I suppose everyone who works in the world of computers has heard this term, referred to as “GIGO.” First referenced in April, 1963, concerning the computerization of the Internal Revenue Service, the concern addressed the possibility of inputting bad data rather than good data. What could a little typo possibly hurt?
Essentially, bad data input equals bad results; good data input equals good results. It does not work any other way. Programming.
“On two occasions I have been asked, ‘Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?’ ... I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”
—Charles Babbage, Passages from the Life of a Philosopher
Mr. Babbage was so amazed by the silliness of the question that he wondered how anyone could even think of such. It was all about proper programming of the system. It is the same with all of us, our personalities and thought processes.
Brainwashing is a form of programming, usually bad. Garbage in; garbage out. The human mind has wondrous abilities, but being able to be brainwashed is a commonality in all mindsets of all people, no matter the culture or ethnicity.
Take the case of Rwanda. In 100 ...
