Leigh Anne “That Nice Woman Sandra Bullock Played In The Blind Side” Tuohy recently posted the following picture and caption on her Facebook and Instagram accounts:

“We see what we want! It’s the gospel truth! These two were literally huddled over in a corner table nose to nose and the person with me said “I bet they are up to no good” well you know me… I walked over, told them to scoot over. After 10 seconds of dead silence I said so whats happening at this table? I get nothing.. I then explained it was my store and they should spill it… They showed me their phones and they were texting friends trying to scrape up $3.00 each for the high school basketball game! Well they left with smiles, money for popcorn and bus fare. We have to STOP judging people and assuming and pigeon holing people!…

Provocative artist Kara Walker will be in conversation with Ava DuVernay, filmmaker and winner of the 2012 Sundance Best Director Award. Two of the most celebrated artists working today, both use narratives drawn from real life experiences to tell important stories from the perspective of African-American women. The recent success of Kara Walker’s Sugar Baby installation at the Domino Sugar factory in Brooklyn and Ava DuVernay’s much anticipated film Selma are bringing difficult yet vital American histories to a wide-ranging public. This dialogue will be an opportunity to hear insights on their art making across the disciplines of visual art and filmmaking.

The book I read, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, is a Dystopian novel that relates to the submissive pressure of the authority and why many people obey – not out of genuine altruism but fear. Alex, the anti-hero of the story, committed many crimes, but hypnotizing him by corresponding nausea with the contemplation of violence is not morally acceptable. That method strips the human right of choice and without that ability to make choices, the mere remains of freedom that we acquire no longer exist. This zombifying tactic is called brainwashing.

Brainwashing, a method of systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, is often used today, but it is not as noticeable or direct due to concealment. It is quite simple though. It is often used on children due to the influence of an adult who has been influenced themselves. The first step is to eliminate outer influences. They may…