Much has been made, here and elsewhere, of the profound ignorance of governance and economics found among the most virulent opponents of the president. The man's a socialist, just like Hitler. Don't tax me, and keep your hands off my Medicare. Etc. Etc.
In discussions with friends, family, neighbors, in letters to the editor, in every way we can, we try to inject some fact-based points into the debate, hoping that a good snort of reality will bring the conversation around to a planet near this one.
Sadly, this is not to be. The people who spent the week showing off their disdain for spelling and refreshing beverages are not the same as a loyal opposition. They are cultists.
An embarrassing admission here: I've spent a little time in cults. In my early teens, I was part of two different "religious" communities that fit the basic descriptions of cults. (No names or other identifiers here.) Through our communities' outreach programs, I spent a lot of time with members of other such groups. I learned a good deal about how such groups operate and maintain cohesion, a bit of which I'd like to share with you.
Whether they are couched in familiar, societally-acceptable terms or called by strange, foreign words, successful cults rely on a few basic principles to hold their communities together. They are, in no particular order:
Fellowship
Cult members are expected to spend as much time as they can with one another. Whether or not they are required to live together in group homes or communities, they are encouraged to meet often to discuss the group's principles and to socialize together. Excessive contact with non-cultists, while not explicitly forbidden, isn't really encouraged, either.
Instruction
Members are expected to study the principles of the group often, even daily. While adherence to the basic message is all that is needed to be accepted, study into the subtleties of doctrine brings approval from the group. Knowing that a particular thought or action is bad is de rigeur; knowing how that principle can be applied to something seemingly unrelated yields admiration and approval within the group.
Which brings us to. . .
Secret language and universal relevance
Cult members not only have words and phrases particular to the group, they also have shared interpretations of common phrases that are exclusive to the group. The statement, "You're in the world," seems innocuous and self-evident to most people. To members of certain groups, it's close to insulting.
This last feature is what really got me thinking about cults in relation to our current political landscape. The people we saw on parade this week--it's unfair to simply call them Republicans, for not all Republicans are like that, nor all conservatives, libertarians, etc.--admit that they do not trust information sources other than FOX News, Limpboy, etc.
Through their closed information system, they evolve their doctrine and buzz words (Socialist, birth certificate, The One, taxing the grandchildren, etc.). Through the fellowship of tea parties and blogs, they reinforce their worldview and share more approved information sources and ideas.
Lastly, they are right. Everything they encounter--their friends, their "news"--assures them they are right. If you do not accept their tenets, you are not to be considered. They are the exclusive custodians of the Real Truth.
Consider this perspective the next time you're watching someone insist that Obama is a fascist "because he is" or that they "just know" he wasn't born in America. If you have such people in your life, don't allow yourself to get too frustrated when easily-found, multiply-sourced facts will not dissuade them from their beliefs.
And, to be fair, don't be afraid to apply these musings to the most extreme, insular, code-word laced writings you see here and elsewhere on our own side of the political divide. No one is immune to the temptation to make their beliefs a "religion," to abandon the scary responsibility of intellectual integrity for the cozy comfort of certainty and the security of mutual assurance.
Just because we've been tagged "The Reality-Based Community" doesn't make us immune from cultism.
That's all for now. Om, shanti.