Robert, Again thank you. I’d responded to your reply to my comment from your last post before reading this one. Much more interesting reading. In a warped kind of way, the more I read the stuff put forth from the other side, the more I understand where they’re coming from and their goal, not that I agree with it or think it’s workable in today’s world. But maybe in a far ago, simpler time. It’s like A Stop at Willoughby, The Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 30.
Glad to see seven of the nine SC justices taking a dim view of changing the tax code during oral arguments today on Moores. Yet another stealth end run on reducing federal powers to tax and regulate by the far-right.
The results of unchecked religious and “conservative” fanaticism is a sad way to end American democracy. Where is the vocal and active counterpoint and outrage to stop it? Is there enough to do that? Or, is everyone afraid to take a position against this fanaticism?
I do not think that it is a matter of people being afraid to take a position against fanaticism so much as I perceive the problem to be one of people not recognizing it as one of fanaticism. Too many people still either complacently accept, or actively buy in to religion as something that is harmless or innocent or otherwise ignorantly dismiss the problem of religiosity as being an actual problem. For instance part of the problem in terms of national messaging from the Democratic side is that President Biden is known to be a religious individual in terms of his Catholic association and he occasionally references "God" in his remarks in speeches, this is actually harmful to the current situation in that his somewhat innocent use of the term and its implicit acceptance of a deity as being something that is "real" only serves to validate the fanatics and zealots and their own limited worldviews' demanding acceptance of a deity as being something that they think is actually real. This is also part of why there is next to a zero genuinely vocal, active counterpoint and rage response to the problem.
It is ultimately an epistemological problem. This is something I am working my way up to writing about, even though it should be a top priority; the fact of the matter is I recognize the complexity of the problem of religion as a misperceived and misunderstood problem, and that any statement that I might make about it will in all likelihood create more confusion than clarity for a simple majority of individuals, while the precious few who are actually sufficiently open-minded enough to flow with my thinking on the matter are far and few between.
The fear I was referencing was in interpersonal communication. The fanatics spout off frequently without objection from those they offend. I’d say it’s about 2:5 fanatics, where 3 don’t respond. This gives them tacit license to continue to spout off and they conclude it’s ok to do that. Conversely, if the 3 listeners turn the table, the 2 fanatics are incensed that anyone would disagree with them. Personal experience!
Not necessarily. All Republicans are not MAGA believers and fanaticism comes in many flavors. Many in the ultra right religious crowd are pushing a theocracy and don’t care how it happens. Others are “I only vote Republican” or “I hate democrats” “because that’s what my friends/neighbors/family has always done”. In all instances it’s not clear to me that any of them have done any clear headed thinking about much anything and are merely going with their ingrained flow. Conversing with them is difficult. They take umbrage that anyone could see the world any way but theirs and must be “against God or Jesus”, or are socialists or communists, or worse.
Indeed their self-contained worldviews are probably the most serious problem to overcome in order to instigate any appropriate push-back responses in the Republicans at large to produce any understandings that the threats presented by MAGA Christian nationalists are serious threats to them as well.
Scary stuff you are writing about. However, I very much appreciate your work.
One of the most accurate, conscise, factual writers on Substack
Robert is a very intelligent writer
Thank you Mark.
Robert, Again thank you. I’d responded to your reply to my comment from your last post before reading this one. Much more interesting reading. In a warped kind of way, the more I read the stuff put forth from the other side, the more I understand where they’re coming from and their goal, not that I agree with it or think it’s workable in today’s world. But maybe in a far ago, simpler time. It’s like A Stop at Willoughby, The Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 30.
Glad to see seven of the nine SC justices taking a dim view of changing the tax code during oral arguments today on Moores. Yet another stealth end run on reducing federal powers to tax and regulate by the far-right.
Thanks again, Robert. Good to see this in print.
The results of unchecked religious and “conservative” fanaticism is a sad way to end American democracy. Where is the vocal and active counterpoint and outrage to stop it? Is there enough to do that? Or, is everyone afraid to take a position against this fanaticism?
I do not think that it is a matter of people being afraid to take a position against fanaticism so much as I perceive the problem to be one of people not recognizing it as one of fanaticism. Too many people still either complacently accept, or actively buy in to religion as something that is harmless or innocent or otherwise ignorantly dismiss the problem of religiosity as being an actual problem. For instance part of the problem in terms of national messaging from the Democratic side is that President Biden is known to be a religious individual in terms of his Catholic association and he occasionally references "God" in his remarks in speeches, this is actually harmful to the current situation in that his somewhat innocent use of the term and its implicit acceptance of a deity as being something that is "real" only serves to validate the fanatics and zealots and their own limited worldviews' demanding acceptance of a deity as being something that they think is actually real. This is also part of why there is next to a zero genuinely vocal, active counterpoint and rage response to the problem.
It is ultimately an epistemological problem. This is something I am working my way up to writing about, even though it should be a top priority; the fact of the matter is I recognize the complexity of the problem of religion as a misperceived and misunderstood problem, and that any statement that I might make about it will in all likelihood create more confusion than clarity for a simple majority of individuals, while the precious few who are actually sufficiently open-minded enough to flow with my thinking on the matter are far and few between.
The fear I was referencing was in interpersonal communication. The fanatics spout off frequently without objection from those they offend. I’d say it’s about 2:5 fanatics, where 3 don’t respond. This gives them tacit license to continue to spout off and they conclude it’s ok to do that. Conversely, if the 3 listeners turn the table, the 2 fanatics are incensed that anyone would disagree with them. Personal experience!
So then correct me if I am wrong, when you said "everyone" did you only have MAGA focused individuals in mind?
Big storms always start with little breezes.
Not necessarily. All Republicans are not MAGA believers and fanaticism comes in many flavors. Many in the ultra right religious crowd are pushing a theocracy and don’t care how it happens. Others are “I only vote Republican” or “I hate democrats” “because that’s what my friends/neighbors/family has always done”. In all instances it’s not clear to me that any of them have done any clear headed thinking about much anything and are merely going with their ingrained flow. Conversing with them is difficult. They take umbrage that anyone could see the world any way but theirs and must be “against God or Jesus”, or are socialists or communists, or worse.
Agree on not recognizing fanaticism in the same way that cult members don’t see themselves as being in a cult.
Indeed their self-contained worldviews are probably the most serious problem to overcome in order to instigate any appropriate push-back responses in the Republicans at large to produce any understandings that the threats presented by MAGA Christian nationalists are serious threats to them as well.
Thanks