The three parts of the cult
and the Stockholm Syndrome created by Fox News
I might not have been the first to label Trump’s loyal followers as a cult, but I was an early adopter of that idea. When I wrote my op-ed in late 2020, I threw all his supporters into one bucket without distinguishing between what I now see as three distinct categories of Trumpism. These categories resemble how cults like Scientology recruit and maintain their followers. So, let’s break it down:
First, we have the low IQ, low self-esteem types—the ones who cover their trucks with “Fuck Biden” stickers, complete with hitch balls. They don’t care about offending anyone or the impact on children. ("Mommy, what does 'fuck' mean, and what are those things hanging from his truck?"). Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” label fits them perfectly. They form a significant part of the MAGA base, enduring extreme heat to see their leader and often find themselves the target of “The Daily Show’s” ridicule.
Next are the indoctrinated ones. These are friends and family who don’t flaunt their beliefs with bumper stickers but are glued to Fox News. They are otherwise intelligent individuals who got hooked on Hannity and never broke free. My late mother-in-law was a case in point—once a college accounting professor, she became a Fox News devotee in her later years, her reasoning dulled by constant exposure to one-sided rhetoric. As dementia sets in, you can take away the car keys but not the TV. Millions are in the same boat, fixated on Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters without any logical reason.
Then there are those like an old friend I’ve known for decades. He keeps Fox News on all day in his home office even when he’s not working. He’s a victim of indoctrination that has led to a kind of Stockholm syndrome. He should be smart enough to see through the lies, but he’s trapped in the echo chamber of Fox News and doesn’t look elsewhere for the truth.
Finally, we have the knowing enablers—the cult leaders. This includes “church” figures like Jerry Falwell Jr. and politicians such as JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz. They are too intelligent to genuinely believe in the nonsense of their leader, but they go along with it because they crave power. Unlike the likes of Tommy Tuberville, who belongs in the first category, these figures are committed to the cult for strategic reasons, believing that selling your soul to Trump is worth it regardless.
So, which group poses the greatest threat? The mindless base, the indoctrinated, or the cynical leaders?
I am convinced the first two can't be reasoned with--it needs skilled de-programming. My hope lies only in that no cult lasts forever; eventually the "magnetic, charismatic" cult leader goes away, be it Jonestown, Waco, or PTL Club. Problem is, the damage is already done (cf examples I've cited). The third group is just pure, unadulterated high-octane evil. The stuff that appears in opera, Shakespeare, and Lord of the Rings😳 (sorry, that sounds like a weird freak talk). It took 6 years of a world war to get rid of those types (temporarily), and far far more dangerous as you rightly pointed out BUT we have to hope in the power of good, decent people to prevail...ultimately. Because humans cannot live without hope.
Tread lightly when disparaging deplorables. Despite invading only third world countries, none a threat to us, and losing every war since WW II, it's primarily this class that fights them.