I’m a big fan of the Simpsons and the other night, I watched the episode where the townspeople joined a cult where “the leader” was in charge. Everyone gave up their wordly goods, moved onto a commune, harvested lima beans and awaited the building of a spaceship that would take them all to a new life on “blisstonia.” As hilarious as that episode sounds, cults like this exist in the world and they promise everything from getting on a spaceship, creating a utopia on earth or worst (as we have seen in historical references) freedome through loss of life at the hands of a “leader.” The Tea Party movement has used anger over the Obama administration to bring out the worst in human nature. I will be the first person to say that I have no problem with anyone having conservative viewpoints. Where I have a problem is when a conservative viewpoint is used to advance hatred in any form against any person or group. Fox News Network in my opinion has been a fertile breeding ground for planting the seeds of “Cult Think” where conservative beliefs and viewpoints have turned into beliefs which drive a larger agenda of hate.
Merriam-Webster defines Cult in several different ways. The most appropriate definition for what I have defined as Cult Think is: “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book);especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion.”
My observations of Conservatives is one of a group who hold their beliefs strongly and in many cases, wear those beliefs on their sleeve. The ideas of limited government, tough positions of crime and punishment, low taxes and self responsibility are noble ideas. When these beliefs are twisted into loaded statements that suggest that only certain groups of people are responsible citizens, or disagreeing with the government (respectfully) makes you a terrorist, to me that is brainwashing. In addition, each argument based on these points takes the issues down to the lowest common denominator and the “talking points” become predictable and insulting. Why now that we have a black president is everything he does is “dangerous” and now it has been the call for every good citizen (read: white) to rise up and reclaim the country? What are we reclaiming it from? I think what scares me more is what do these folks want to do when they “take the country back.” The cult thinking has these Americans scared and wrapping themselves in the flag, the Constitution and around their so called God given right to arm themselves. These folks are so scared, the line has been blurred between conservative thought and action and outright fear mongering from their cult leaders at Fox. When will the brainwashing end? At this rate, the Tea Party which has done nothing to counter the hateful aspects of it’s organization will become the GOP. Frankly, I don’t see the line, hate is hate now matter how you slice it.
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