Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said new polling data suggests that supporters of Donald Trump are lurching into “cultism” territory.Kinzinger, now a CNN senior political commentator, during an appearance on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” was responding to a question from the host over po...
it would seem to me that the intersection between certain flavors of religion, authoritarianism, faux patriotism, hate of the “other” and self loathing is a perfect catalyst for this national cult nightmare.
I agree, it is a sort of bug and deep down I think these people either want a rigid hierarchical society (where they are at least not the bottom rung) or are 100% willing to burn everything and everyone down to the ground - its binary with zero nuance or room for compromise. trump is the perfect guy for them.
Sociological analysis of Germany in the 1930’s and 40’s would agree with you, certainly, but I still find it a little hard to fathom. I think part of it may be that I’m just very resistant to viewing anyone as so wise/intelligent that I would put them up on a pedestal and regard them with awe. Maybe there’s a sense of comfort in believing that this other person has our complex, confusing world figured out and you just need to follow them, they’ll lead you through the morass of conflicting ideas. And yes, simplistic, us-vs-them, good-vs-evil narratives are a much easier sell to just about everyone, but it’s still a staggering thought to me that 75% of conservatives lack the ability to see through that bullshit. I mean, these are real people. Homo sapiens.
Fuck.
I tend to witness it like you describe too. I do not see people saying “oh, we were wrong, the pandemic wasn’t going to be over by Easter 2000 and it went on for years”… or really kind of admit that Fox News mislead them, or Alex Jones is a liar and they want to make sure that skills like his don’t keep influencing the next generation.
Why can’t people blame advertising for being fat… do you really need McDonald’s and Burger King reminding you all the time that they have food? At what point do you realize the influence that can be scientifically measured with advertising is real. What would the side-effects be of too powerful of advertising, Donald Trump? Obesity icon? If an advert does not work, they change technique, media outlet, agency, or they run it at a different time, they very much measure the increased sales. At what point do you look at your brain and go - oh, I can’t defend against weaponized snack food and soda. It’s engineered to make me crave it.
It’s a very personal experience. It really doesn’t take long to be exposed to something, maybe even a movie, through advertising instead of a friend actually recommending it to you personally based on experience.
why would you want to live knowing there are profiting manipulating you to purchase things you don’t really want and vote for people that don’t deserve it, etc. At what point do you stand up and realize that those people are organized and learning what other people will accept and using it on you? What kind of freedom is this, and why do you want everyone else to be treated this way too.
sigh.