Our country worships assholes

[padfun]

It is just scary to me how many people really idolize people who are not just immorally bad but say the most vile and evil things.

I think a lot of it comes from decades of brainwashing. I saw the power of brainwashing while at Navy boot camp in 1973. Our company was a screw up for the first 6 weeks or so. So they called in a Salt and Pepper team who really had an interesting night getting some big boys to cry (and some get discharged from that night), Within the next week hour, the recruits started to straighten up and the goofing off disappeared. Very powerful indeed.

Now our media has distorted things and it goes way back to the 50's. Many young men got hooked on Ann Rand to begin with, and then there was Joseph McCarthy and his group and then right into William F Buckley (who could get real nasty at times) And i remember in the 60;s learning about the John Birch Society. About around then, Rush Limbaugh appeared on the scene, and I saw quite a few redneck buddies fall for this racist bullshit. That's one reason I left my red state and came to California. Educated me just didn't fit in that racist redneck culture.

In some ways, I'm not totally surprised by the red shift, but since I had some hope for humanity, I am surprised on just how many have fallen down the rabbit hole.

[Silent Type]

1. I'm hoping it is one of those pendulum swings that will get a hard shove in other direction at some point.

[moondust]

2. No moral authority.

...moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_authority

Somebody failed to teach their idol 70 years ago that every lie he tells takes a bite out of his credibility. He has thus had none for decades. And by extension neither do his worshippers.

[SocialDemocrat61]

3. Not just on the right

plenty on the left do as well.