Shamans and the Chieftan

[just-jim]

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[just-jim]

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There was an on-line contest to come up with alternative names for ‘MAGAz; some were clever.

“Manipulating America’s Gullible A**holes.”

“MORONS AGAINST GOOD AMERICANS”

“Most Appalling Group Around”

“Megalomaniac Amassing Gullible Acolytes”

“Making America Gag Again”

“Misogynists and Grifters Association”

“Moscow Agents Governing America”

“Maniacs Are Gutting America”

“Making Attorneys Get Attorneys”

“Many Americans Gone Astray”

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sund ... king-stock?
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[mister_coffee]

Just saying. Someone who read 1984 and actually thought about what Orwell was writing would see all the signs and symptoms.

Basically, to be a member in good standing of the Republican Party and the MAGA cult you have to believe that black is white and that two plus two is five, but only when you are told to believe that. Not that the Republican Party and the MAGA cult are distinguishable entities at this point in time.

Also, trying to confuse things and claim that the opposition is doing exactly what you are doing is a classic stratagem of both abusive people and dictators. The reductio ad absurdem of all that is that reality isn't even real.

Don't even get me started on how Trump rallies remind me of the Two Minutes Hate.

And always remember, on January 6th the rioters tore down the American flag and put up the Trump flag. That's really what they are about. Trump and his grifters, enabled by useful idiots, want to tear this country down.

[Rideback]

Jim, I had my hopes, but have to agree.

[dorankj]

What a huge pile of bull*** arm chair psycho ‘analysis’, but when you’re the biggest arse around I suppose that’s expected!

[just-jim]

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Ken needs the lies - and to ignore fact - it’s a necessary part of his belief system, even as he knows they are lies. It is how he squares things in his world. Without incorporating the lies, deep in his moral center he would know right and wrong, and have to acknowledge and/or act on it. Believing bald-faced lies means he can ignore those deep inner moral itches. Then, everything he wants to be true therefore “is”…..and everything is just Jake! ….Guilty donnie is perfect, Biden is a crook, etc etc.

Facts just do NOT matter….because they CANT. They would throw the world view of the trump-ists completely out of kilter if they did.

We’ve been here before.
It is exactly what led us to the human slaughter of the early and middle parts of the last Century in Europe and Russia. You can read Hannah Arendt’s ‘The Origins of Totalitarianism’. Or, more recently, Timothy Snyder’s ‘Bloodlands’ or ‘Black Earth’.

Yeah….when truth takes a back seat…,,it doesnt end well.
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[Rideback]

You haven't posted your sources since covid. I have no way of knowing if you ever type in fact check with your go to media. Do you?
Don't let them make you wrong.

[dorankj]

You will never accept my sources as ‘factual’ so I’m tired of playing that game. I have my opinions and reasons behind those opinions but I won’t let you be the only decider of what’s factual or not.

[Rideback]

I've never said you were stupid Ken but you do keep responding with that word. Please let it go.
I do, however, note that more times than not your posts haven't been fact checked which leads me to the thought that fact checking is not your first response to a you tube, article or website. Give it some thought, I'm sure you'd rather do your own fact checking than have me in your face every post critiquing the statements.

[dorankj]

Hmm, seems like a reasonable approach. But never understanding that I may have a similar approach? I’m just too stupid to be discerning enough to separate political crap they all do and evil lies that are a threat to our country and the world? Do you think that’s a persuasive argument to change my viewpoints or me consider your POV? Oh, wait I’m a cultist! Thankfully you all are just so incredibly genius to never believe and further things that are untrue!

[Rideback]

I expect politicians to lie, to misrepresent and to misdirect. I expect the mega clergy to cherry pick their sermons. I expect most media of playing to their advertisers' gain as well as their corporate bottom line. It's a given. I also expect all of us to make mistakes from time to time. Doesn't matter how well intentioned you are, sh** happens.

But since I don't like anyone making money off my viewership unless they are doing their best to dig out the truth, I will fact check. Even so, AI still stumps me more than I'd like. We live in hard times where the truth is abused daily and unless someone comes up with a better technique to root out the truth, I'll keep on fact checking.

[dorankj]

No one has lied to you and told you things that are demonstrably untrue I.e. Biden and his team?

[Rideback]

In a world where there are so many things that any one given individual can't control; whether it be climate change, wars, climate migration, house and car insurance, a single vote etc where there is no expectation of a return to normal I'm not surprised anyone feels anxiety. Water wars abound, tornadoes have been attacking the midwest down to Texas and moving towards the eastern seaboard, wildfires are taking millions more acres every year and here comes hurricane season.

Meanwhile, Europe has dived into a rollercoaster ride of drought>heavy rainfall and serious cold snaps with snow in May & June followed by heat waves. When the weather devolves I would think there is an inner core in all of us that is shaken.

Pacific and Atlantic islands are seeing their populations being removed and relocated. Heatwaves are hitting India that are unheard of. Sarasota, FL is enduring a 1 in 1,000 year rain event that's refusing to exit.

My feeling is that social media amplifies the awareness as well as the helplessness.

[PAL]

Plastics.

[mister_coffee]

MAGA is just a symptom of a much larger and scarier problem.

We seem to be in the midst of an apocalyptic mental health crisis. Rates of anxiety and depression have been rapidly increasing. This trend is particularly noticeable with young women between the ages of 15 and 25.

What's more, this appears to be a worldwide phenomenon. And the US isn't even leading the trend -- arguably the advanced countries of northern Asia and some countries in eastern Europe are way ahead of us. If you grovel through the statistics (which are often poorly and inconsistently tracked which makes it difficult or impossible to compare countries) you can still see the trend, most strongly in advanced industrialized countries. Although that could be an artifact of the fact that they are most likely to collect data on this topic, if only in garbled form.

What is frightening to me is that we do not even have a clue why this is happening. It is like we are an ant on a big truck tire and the wheel starts to move. We might sense that something big is happening but can't know exactly what that is. I strongly doubt this is happening because of "social media".

[Rideback]

Ken you just proved my point. You just can't process that you've been lied to. You remind me of the MAGA cult members' stories of how they fell down the rabbit hole of conspiracies for years and years. Take heart, you've been lied to by the best in the business and it IS a business.

[dorankj]

Jim you never disappoint proving how big of an arse you are.

[just-jim]

Wow! You ALMOST defend me as not being entirely evil but then jump right to for sure I’m just too stupid. You guys really are pieces of work! Still think some mirror looking is in order hypocrites.

Q. E. D.
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[dorankj]

Wow! You ALMOST defend me as not being entirely evil but then jump right to for sure I’m just too stupid. You guys really are pieces of work! Still think some mirror looking is in order hypocrites.

[Rideback]

I would agree but in Ken's case I suspect he just can't process that he's being lied to.

[just-jim]

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https://modelthinkers.com/mental-model/ ... -structure
I've never seen Ken promote things because he believes they will necessarily harm people, so that's not his motive.

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It is NOT just a matter of whether or not Ken, or any of FELON donnie’s supporters are intending ‘harm’ or not, or whether they are even being especially malevolent or not.

The fact that they continually try to distort reality, twist fact, ignore logic - and default to basic dishonesty - is bad enough. Alone, that is enough to warrant ignoring their specious arguments.

Beyond that - it is simply unforgivable that they expect the rest of us to stand there and take in their bullsh+t as some reasoned, practical, honest and tenable position….like “OK…your position might be right”. And act surprised and disappointed when we wont.

They are lying to themselves …and the rest of us. And they know it.
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[Rideback]

One can go another level deeper than the KKK and read the structural planning of the Conservative movement by reading Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains where she goes back into archives of the 50's to see the financial and guidance. After that the Anointed by Oil which goes back to the 1800's and fleshes out the alliance of the original wildcatters of oil and their joined at the hip relationship with the Evangelical movement.

Once BigOil discovered they could use the evangelicals to deliver their bibles to areas where scouts had found oil, the evangelicals could soften up the locals to accept the economy and disruption that followed. One of the big alliances was built with the Graham family.

[PAL]

Read "Fever in the Heartland" by Tim Egan. It explains how the KKK really sucked people in, they wanted to belong so bad. Same with the Trump playbook. Well written as usual.

[just-jim]

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Jim. Google Permission Structure.

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Interesting. However, these constructs pre-suppose that the person this is intended for has a) the capability to understand facts and logic rather than hyperbole and made up stories. And b) they can admit that facts do matter. And c) that there is such a thing as black and white - and good and bad - and that they can distinguish and admit the obvious differences. Supporters of Guilty donnie appear unwilling, or unable, to do any of these things. So normal the forms of persuasion or argument also fail.
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[Rideback]

https://modelthinkers.com/mental-model/ ... -structure

I find it helpful in a situation like Ken's where he is tuned into Trump/or against Democrats based on his beliefs of trying to be a good person. I've never seen Ken promote things because he believes they will necessarily harm people, so that's not his motive.