“Why Chess Will Destroy Your Mind”: Outlook of the Game in 1859
Chess in the 19th century is my go to example when trying to deprogram someone from anxious preoccupation with whatever moral panic is currently fashionable. I use the word &#x27;deprogram&#x27; in the sense of helping someone recover from a cult deliberately.<p>You can often find an article from some newspaper of the period decrying chess and its pernicious effects on the youth, the mind, morals, et cetera. Change the instances of &#x27;chess&#x27; to &#x27;video games,&#x27; &#x27;violent&#x2F;sexy movies,&#x27; &#x27;dungeons &amp; dragons,&#x27; &#x27;smartphones,&#x27; or whatever item is the focus of a moral panic. Maybe change a few of the sentences in the article where context demands it.<p>Have your pearl clutching friend read the modified article. Then show them the original.<p>Fear mongering rhetorical devices become impossible not to notice.