The Paranoid Style in American Politics

[abe23]

http://karws.gso.uri.edu/JFK/conspiracy_theory/the_paranoid_mentality/The_paranoid_style.html

This was written in '64 but seems very relevant to what's going on today.

Discuss....

 

[Man o' the green]

... ok that's a lot to read ...

On the psychology of conspiracy, this makes a lot of sense.
How this is related to one political party or group still eludes me. Both sides of the political spectrum use these tactics equally well.
For instance :
Glenn Beck : Cloward-Piven Strategy
Obama : Banks, Insurance Industry
Every crusader needs something that can be defined as evil to fight against. But, it seems to me we need to be more worried about the groups we know about - like those in Washington called parties and special-interests, than conspiracies by some unidentified group that seeks power beyond traditional means.

 

[abe23]

Every crusader needs something that can be defined as evil to fight against. But, it seems to me we need to be more worried about the groups we know about - like those in Washington called parties and special-interests, than conspiracies by some unidentified group that seeks power beyond traditional means.

Yes!!! That's exactly what I don't get. The fact that congress is basically bought off wholesale by industry and 'special interests' doesn't seem to bother anyone, but somehow obama is a secret muslim communist who secretly hates america and wants to sell us to the UN for scrap metal or harvest our bodily fluids or whatever else. It's like some people are willing to believe in anything other than reality....

 

[jeffchr]

Yes!!! That's exactly what I don't get. The fact that congress is basically bought off wholesale by industry and 'special interests' doesn't seem to bother anyone, but somehow obama is a secret muslim communist who secretly hates america and wants to sell us to the UN for scrap metal or harvest our bodily fluids or whatever else. It's like some people are willing to believe in anything other than reality....

interesting read - timeless

the US lacks an educated electorate and therefore, we've elected a bunch of idiots who think party over country.

logically, if it's a party-first mentality, lobbyists are just furthering the cause, when in reality, lobbyists have no right to be as influential as they have grown to be

money does all the talking in Washington