Cults prey upon people who suffer from economic or personal vulnerability. In the ’70s, people looking for spiritual clarity joined Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, and added “drinking the Kool-Aid” to our modern lingo.
In the ’80s, devotees flocked to the Rajneesh Movement before it was discredited for violence and abuse.
In the ’30s, “good Germans” cheered Adolf Hitler’s promises of economic security and racial purity, resulting in the murder of millions.
Now come the MAGAs, again looking for “good Germans.” Their rhetoric validates white nationalists, especially the very rich ones. For everyone else, they offer a version of religious patriotism in place of concrete solutions. During the Trump years, the national debt increased 37 percent while incomes stagnated. Failing at fiscal responsibility, they advocate for insurrection and voter suppression. They intend to build a new, more dangerous America, and by their words and deeds, the electoral process is a tradition to be subverted, especially in case of loss.
