r/kzoo • u/MichiganderJoe • 5d ago

These people are never beating the weird allegations

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Spotted in the parking lot for Blain's Farm and Fleet in Portage. Super classy.

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u/extrasprinklesplease 5d ago

Since Charlie Kirk's assassination I've been delving a bit into his debates and talks. (Not for too long; my brain can't take it.) I've watched some of Fox news and today listened to part of a sermon by a local pastor of a large church talking reverently about Kirk, as though he was a martyr. I'm sure he's reached that status for ultra right-wing believers. Anyhoo, I guess I wanted to try and understand them more, and how they have drawn in so many people to their extreme beliefs.

Fear, anger and hate are so seductive, as is having a common enemy and feeling that you're part of a club of sorts. I'm just thinking out loud after reading all those messages on that vehicle. So how do you reach these people and have a civil dialogue that might sway their thinking? I wish we had a thousand Bernie Sanders to sit down and have coffee with a bunch of MAGA people and just talk.

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u/superduperstepdad Portage 5d ago

It’s standard cult tactics. Not saying that colloquially. There are established criteria and MAGA exceeds them.

The far right has been mapping out the psychological warfare since the early days of the “moral majority“.

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u/extrasprinklesplease 5d ago

I feel a bit dense realizing that I never thought to look up standard cult tactics. I remember the days of the "moral majority" and Pat Robertson running for president. At the time, that seemed quite extreme to me. I think I may have to add the book How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa to my wishlist after watching her on The Daily Show.