Far Right Movements

    Authoritarian Culture

    Further Reading

    Trump’s January 6 pardons vindicated his allies’ use of violence to pursue political power. Without any constraints on this executive power, Trump will likely continue to use it to place himself and his supporters above the law.

    - Amanda Carpenter

    A stark division is revealed between those who opposed wokeness primarily because it was authoritarian and being institutionalised and those who opposed it because it was the wrong kind of authoritarian and wanted to institutionalise something else.

    - Alexander Beiner

    Is this person a cultist or just misinformed?

    1. They act personally offended when someone criticizes their favorite political leader.
    2. They assume everyone on the other side is an idiot.
    3. They assume the other side always has bad motives.
    4. They agree with every single position of the leader regardless.
    5. They're willing to take a loss if it means getting to put down the other side.
    6. They ignore anti-American practices if it benefits their party (e.g. suspension of due process for ICE).
    7. They will cut off people who don't align with their political ideology.
    8. They only trust news from a single source.
    9. They cannot criticize anything their favorite politicians have done.
    10. They can't name one positive thing about the opposite side.
    11. They are less concerned with the truth than they are whether something will help their party succeed.
    12. They automatically share information without taking time to critically think about articles.
    13. They value their political beliefs over any religious or spiritual values.
    14. They assume anyone who doesn't think like them is brainwashed.

    Scoring: Each item gets a single point; simply add them up to find your friend’s score. The probability that your friend is brainwashed is roughly as follows:*

    0-4: Low 5-9: Moderate 10-14: High

    Read the full article

    Correcting the Misinformed

    The War in Ukraine

    Lie: Ukraine invaded Russia

    Truth: Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2015, before Zelensky and his party came into power. On Feb 24th 2022, Russia’s arm invaded Ukraine by claiming it needed to protect the Russian speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine to prevent them from joining NATO

    Lie: Ukraine doesn’t hold elections and Zelensky is a dictator.

    Truth: Zelensky was elected in 2019 for a 5 year term. And presidential elections were to be held originally in spring in 2024. But Ukrainian law prohibits presidential and parliamentary elections when there is a state of martial law. In order to hold a vote to elect a new president the country would need to amend the law. Furthermore, there are logistic issues with trying to hold an election when parts of the country are under military siege. For example, the UN has registered 6.9 million refugees from Ukraine in other areas who would be unable to vote.

    Is Maga a Cult?

    How I define it in my class is by two benchmarks. The first is: Cults manage to shift people’s beliefs rapidly away from the broader society and away from the beliefs they had before they joined. The second thing I emphasize is that cult members act against their own interests and their families’ interests quite strikingly.

    - Bethany Burum on cults

    CULT: “A religion or sect, generally considered to be extremist or false, under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader for whom members exhibit fixed, even religious, veneration.”

    - American Psychological Association

    Why do People Join Cults?

    • A sense of belonging
    • Seeking meaning or purpose in their lives
    • Fears of the unknown and cult provides a sense of stability

    Key Components of the MAGA Cult

    • Have a charismatic leader: Cults are typically led by charismatic figures who use their charm and influence to manipulate and control their followers.
      • 71% of Republican primary votes said Trump is more likely to tell them the truth over their family and friends (63%), Conservative media (56%) and religious leaders (42%) - YouGov/CBS
      • Trump aligns himself with Christian nationalists and often tries to portray himself in a way similar to the figure of Jesus Christ.
    • Promote exclusivity: Cults often claim to have the only path to salvation or enlightenment, isolating their followers from other belief systems.
    • Use mind control techniques: Cults employ various tactics, such as manipulation, coercion, and brainwashing, to suppress critical thinking and independent thought.
    • Encourage dependency: Cults often foster dependence on the group or its leaders, making it difficult for followers to leave or think for themselves.
      • One of the big talking points and strategy of right-wing authoritarianism, is to label democratic systems as tyrannical... And what this is designed to do is discredit the sitting democratic administration in order to create, a myth of freedom. January 6 was actually marketed as the violence [being] in the service of freedom, and you were overthrowing a dictator. - Ruth Ben-Ghiat
      • “Fake News” this phrase is used as a way to discredit media and make only trump the true source of information
    • Exploit followers financially: Cults may demand significant financial contributions from their followers or use deceptive practices to obtain money.

    Sources

    How to talk to MAGA Cultists

    “Facts are not going to deprogram people. Asking questions, making parallels to Chinese Communist brainwashing and to pimps and traffickers, and explaining behavior control, information control, thought control, emotional control, and there are ways to message, but it's got to be more indirect, but respectful.”

    - Joy Reid

    1. You cannot argue rationally - the brainwashing uses mind control techniques that supersede logic. Using logic may in fact leader to further distancing. Never “tell” someone what to believe, they must rediscover truth on their own.
    2. Build trust - focus on positive memories between you two, stick to light subjects like family events, animals, music, holidays. Stay polite and civil. Be the first to apologize. Use a soft and gentle tone. Ask questions in a way that is curious and interested in getting to know their (not their cult’s) opinion on things.
    3. Remove from media - Try to limit if possible any form of media that indoctrinates them. Frame this as “unplugging” or taking a break (this will also require you not to check media when spending time with them).
    4. Develop their intuition - Cults work by breaking down a person’s ability to think critically and only listen to the propagand or leader. Asking thought-provoking questions and listening can help them to redevelop this skill. Let them think and respond - silence is okay.
    5. Connect person to person - They were someone else before the cult took over, discuss past experiences or hobbies you’d shared.
    6. Educate - Share stories about cults and leaders (unrelated to theirs) and what tactics those groups used. Help them to see reality from other perspectives. Share your own perspectives but stick to feelings and perceptions. (e.g. “I feel scared when I see rising grocery prices and fear I wont be able to make my bills).

    Sources