Bogus True Believers

December 26, 2016

We’ve had forty-eight days, since the Donald seized power, to anticipate what’s next. But, given the events over the last year, we predict at our own peril. After all, the traditional media tell us Trump is something new – they have no idea what he’s really up to. They see no historical or social model that fits. As usual our media is full of shit.

There are, of course, many historical examples of populism, demagoguery and fascism. Countless educated people have published enumerable studies of those topics. But to point to such historical cases and studies would require something the modern press does, in fact, lack – backbone.

Way back in 1951 Eric Hoffer wrote a petty good depiction of the Trump movement in his classic “The True Believer”. In it Hoffer describes mass movement followers as those who feel their lives have been irredeemably spoiled, typically the new poor. They tend to favor faith over reason and use doctrines as “fact-proof screens between the faithful and the realities of the world.” (Sound familiar?)

Hoffer suggests mass movements require self-sacrifice from the participants – the movement demands a “total surrender of a distinct self”. Wow, I don’t think anyone in the Trump-for-God movement was really planning on self-sacrifice. Hell, they think they’ve sacrificed enough – what with the foreigners and gays taking all the good jobs. Imagine their surprise when the Donald starts taking shit away. Gonna need to sacrifice Medicare – bad for insurance industry. Per Paul “POS” Ryan, food assistance is bad for the recipient’s soul – so dump it. Social Security – ha!

Yup mass movements require sacrifice, especially human. So, some things are just going to have to disappear.

I wonder, when the last teacher has moved on to the private sector, when the last researcher has given up because funding only goes to the godly, when the last progressive has finally been chased off the grid and when the bankers have finally monetized the very air we breathe, I wonder…

I wonder how they will blame the libtards for the mess they are in.

The republic stands, based on our willingness

That’s all I got today. Take care of yourselves and each other,
osv