Theatrical brutality makes people believe they have power, even if they don't

[kpete]

WaPo

The Trump insurrectionists exposed that a politics of spectacle, built upon delusion, is no less dangerous than "the real thing." Precisely because they lack an affirmative political vision, far-right movements fetishize violence as the premier form of civic participation. It is what is offered to the masses in lieu of actual power. The result is violence that becomes almost casual, shorn of any political rationale and reflecting a reality in which human beings are just as disposable as their video game counterparts.


More than a week has passed since a pro-Trump mob overran the U.S. Capitol, but we are still struggling to come to terms with the day's events. Much of the difficulty stems from the fact that the Trump mob was both menacing and ridiculous, dangerous and utterly delusional. On one hand, there was an absurdist quality to many participants: conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, militia members, fans of animal pelts. Yet our cosplaying revolutionaries were not playing at all, leaving five dead and dozens wounded.


The truly frightening thing about cosplaying in this regard is that it is part of a politics of delusion that is acted out in the real world. That many who participated in the attack are having trouble grasping the legal consequences that came along with their live-streamed insurrection testifies to this sense of confusion between material life and the revolutionaries they played on TV.


the author: Suzanne Schneider, a historian at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, is the author of the forthcoming book “The Apocalypse and the End of History.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/capitol-riot-brutality-violence-performative/2021/01/15/6bd20200-56a9-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html

[Karadeniz]

1. The politics of delusion... good phrase. Unfortunately, the politics of violence does reap some

Reward...politicians too scared to vote against the rebels.

[callous taoboy]

2. My MAGA cultist step-mom is lapping up the delusion that the mob was all "imposters"

not Trump voters.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. Moron see. Moron do.

Mass Hypnotism can apply to everything and be everywhere – in families, in schools and in politics. The influence and use of repetition on crowds is identified through Mr. Trump's speeches and is seen to influence even the most enlightened minds. The power is due to the fact that the repeated statements are embedded in those profound regions of our subconscious mind.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hypnotist-richard-barker-shows-how-trumpnosis-donald-trumps-form-of-covert-hypnosis-affects-millions-around-the-world-300242345.html

Apologies to monkeys.

[Chainfire]

4. We are now sending people to the congress based, not upon their ability

to sell sound policies, not because of their judgment or their leadership abilities, not on their hopes to bring peace, harmony and prosperity, but on the basis on who can better articulate a message of hate and fear.

For Heaven's sake, American have sent QAnon representatives to our Capitol. We have a sizable proportion of the population that have been indoctrinated to believe that Democracy is "mob rule" and that only a Right-wing tyrant can save the country from Socialism. They have been being educated by propaganda posing as news, they have been taught to bury the truth. They have been taught! That is the key.

These people have invented blinders effectively block out all truth. They have tunnel vision of a land where there are only masters and slaves, and they intend to be the masters. It is a population that believe that medical science is a hoax and the real truth comes from screaming heads. A population that deny that there is a Covid crisis. "They would have died anyway" "The numbers are faked" "The hospitals are not overrun" "masks are an attack on my freedom."

Like it or not, we are two Americas. It has not happened by accident, but through years of thoughtful planning and execution. We have been under attack for decades, led by people who invented the Rush Limbaughs of the world. They have mastered the power of The Big Lie, where the lie is patriotic and exciting and the truth is subversive and boring.

I believe that the main source of the Right's success has been the dumbing-down of Americans. The results of Republicans attacks on the American system of public education for decades. Rightwingnuts consider higher education as nothing more than indoctrinating
students with Socialistic Ideals. We have to change that.

It is going to take time but we need to wage a national war on ignorance. Fascism can not survive in the sunlight of an educated population. We have been brought to the brink of a civil war by the tools of Fascism, propaganda and ignorance. We need to turn our schools away from being day care centers, vocational training centers and pre-prison. Athletics should not drive school programs and successful students should be the college heroes. We need to concentrate on subjects that create thinkers, not followers. Education will reduce poverty and crime faster than any other method. We can not afford to scrimp on education. We can not afford to price higher education out of the reach of families. Students, that we depend on to raise our country up, should not be saddled by a lifetime of crushing debt.

Our founders, with the exception of Washington, were so successful because of their classic educations, their knowledge and respect of the history of successful civilizations that preceded us. Washington, while not having a classical education, was self educated by listening and absorbing the ideas of others. They were taught that truth, honor and service were the ultimate goals in life. Now we send cultist to congress to conduct our affairs. The end results of this is as predictable as the sunrise. The Decline And Fall of the American Empire has been written is in the editor's office. We only have one more chance to edit the story.

Our current problems are symptoms, not the underlying disease. The underlying disease is malignant and deadly. This may be our last chance to eradicate it. We have a brief period of power to change the country, we can not fail.

We are going to have to multitask. We do not have the luxury of handling the symptoms before curing the disease.

[smirkymonkey]

5. Excellent post.

Thank you. Very well stated. You should really write a LTTE. If not to the WaPo or the NYT, then at least to your local paper.

[Chainfire]

6. Thank you for the kind words

I wish I could express myself better, but low and behold, I did not receive a higher education respect so much. It was a lack of courage and will power. Unlike many people, I didn't have the guts to work nights and study days. As Jimmy Buffet finally admits, "Its my own damn fault."

[mopinko]

8. you dont need to go to college to be a writer.

you have to- be born w talent. be a reader. write. then write some more. then rewrite it.

you have talent. dont sell yourself short.

[smirkymonkey]

9. You express yourself very well!

I would have never guessed that you did not receieve a higher education, and please don't fault yourself for that. You are very articulate and get your point across quite well. It is the passion behind the words you are saying that have such an impact, so don't worry so much about how you say things. You have a great message and you should share it with more people.

[Turin_C3PO]

7. Don't agree that everyone

needs to strive for a higher education. The goal of college for everyone is ridiculous. It will result in too many people having degrees that still have to work a low wage job. We should encourage more vocational education for students inclined in that direction. America has a severe shortage of skilled workers such as carpentry, welding, electricians, etc. That's why there's so many fairly well paying construction jobs right now that can't be filled. What you're proposing can be taught in grades K-12. Those grades should focus more on critical thinking, civics, literature, etc.