Why Straight-A Students Become the Best Indoctrinated Adults – And How Common Sense Breaks the Cycle

Have you ever wondered why the world seems full of sheep, mindlessly repeating media and power-holders’ narratives without question? The answer might lie right on the school bench. Education—that sacred cow—is not merely a distributor of knowledge; it’s a highly effective tool of indoctrination that shapes us from childhood to accept authority and swallow stories whole without chewing. And here’s the irony: the most diligent, hardworking straight-A students and the highly educated are often the most vulnerable to this brainwashing. Psychologically speaking, it’s like the classic Pavlovian dog effect: habituation to rewards makes us blind to the chains.

The school system isn’t designed to produce critical thinkers—it’s built to create obedient citizens.

Let’s start with the basics. The school system isn’t designed to produce critical thinkers—it’s built to create obedient citizens. Psychologically, this stems from its authoritarian structure: the teacher is the authority, the textbook is truth, and homework is a ritual that rewards repetition.

Studies show that formal education can actually increase susceptibility to propaganda, especially when it emphasizes rote learning without questioning. Imagine a child sitting at a desk, parroting history book narratives about wars, heroes, and “official” truths. This doesn’t cultivate common sense; it teaches acceptance of pre-packaged stories. And the media? It simply continues the job in adulthood, feeding us “COVID hoaxes” or one-sided versions of the Ukraine war that fit the powers-that-be’s agenda.

Personality research shows that conscientiousness often correlates with obedience to authority and conformity.

Now for the sharper part: straight-A students—those embodiments of conscientiousness—are psychologically more prone to falling into the trap. Personality research shows that conscientiousness often correlates with obedience to authority and conformity. It makes people compliant, but also blind to bias. They do their homework perfectly, read books cover to cover, and believe diligence guarantees truth. But what happens when that same mindset transfers to media or societal narratives? They swallow them whole because they’ve been conditioned to receive rewards for obedience. Psychologically, this is classic conditioning: school teaches that authority is always right, so why question CNN or the government’s story? They can’t see the forest for the trees—or rather, they can’t see the propaganda behind the narrative.

Research confirms that education can serve as an indoctrination tool.

What about the highly educated? They are often the most indoctrinated, and this is the truly provocative point. Research confirms that education can serve as an indoctrination tool, where students learn to repeat official views without analysis. Critics like Noam Chomsky have long argued that intelligent, educated people are especially vulnerable to propaganda because they encounter more of it and imagine themselves immune. Psychologically, this stems from cognitive dissonance: they rationalize false beliefs with their intelligence instead of relying on common sense. Universities, where “correct” theories and perspectives are taught, reinforce this—they don’t teach questioning the system but integrating into it. The result is an elite class that parrots narratives on climate change, economic crises, and more, without probing hidden agendas.

Common sense triumphs over rote memorization because it is grounded in practice, not authority.

In the end, studies emphasize that critical thinking—not mere book-learning—protects against manipulation. Common sense triumphs over rote memorization because it is grounded in practice, not authority.

Writer Saara Huhtasaari is expert in body language and behavioral cues, wanderer of the human mind and questioner of official narratives, and very far from being a straight-A student.

Read my related post: The Astonishing Blind Spot: How Even Experts Missed the Global Psy-Op During COVID-19