re: #237 Dangerman

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- they already were assholes
- as was tfg (just a possibly richer and, in appearances, more refined asshole - remember ‘grab em’, not paying his debts, etc)
- he didn’t convince them of anything
- all he did was show them how to be an asshole in public

That may be true for many of them and certainly a position I’ve held, but I think that anyone is susceptible to brainwashing under the right circumstances. Let’s recall the song “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from South Pacific.

“You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” - SOUTH PACIFIC (1958)

The song errs in thinking that only the very young can learn to hate; even those who are older may fall into the trap. Several articles have profiled people being led into Qanon and how difficult it was for them to eventually escape. If you are bombarded by hate messages, especially when there is some real precipitating event (e.g. 9/11), you too can treat everyone who belongs to a certain group - racial, religious, national - as an enemy, even when such categorization is unfair or even when members of the group are not irredeemable.