is treated as betrayal, whereas in healthy democracies, critique is a form of patriotism.
“the true patriot is someone who recognizes how this country may not be living up to what it could be, and is committed to working towards that.” ~ Dr Fong (61)
It’s worth taking seriously. The best takeaway is the video’s main advice – expose yourself to multiple perspectives, learn other languages/cultures, and question what you’ve been “marinating in” since birth. That includes questioning this video too.
American’s React to this video:
- 5 Apr 2026: /@ItsCharlieVestReacts
- 7 Apr 2026: /@OwnlaneDavo
- 12 Apr 2026: /@wilburnshenanigans
People from Other Countries React to this video:
- 15 Apr 2026: /@BoredRuky – Philippines/American-Centric education
Related Videos:
- 20 Nov 2022 First Time You Realized America Really Messed You Up – Part 2
- 10 Feb 2023 AMERICAN Reacts to What’s The DUMBEST Thing Americans Have Said To You!?
- 17 Apr 2026 Why The Rest Of The World Thinks Americans Are BRAINWASHED
