There are numerous differences and similarities between how the Russian government engaged in a campaign to brainwash its citizens and the current events in the United States today. As part of its brainwashing initiative, the Russian government devised a four-part strategy. The authorities began by undermining the education system so as to keep the public unenlightened and therefore more susceptible to and receptive of misinformation. The Russian authorities then proceeded to destabilize the economy, frustrate relations with the international community and introduce chaos into the national defence system and creating a sense that an urgent threat is looming before finally instituting a new dispensation characterized by authoritarian rule. Unlike the Russian government, the US government is indeed ethically responsible to provide education and accurate information to its citizens.
The American government has an ethical mandate to deliver education that allows its population to build vital critical thinking skills. This duty is based primarily on the fact that by providing such education, the government generates benefits that far outweigh the risks. This is the essence of utilitarian ethics, an approach that holds that courses of action should be evaluated by considering their outcomes (Facione & Gittens, 2016). For example, it is well established that when the population is well educated and possesses critical thinking skills, they become more actively involved in civic processes such as voting (Perrin & Gillis, 2019). Furthermore, by investing in the education of its people, the government offers them the opportunity to develop crucial competencies that they can then leverage to build the economy. There does not appear to be any risk that the government will be incurring when it ensures that the education system is designed to produce well-informed critical thinkers who hold the government accountable. Therefore, unlike the Russian government which is alleged to mislead and brainwash its people, the American authorities should endeavor to keep the population enlightened and involved in shaping how the government operates.
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It is the ethical responsibility of the American government to ensure that the population enjoys unhampered access to accurate and reliable information. Duty-based ethics requires individuals to honor their obligations and refrain from any breaches (Facione & Gittens, 2016). Telling the truth is among the most important responsibilities that individuals and organizations should strive to fulfil. By providing its population with opportunities to obtain accurate information, the US government acts ethically and dutifully. According to Facione and Gittens (2016), even as one strives to meet their obligations, they should be driven by pure motives and intent. These scholars state that “Motive and intention have an important place when thinking about ethics in terms of duties” (p. 335). The government should therefore be guided by appropriate intentions and ensure that the efforts that it institutes to deliver reliable information to the population are intended to equip them with crucial skills necessary for daily living and making important decisions.
As noted earlier, there are some similarities in how the US and Russian governments approach public education and relaying information. First, as is the case with the Russian situation, there have been situations where the government has lied or misled the public. For example, the Trump government faced accusations of lying about such issues as the threat that the COVID-19 pandemic posed to the American people and the integrity of the American electoral process (Paz, 2020). Facione and Gittens (2016) note that when resolving difficult ethical dilemmas, it is important to “negotiate a resolution that fulfils the most important interests of both parties” (p. 343). By supplying the public with inaccurate information, the government violates their interest, thereby breaching ethical standards. Moreover, the US government has also attempted to destabilize such institutions as the media and the judicial system in an effort to promote propaganda and lies (Brennan Center for Justice, 2020). The misinformation strategies are alarmingly similar to those that the Russian authorities implemented.
While it is true that the US government has adopted some of the unethical practices of the Russian authorities, for the most part, the former strives to provide the public with timely and accurate information. For example, the Biden administration has moved away from the policy of his predecessor and is now working tirelessly to deliver reliable insights into the progress that the nation is making toward combating the coronavirus crisis. Furthermore, experts predict that the Biden administration will renew investments in education as part of its efforts to raise the level of learning in the country’s schools. For example, according to Kamenetz and Nadworny (2020), the government has announced plans to increase the budgetary allocation for education, open schools with safety protocols in place, increase teacher pay, and prioritize higher education. These measures clearly show that unlike the Russian government which flourishes when the citizenry is uneducated, the American government recognizes the value of education. The actions of the US government are consistent with the principle of “act(ing) responsibly” and “bring(ing) about more good than harm” that Facione and Gittens (2016) highlight in their text (p. 331). The steps that the government has taken demonstrate its dedication to ethics.
The American government is different from the Russian authorities because it continues to honor its responsibility of providing accurate information to the public and delivering education that helps to build critical thinking competencies. The American and other governments have an ethical duty to serve their citizens and information and education are among the tools that they can use to fulfil this obligation. It is worrying that in some ways, the American government is similar to the Russian administration which is known for manipulating and misleading its people. However, in general, the US authorities are working hard to create a population that is informed and well-educated.
Mapping
Map 1
Central claim: The American government has an ethical mandate to deliver education that allows its population to build vital critical thinking skills
Supporting claim: The benefits of delivering education far outweigh the risks.
Supporting claim: Educating the public drives the economy.
Supporting claim: Well-educated public fosters civic participation.
Map 2
Central claim: It is the ethical responsibility of the American government to ensure that the population enjoys unhampered access to accurate and reliable information.
Supporting claim: Duty-based ethics requires the US government to supply accurate information.
Supporting claim: The government is expected to engage its citizens truthfully.
Supporting claim: The US government must be driven by pure and ethical intentions and motives.
References
Brennan Center for Justice. (2020). https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/his-own-words-presidents-attacks-courts
Facione, P. A., & Gittens, C. A. (2012). Think critically. Pearson.
Kamenetz, A., & Nadworny, E. (2020). What a Biden presidency could mean for education. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/11/10/933423976/what-a-biden-presidency-could-mean-for-education
Paz, C. (2020). All the President’s lies about the coronavirus. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/trumps-lies-about-coronavirus/608647/
Perrin, A. J., & Gillis, A. (2019). How college makes citizens: Higher education experiences and political engagement. Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119859708
