If you ask someone, “Can you tell the difference between good and evil?” most people would say, “Of course!” But the truth is, all our basic beliefs—about what’s good or evil, right or wrong, virtuous or sinful—are the results of psychological manipulation. These beliefs are shaped in childhood, often by adults who, consciously or not, inflict emotional wounds on us. These “scars” create the pattern of our personality, similar to how ancient hunters and gatherers wore scar designs on their bodies to signify their tribe, lineage, and capabilities. When we say, “This person just gets me,” it often means they share a similar emotional “scar pattern.” We’re from the same “tribe.”
Today, I’ll show you, through a personal example, how dark psychology works and how it shapes our beliefs.
Chasing Good Books
I was born in the Soviet Union, where the government deliberately traumatized children to instill the desired beliefs in their minds.
As a child, I loved reading, and each week my mom would travel miles to bring me books from the Central Library—books that were impossible to find in our shabby industrial neighborhood. Good, genuinely interesting books were so rare that there were waiting lists, and sometimes you’d have to wait months for a chance to read something worthwhile.
One day, my mom brought home a thick, blue-covered book featuring a Native American riding a mustang. The book was titled The Salt Rocks Land and was written by an Indigenous author named Sat-Okh . . . from Poland.
The story left a profound impact on me. According to the book, at the beginning of the 20th century, the author’s mother, a Polish revolutionary, was sent to hard labor in Siberia. She escaped, made her way to Canada, and, sick and starving, was found by a local Native tribe. She married their chief and had three children. Just before World War II, she returned to Poland with her youngest son, Sat-Okh. Sat-Okh became a guerrilla fighter and bravely fought the Nazis using his hunting and tracking skills. After the war, a friend convinced him to write about his childhood, resulting in stories like The Salt Rocks Land, Mysterious Tracks, and others.
Soviet Native Americans
In the USSR and Eastern Europe, Sat-Okh’s books were wildly popular. It made sense—our world was dreary, poor, and monotonous, where the highlight of the day was a cartoon at 8 p.m. These books offered adventure, a sense of dignity, and the feeling of freedom, making them irresistible. We played “Indians,” made up sequels to Sat-Okh’s tales, and eagerly went on hikes to practice knife throwing, fire-starting, and animal tracking.
In many cities, a whole subculture of “Indian enthusiasts” emerged, especially in Poland. Sat-Okh would attend meet-ups in colorful feathered costumes, telling stories that captivated young imaginations.
But there was more…
Dark Psychology
Reading Sat-Okh’s books, children were outraged by the actions of the Canadian government towards Indigenous people. Greedy capitalists had taken their land, mistreated, and even killed Native residents, breaking our hearts.
Here’s the micro-trauma that shapes a child’s beliefs. Kids don’t question what’s written in a book—if adults published it, it must have been thoroughly vetted. They vaguely know the general history: yes, the European settlement of America led to the deaths of millions of Indigenous people. So, their present outrage towards Canada, capitalism, and the West feels justified.
A Literary Hoax
But Sat-Okh’s entire story was a fabrication. His real name was Stanisław Supłatowicz, and he wasn’t of mixed Indigenous heritage, nor did he write his books. Ghostwriters were hired for a state-sponsored project, “Youth Education in the Spirit of Communism.”
Anyone familiar with Soviet literary history knows that no books were accidentally popular. No one cared what the public really wanted; they were given only what was allowed. To make a novel popular, it needed to be stocked in hundreds of thousands of bookstores and libraries, written about in newspapers, and discussed on the radio. Everything was planned and mandated, and sometimes, propagandists struck a chord with the audience—like they did with the “Indian” theme.
The lack of experts on Indigenous cultures in Eastern Europe allowed Sat-Okh to lie without hesitation. He didn’t know the details, got facts wrong, and jumbled the timeline—and this went on for decades.
Dark Psychology
For the KGB, altering the timeline was crucial: in the latter half of the 20th century, the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe not only achieved significant economic progress but also reevaluated their ethical principles. Humanitarian ideals, environmental protection, and equality became widespread. Society was clearly changing, and there was no one left to blame for 19th-century crimes—the real perpetrators were long dead. So, how could hatred between nations be stoked in this situation?
Hatred was necessary—Soviet leaders had to find a way to explain their neighbors’ successes to their own citizens. If you drilled into people’s heads that all of the West’s achievements were the result of plundering, oppression, and violence, it all made sense. Ignore the good, distort and emphasize the bad, and create the desired impression.
Now, those Soviet children of the 1970s and 80s have grown up and are all too willing to latch onto the familiar narrative that the West is pure evil.
