re: #55 ckkatz

Interesting piece by Tom French in the NYT about the attractions and hold of MAGA culture.

Basically his argument is that it is an insular community (I would argue cult).

That community provides those inside with a ‘joyful’ (his term) community and with the ‘rage’ (his term) at the outside as a deadly threat to the community. And it plays on the concept of self defined identity of the community as “Good people”.

He argues that the best way to replace it is to understand what members get from it and then replace those with better alternatives.

NYT - The Rage and Joy of MAGA America

I read that, too, and I kept running back to the People’s Temple, run by Jim Jones in British Guiana. They were so happy they killed themselves at the cult leaders whim.

Talk about “joyful”, what could be more joyful than that?

Of course the MAGATs are cultists. They follow their God Emperor from place to place, wallowing in his self-love as if it cascades down for them, which it never does. It’s always, ALWAYS, about him. And yet they yell for him, praise him, lift up their hands for him, seeking his blessing.

So, It’s John Milton Time again:

“The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, But, swoln with wind, and the rank mist they draw, Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread: Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw Daily devours apace, and nothing said;”

Trump has no real added value. He promises it but cannot deliver. The cult knows it’s a cult, but cannot accept it. They are happy to be there!

On the backside, Trump scams them out of millions, but noone will admit it.