美國小朋友如何給大人“洗腦”

?這是少年商學院微信（ID：youthMBA）分享的第141篇文章，作者是教育工作者、翻譯家南橋，我們已經獲得了他的授權。

前不久，我的上小學六年級的女兒突然要我給她買一個“智能手機”。我擔心這手機干擾太多，所以拖著沒買。后來她說，我給你寫一篇文章，介紹我為什么要這手機，你看了再決定。她于是花了兩個小時，寫了篇文章，告訴我她為什么要買手機，說得頭頭是道?？赐旰螅夜硎股癫?，不僅買了手機，還買了保護膜，接著又買了一個護套，然后想想又買了一個支架。

? ? ? ??結帳的時候，我納悶自己怎么突然這么大方，給她買了這些。

? ? ? ??后來我才從她作業(yè)本里翻出了上述“說服技巧”的講義和作業(yè)來。原來我被“忽悠”了。

? ? ? ??美國學校里，老師也教人如何去“說服”他人，讓人刻意去朝某一方面去想。與蓄意操縱思維的“宣傳”（propaganda) 不同，“說服”策略(persuasion techniques)是中性概念。學生學習如何說服他人，達成自己正當、正義的目標。這些策略可用在演講、公關、營銷等諸多工作之中。學生也可通過這樣的學習，辨別他人的“忽悠”，培育批判性思維的能力。從女兒的作業(yè)上，我看到了這些“說服技巧”（她所用的例子是勸說學生吃學校的“營養(yǎng)午餐”）：

? ? ? ??“從眾”（Bandwagon）：這個概念所依據的人性弱點，是人都想屬于一個群體，不愿意落單。說服者運用此技巧，試圖讓受眾去從眾?！安灰詈笠粋€關注健康飲食哦！”意思是其他人都去吃營養(yǎng)餐了，就你還落后！

? ? ? ??“市儈”（snob appeal)：?這個技巧，是讓受眾感覺自己優(yōu)于他人?，F(xiàn)在廣告中常出現(xiàn)的“你應該享有…”（You deserve…)之類說辭，就是為了讓對方感覺自己是個人物，應該享有這樣那樣，其實大部分受眾不過是些不甘平凡的平常人物，但是這種話他們聽了受用?！澳銘撓碛薪】担越】档膶W校午餐吧！”

? ? ? ??“忠誠”（appeal to loyalty):?這個技巧，是想調動受眾對于某個群體的忠誠，而達成特定的目的。網上這種例子很多，比如“是中國人就轉”、“是X省人就頂”。或者我們回到營養(yǎng)午餐的例子：“支持你的學校，吃學校營養(yǎng)午餐吧?！边@是調集學生對于學校的支持和忠誠。

? ? ? ??“見證”（testimonials): ?用專家、名人或者滿意客戶來裝點自己。例如“海飛絲，林青霞的最愛?！比绻怯闷胀ㄈ说囊娮C，則人多力量大，多些人的數據更有說服力：“五分之四的學生都說她們愿吃營養(yǎng)餐?！?/p>

? ? ? ??另外，還有其它許許多多的“說服技巧”，例如，道德說服法、情感說服法，遣詞造句法， 一套又一套。我先不介紹，還指望退休后，開兩個培訓班，一個是專業(yè)洗腦培訓班，一個是反洗腦培訓班，我不能提前把自己飯碗砸了。

附：
我女兒讓我給她買手機的文章：
? ? ? ?Why I would very much appreciate owning an iPhone

? ? ? ?As a sixth grader, I strive to get great grades. I work hard to succeed in academics, and I concentrate on learning how to sing, play piano, and play violin. However, we all need a break once in a while. Many middle school kids entertain themselves by playing on a smartphone or surfing the Internet. But how am I to entertain myself if I don’t have anything to entertain myself with in the first place? If I had an iPhone, it would help to entertain myself, to find advice for things, and learn how to do things. I also play many musical instruments, and it helps a lot to listen to how others play a hard song. I have an extremely old iPod touch (specifically, the 2nd generation) and it can hardly do anything. I own a cell phone, but all it can do is call and take terrible pictures or record shot video clips. I frequently lose track of these ancient devices, and I can’t ever find them. I only lose them due to the fact that they can’t even do anything, so I don’t use them. iPhones have a tracking device so that when you lose one, you can get it to sound loudly.

? ? ? ?Recent studies have shown that teenagers between 13 and 17 years old have demonstrated a sudden increase in smartphone adoption. In fact, 58% of the American teenagers own a smartphone, compared to the 36% of the teens saying they owned a smartphone just last year. If so many others own a smartphone, then why can’t I? Furthermore, 20 percent of the third graders have a cell phone while 83 percent of the middle schoolers own a smartphone. Perhaps younger children are attracted to smartphones like magnets. (Dad’s comment: Source?)

? ? ? ?In middle school, you have many projects and homework that require research. In Spanish last semester, I was required to make a presentation about Nicaragua. Most people can’t just remember what they know about Nicaragua. I was one of those people, so in order to make a presentation, I had to do research. If you are trying to find some extra information while on the go and you don’t have a laptop handy, that might be a problem. However, if you have a smartphone, then poof! There goes your problem! You see, many smartphones can go on the Internet without having wireless connection. iPods like mine can’t do that. They just can’t. It’s like training an old dog to roll down a slide, run 90 meters, then cannon-ball into a freezing pool. It’s impossible. So, I need a newer version. Many times when I try to download an app, it often says that it is not compatible with this iPod or that it requires iOS 3 and up or something. I always have to borrow my parents’ devices, and at this point, it’s sort of embarrassing. I mean, I’m in middle school already, and I depend on my parents for the use of a good electronic device. I can’t exactly mow lawns for the money to buy an iPhone because I’m just not that type of person, and selling things will take forever. ?(Dad’s comments: ?This isn’t very reasonable. ?If you really want something, you have to earn it.)

? ? ? ?I play so many musical instruments, and though I am a sort of violin miracle among my fellow sixth graders because I have been playing for so long, I have quite a bit of room to improve. When my private teacher asks me to learn a new section, there is a 70% chance that I will have no idea how it’s supposed to sound. My only solution is to search up the song on Youtube and see how others play it. I have a great computer at home, and it is very trustworthy, but I can’t exactly stuff a 2 ? foot long non-portable computer in my pocket. If I have an iPhone, I will have lots of memory for me to fill with downloaded songs that I am playing and other things.

? ? ? ?iPhones are a combination of a cell phone and an iPod touch or another similar electronic device. If I have an iPhone, I don’t have to take care of two different devices if I can combine them into one awesome device. I mean, being a sixth grader and all, keeping track of two different devices is a huge responsibility, and it is exhausting. It is quite a job, and if I were to get hired to do it, I would be fired in an instant. I wouldn’t be surprised if, when they were seeing what sort of person I was, among all the achievements, there would be a huge article about the “notorious electronic wrecker” and the “terrible girl who seems to have memory loss every five seconds and can’t remember where she put things”. ?(Dad’s comment: ?I don’t like this part. ?You make it sound fun not to take a responsibility.)

? ? ? ?Now, you might argue that I don’t have the responsibility to take care of one, and I will lose it or drop it, but I won’t. You see I have had my trusty old iPod for about two years, and the colorful, partly useless gel case keeps my iPod together. I have lost my iPod several times, but it’s like I said earlier, the main reason is because that I hardly ever use it. It can’t do much, so what is the use of it? The only reason I keep it is to listen to music, draw, and to repeatedly tell my mind that it’s going to be okay, and at least I own an electronic device.

? ? ? ?Though iPhones are quite a bit of money, it will be worth it. I will put that future Faith Jr. to use from the instant I touched it. iPods that are so old can’t do anything should be replaced and put in an old electronics retirement center and spend the rest of their seemingly endless lives watching each other. Now, you stubborn parents out there should open your ears and listen to your child’s reasoning, even though half the time they may just be screaming themselves hoarse. Maybe you should consider it. And for you children, spare your poor parents their hearing and politely and calmly reason with them. If you make them deaf, they won’t be able to hear your reasoning.

? ? ? ?So, maybe you could be a reasonable parent and not go type-warring me to type me silly and counter argue why you don’t want me to have an iPhone and hear me out, Dad. Sure, I’d play an extra hour of piano or violin for a week, or I would type a good 5 paragraph essay every day for a month. Come on, I’m desperate! I’ll get straight 95% or up for the rest of the school year. But please consider getting me an iPhone. I mean, any reasonable parent would get their child an iPhone straight away for making it to Algebra 1 instead of giving their child a feast at a really good restaurant along with an entire red-snapper. So dont stick to your strict Asian parent ways, and give a nice but reasonable American parent style teaching a chance.