What I have to say in this section will be much more controversial and speculative than what I have said so far. My aim is to determine whether the concept of mindfucking can shed light on a range of distinct subjects: does it provide a useful and illuminating way to conceptualize certain figures, movements and disciplines? Here I shall perforce be brief and dogmatic, because the range is large and inherently disputable. Still, it seems to me of interest to enquire how far the concept may be extended.

Frankfurt wonders whether there is more bullshit in the world now than in earlier times, and he links this question to the pervasiveness and power of the media. He suggests that people feel the need to pretend to a competence they do not really possess, and this leads them to bullshit often. There is simply more pressure to bullshit. That may well be so, but my question is different (although related): is there more mindfucking now than ever before? I think the answer is complex. On the one hand, the rise of the media, particularly the internet and television, enlarges the scope of potential mind fucking considerably: we just have more stuff coming at us, and it is less and less regulated by agreed standards of rational cogency. A collective mindfuck is easier to perpetrate if there are that many channels available to promote it (and simple repetition is a powerful force).