The easiest way to make an ignorant person feel special is to identify an "other" for the ignorant person to look down on/blame for their problems.

1. Manufacture a scapegoat
2. Charismatic speaker blames the scapegoat
3. Get power/money

Oldest trick in the oldest of books.

Yep.

When I was growing up, it had to spread at the speed of chain emails through AOL dial-up. Remember the Proctor-Gamble thing? 🙄 Now it's a 24-hour news cycle spouting constant hate and fear. :sigh:

Oh they learned, at least some of them. But they learned the wrong lessons. Their takeaway was figuring out exactly which buttons to push to get the masses foaming at the mouth and all riled up.

Well said

Joined TST myself. If the religious right are going to weaponize religion, then I'm making my stand with the TST.

TST does some amazing work. Been meaning to donate to become a card carrying member.

Yep, same, except I'm TST/parody Satan nowadays (donating now to get my card)

It wasn't rock music, video games, D&D, Harry Potter, green M&Ms, college indoctrination, take your pick that drove me away. It was them.

Like Musk and Spez, they killed their own brand with their toxicity. All they had to do was not be hateful, bigoted hypocrites and I'd probably still be caterwauling hymns every Sunday right along with them.

Once I stepped back and looked at them objectively, I couldn't believe I'd spent so much of my life not only trying to be like them, but trying to be liked by them.

Their task failed successfully...for you!