History Main / MindControlConspiracy

* After seemingly collapsing into paranoid schizophrenia[[note]]he was never formally diagnosed, but influencing machine delusions are a classic schizophrenia symptom[[/note]] during disbarment hearings, Francis E. Dec came to believe that a "Worldwide Mad Deadly Communist Gangster Computer God" was, [[WordSaladPhilosophy among other things]], directing its minions to replace people's brains with "Master Race Frankenstein Radio Controls" that would receive a "Constant Threshold Brain Wash Radio" signal to reduce the world to a state of "World-Wide Living Death Frankenstein Slavery".

* In ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', Communist brainwashers turn a soldier into an assassin through some sort of mind-controlling hypnosis.

* ''Series/StarskyAndHutch'': in one of the episodes, a serial killer turns out to be a seriously deranged man who believes he's being mind-controlled. He wears tinfoil under his clothes to shield himself from radio waves and his house has tinfoil wallpaper.

* ''Night Chills'' by Creator/DeanKoontz has a [[TestedOnHumans small town being used as a testbed]] for such a conspiracy, the control agent spread by a combination of WaterSourceTampering and SubliminalSeduction.

* After seemingly collapsing into paranoid schizophrenia[[note]]he was never formally diagnosed, but influencing machine delusions are a recognized symptom, if not distinct form, of schizophrenia[[/note]] during disbarment hearings, Francis E. Dec came to believe that a "Worldwide Mad Deadly Communist Gangster Computer God" was, [[WordSaladPhilosophy among other things]], directing its minions to replace people's brains with "Master Race Frankenstein Radio Controls" that would receive a "Constant Threshold Brain Wash Radio" signal to reduce the world to a state of "World-Wide Living Death Frankenstein Slavery".

* After seemingly collapsing into paranoid schizophrenia[[note]]he was never formally diagnosed, but influencing machine delusions, something which describes Dec's beliefs perfectly, are a recognized symptom, if not distinct form, of schizophrenia[[/note]] during disbarment hearings, Francis E. Dec came to believe that a "Worldwide Mad Deadly Communist Gangster Computer God" was, [[WordSaladPhilosophy among other things]], directing its minions to replace people's brains with "Master Race Frankenstein Radio Controls" that would receive a "Constant Threshold Brain Wash Radio" signal to reduce the world to a state of "World-Wide Living Death Frankenstein Slavery".

* After seemingly collapsing into paranoid schizophrenia during disbarment hearings, Francis E. Dec came to believe that a "Worldwide Mad Deadly Communist Gangster Computer God" was, [[WordSaladPhilosophy among other things]], directing its minions to replace people's brains with "Master Race Frankenstein Radio Controls" that would receive a "Constant Threshold Brain Wash Radio" signal to reduce the world to a state of "World-Wide Living Death Frankenstein Slavery".

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': [[spoiler:The memories of the entire population seem to have been altered when humanity entered the Walls, removing all knowledge of the world outside the Walls. When Erwin let slip his father's theories in public, the 1st Squad murdered him]].

* ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'': Sato and his senpai blame all of the troubles in their lives on conspiracy theories. Sato even believes the titular NHK is actually an organization which exists only to turn civilians into {{hikikomori}} like himself.

-->''First I had a quick thought to try to stop him, talk him into taking what he'd already won and let her have the last round, but another, bigger thought wiped the first thought away completely. I suddenly realized with a crystal certainty that neither I nor any of the half-score of us could stop him. That Harding's arguing or my grabbing him from behind, or old Colonel Matterson's teaching or Scanlon's griping, or all of us together couldn't rise up and stop him.''
-->''[[WhamLine We couldn't stop him because]] [[spoiler: we were the ones making him do it.'']]
-->''[[spoiler:It wasn't the nurse that was forcing him, it was our need that was making him push himself slowly up from sitting, his big hands driving down on the leather chair arms, pushing him up, rising and standing like one of those moving-picture zombies, obeying orders beamed at him from forty masters. It was us that had been making [[{{Determinator}} him go on for weeks, keeping him standing long after his feet and legs had given out, weeks of making him wink and grin and laugh and go on with his act long after his humor had been parched dry between two electrodes]].'']]

* ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'': You (Eurocorp) and all the other Syndicates are trying to TakeOverTheWorld though this and {{cyborg}}-manned force. Civilians all have a chip in their heads that does all the functions of a phone or computer, and [[LotusEaterMachine makes the world look far more pleasant]]. In ''Syndicate Wars'', Eurocorp has been maintaining the mind control conspiracy for years.

* An honest and sincere belief that there is a massive global conspiracy of some sort targeted specifically at the sufferer is one of the defining symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, along with a general disconnection from reality, selective memory to the extent that the sufferer will have memories of things that never happened, and often extremely powerful visual and auditory hallucinations (voices in your head, visions of things that never happened, etc). This can be an utterly horrifying experience for both the sufferer and for their loved ones who will often be accused of being in on it, whatever it is.

** Mulder's water was spiked with LSD in "Anasazi" [[CriticalResearchFailure in order to elicit violent behavior]].

** Then, at the end of the book, just before [=McMurphy=] tries to strangle Nurse Ratched, Chief Bromden has a terrifyng moment of clarity and realizes the ''true'' MindControlConspiracy:

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' does not have one, no matter what anarchist propaganda the Gaang may preach about the honourable guardians of justice, [[SecretPolice the Dai Li]]. But why are we bothering you with all of this distressing talk? The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai- and you are, of course, pleased to serve him. And do remember- [[FourthWallWillNotProtectYou there is no war in Ba Sing Se. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.]] [[BigBrotherIsWatching There is no war in Ba Sing Se.....]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' does not have one, no matter what anarchist propaganda the Gaang may preach about the honourable guardians of justice, [[SecretPolice the Dai Li]]. But why are we bothering you with all of this distressing talk? The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai- and you are, of course, pleased to serve him. And do remember- there is no war in Ba Sing Se. There is no war in Ba Sing Se. [[BigBrotherIsWatching There is no war in Ba Sing Se.....]]

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-->''First I had a quick thought to try to stop him, talk him into taking what he’d already won and let her have the last round, but another, bigger thought wiped the first thought away completely. I suddenly realized with a crystal certainty that neither I nor any of the half-score of us could stop him. That Harding’s arguing or my grabbing him from behind, or old Colonel Matterson’s teaching or Scanlon’s griping, or all of us together couldn’t rise up and stop him.''
-->''[[WhamLine We couldn’t stop him because]] [[spoiler: we were the ones making him do it.'']]
-->''[[spoiler:It wasn’t the nurse that was forcing him, it was our need that was making him push himself slowly up from sitting, his big hands driving down on the leather chair arms, pushing him up, rising and standing like one of those moving-picture zombies, obeying orders beamed at him from forty masters. It was us that had been making [[{{Determinator}} him go on for weeks, keeping him standing long after his feet and legs had given out, weeks of making him wink and grin and laugh and go on with his act long after his humor had been parched dry between two electrodes]].'']]

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* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': [[spoiler: The memories of the entire population seem to have been altered when humanity entered the Walls, removing all knowledge of the world outside the Walls. When Erwin let slip his father's theories in public, the 1st Squad murdered him]].

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** In a more literal example, she states that as a failsafe, Celestia had [[spoiler: placed a subconscious mind control spell on all of the mane six to control them if they get out of hand]]. And that's just one of the many mind control examples she believes Celestia supposedly utilizes.

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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" has Homer create a lie for his blog saying that flu shots control the minds of children. Later, Homer is captured and taken to [[Series/ThePrisoner a mysterious island]] because his lie turned out to be true, as flu shots are given before Christmas so people will get the urge to shop.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' does not have one, no matter what anarchist propaganda the Gaang may preach about the honourable guardians of justice, the Dai Li. But why are we bothering you with all of this distressing talk? The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai- and you are, of course, pleased to serve him. And do remember- there is no war in Ba Sing Se. There is no war in Ba Sing Se. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.....

* ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'': Chief Bromden's belief in the Combine is probably the most famous example, and later inspired the name of [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life 2}} the Combine]].

* Controversial or not, the "Patriarchy theory" - whilst arguably valid in the scientific community - often touted by contemporary feminists is portrayed almost literally as a group of super-elite males orchestrating societal events in order to oppress women and uplift men... for no real discernible reason.
* Similar to the above, many (often religious American) homophobes believe in the concept of a Gay Agenda - a conspiracy to undermine heterosexual values and convert heterosexuals into homosexuals.

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* In the Lone Gunmen origin-story episode of ''Series/TheXFiles'' Suzanne Modeski found a tracking device the Conspiracy had put in her tooth. Which she removed with pliers, somehow managing to avoid passing out from the pain. %%comment%% Is it "Holly Modeski"?

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* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': [[spoiler: The memories of the entire population seem to have been altered when humanity entered the Walls, removing all knowledge of the world outside the Walls. When Erwin let slip his father's theories in public, the 1st Squad murdered him]].

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* There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_the_%22Influencing_Machine%22_in_Schizophrenia plenty of people out there]] who think they're being influenced by Orbital Mind Control Lasers or that the CIA has implanted radio receivers in their molars. Seriously.