A lot of people beleive that you can be brainwashed by subliminal messages, even if you can't understand them at a conscious level. Plenty of metal bands have been sued for having phrases like "go and commit suicide" played backwards in their songs. So when a kid commits suicide their parents say that it *must* be because of the brainwashing and not just that they are crap parents who couldn't realise when their kids are crying out for help.