Many have referenced Nineteen Eighty-Four without reading it, and ironically then engaging in Doublethink.
they do whatever the ultra wealthy tell them to do.
ideology is not a functional concept in politics. it’s all vibes and manipulation in the service of the 1%
MisterFrog@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Machinist@lemmy.world 1 week ago
I mean, at a high level, I guess so. At human level where these are real people with relationships and thoughts and feelings, it is mind blowing.
Some of them now approve of everything they stood against. Whatever the propaganda that got them there, it’s wild. These are people that I respected and thought had wisdom and they have fallen for such a shallow con.
DarkFuture@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Sounds like a cult.
Machinist@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Cults wish they had this kind of power and reach. I agree that it has cult like characteristics, but it tolerates divergent ideology as long the orange fucker is venerated. I can’t decide if it’s something new or is regular old fascism, I lack the historical background to know.
stopdropandprole@lemmy.world 1 week ago
i sounded kinda cynical but I actually agree with your sentiment, on a more personal level. i have several friends whose families have been split apart (actual people moving away and excommunicated) as a result of the cult like obedience conservatives have tapped into. loyalty to television personalities over actual grandkids and siblings. truly mind blowing.
the systematic brainwashing of many people using ragebait, disinformation, and targeted messaging has revealed a deep corruption in the media ecosystem and shown us how easily many of us can be convinced of opposite views we once held sacred. there’s a principal in psychology called “change belief blindness” which essentially shows that rather than admit we were wrong, we change our minds and just forget that it happened, instead creating an internal narrative that we’ve always believed the thing we currently believe.
im convinced that the most successful political operatives in modern times have weaponized our own psychological weaknesses against us, knowingly, in the same way that game developers use rng loot drop mechanics to tap into gambling addiction reward centers.
Machinist@lemmy.world 1 week ago
I’m not going to rehash the horror of watching family and friends go down the rabbit hole. It’s a big ball of grief that comes in waves.
As to your supposition that psychological weaknesses were weaponized: I completely agree. I think historians will focus on it as evidence is available and time goes by, it will be considered obvious.