[Hey look its the thing]
Looks like your index finger might be having a little trouble actually clicking. Let me get that for you:
Writing for the Guardian, 15 years ago, the cult expert Rick Ross warned us to “watch out for the tell-tale signs” of a cult, including “no tolerance for questions or critical inquiry”, “there is no legitimate reason to leave”, “former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil”, and “the group/ leader is always right”.
Anyone who has observed the behaviour of the Democratic party base, especially online; of elected Democrats on Capitol Hill; and of the Democratic president himself, since the CNN debate on 28 June, will have spotted some of those “tell-tale signs”.
Let’s start with the Democratic base – those “hyper-partisans” who “act like members of a cult because they treat their political party like a religious identity”, to quote the political strategist Chris Sosa. I have spent the past few weeks watching the Very Online members of the base embracing an endless stream of “Blue Anon” conspiracy theories, pushed on behalf of the Dear Leader.
Key elements:
“no tolerance for questions or critical inquiry”,
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“there is no legitimate reason to leave”,
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“former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil”,
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“the group/ leader is always right”.
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Here, this is for you.