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Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton 1 year, 12 months ago 255 views

So. Let's talk about Rick Perry calling Donald Trump "the chosen one" and discuss how American evangelicals became a white identity doomsday cult that threatens our safety and the very nature of reality. 1/

To begin, I have to give a bit of context. I grew up in the evangelical church. That means I was steeped in this stuff from my youngest years, even as I didn't understand it and was unable to imagine a reality outside of it. 2/

I had no idea that white evangelicals, in the 1960's, reacted to Civil Rights leaders like MLK using scripture to base their movement on Christianity by splitting the church and dismissing the ideas of Christianity in favor of a white identity gospel based on power and wealth 3/

People like Jerry Falwell, mostly southern televangelists, transformed Christianity from a religion of service and charity and inclusion to one of wealth and power, where God's will was shown via wealth and control over the world. 4/

We now know this as the Gospel of Wealth, but it started with the 1960's and that redirection from Civil Rights. Basically it was a doctrine that sought to base white power and domination under the dominion of an all-powerful God, thus making it right and defendable. 5/

In an effort to grow evanglicals' control over politics, they welcomed Ronald Reagan, but here's the thing: Reagan's religion wasn't the same. It was occult-based, steeped in California counterculture and new age beliefs. We're talking out there stuff. 6/

Reagan inspired the myth of the Shining City that powers this current Republican movement. It's based on myths about America as the continuation of secret societies and establishing America as a sort of new age Atlantis, a base for godliness and spiritual wisdom. 7/

Strangely enough, Reagan got this from an occult leader who got that from a short story writer who happened to be Edgar Allen Poe's best friend. The myths that power this ideology are really, really, really weird, but in a political marriage, evangelicals adopted them. 8/

What happened was this idea of an America that was God's chosen country and was in constant battle with the forces of Satan. Guess what? Because it was a white identity movement? Satan in this myth was joined by minorities desperate for power. 9/

The 80's were weird. Reagan and evangelicals presided over a worldview where if you were poor you weren't in God's favor and you might be in league with Satan, particularly if you wanted to change politics or were outside the white identity worldview. 10/

I call this the Cult of the Shining City, and it's what we're dealing with now. Trump is considered a savior fighting against the Deep State, which is just a reiteration of the New World Order which is just a reiteration of the Elders of the Protocols of Zion. 11/

Personally, I was brought up in this idea and was subject to it for a large part of my life. I was convinced that politics could be explained via the myth and conspiracy theory. Many people I grew up with, people I love, are still caught in the Cult of the Shining City. 12/

Just like a cult, members are kept from people who could unwind the lies, they're kept from media that could challenge the story, and as a result they're more than willing to accept whatever nonsensical narrative is thrown their way, narratives that change by the day 13/

Not all of the members of the Cult of the Shining City believe Trump is a messiah. Some believe he's God's instrument or simply a warrior in the cause. But there are some who literally believe his hand and mission is shaped by God and that he's holy. 14/

Trump is obviously flawed, but members of the Cult of the Shining City have been prepared. Their evangelicals leaders are similarly flawed. Trump is Swaggart and Bakker and Falwell all rolled into one. They're more than willing to look past like they did their leaders. 15/

One last thing: Trump is no stranger to this stuff. He's a firm believer in the Gospel of Prosperity. Norman Vincent Peale, the founder of Positive Thinking, was his pastor. He actually officiated Trump's first marriage. Trump's non-religious, but he is prosperous-spiritual 16/

According to the Prosperity Gospel, Trump and people like him believe they enjoy God's favor based on success. There's a reason Trump is lost in these conspiracy theories. He believes them. He holds them as a faith, and so he's in a feedback loop with the heresy. 17/

More from Jared Yates Sexton

Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton

Joe Biden is winning the election and Donald Trump is trying to pull a literal coup.

Let's talk about where we are, what we know, and separate the things we shouldn't be worried about from the things we absolutely should be worried about.

1/

First and foremost, this election has largely played out as some of us expected it to. There hasn't been some cataclysmic loss. Biden made in-roads, including in Arizona. We're still looking at a possible 300+ electoral college victory if votes are counted.

2/

Last night felt AWFUL for a variety of reasons. Lingering trauma from 2016. A desire to watch the country reject Trump in a major way. The bizarre feeling of watching the race not get called on Election Night as the networks have trained us to expect.

But that was a feeling.

3/

Trump's attempt to steal this election is predicated on that feeling last night and the feeling that somehow this thing is lost even while Biden is winning in a big way.

Trump is determined to use that anxiety and uncertainty and spin it into his own chosen reality.

4/

For months Trump and his goons have told us what they planned to do. Counting would not be finished on Election Night and Trump would use the appearance of momentum to undermine confidence and hopefully stop the counting before momentum swung.

That's what he's doing.

5/

Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton

People are going to try their damnedest to tell a story that Trump was the cause of this crisis and a total aberration.

The truth is that America’s history is lousy with fascism, that the Right and the wealthy created an environment of fascistic lies to expedite profit and power

This symbolic outrage from a party who has gleefully used Trump to dismantle government, fundraise, and stock the courts right up until the last week of his term will help build that narrative.

This lie will only grow the very real danger we’re in.

We’re facing fascism because of our weaponized mythologies of American exceptionalism that spurred on oppressive empire and hid white supremacy, we’re here because of planned economic inequality and because fascism is a means of suppression of reform.

Trump has to be punished. We have to reject and rebuke him. But any honest conversation about this crisis has to go deeper and explain how we arrived at Trump and how the Right fomented this moment intentionally and with no regard to human life, decency, or democracy.

We can have better lives, a better country, a real and just and human society, but we have to move past easy explanations and scapegoats and the spectacle and these mythologies of exceptionalism.

We have everything to gain and everything to lose.

Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton

We're facing a fascistic movement that's backed by the wealthy and powerful who want to dismantle government, an administration and party desperate to cling to power, a racist evangelical base, and a mob lost in weaponized conspiracy

This video is a primer and explainer of the complicated and frightening moment we find ourselves in, a crisis that is a long, long time coming and that won't simply stop unless we address it and the underlying factors.

Have the hard conversations about this. Reject this.

Talk to the people around you about what this coup attempt was, the fascist movement growing in this country, and the very real history the wealthy and powerful don't want you to know.

The only we way we're going to escape this is to expose what it is and fight against it.

The truth is that a large part of the country has been intentionally ensnared in fascistic conspiracy theories for profit and power and the other part is still trying to disentangle itself from mythologies of American exceptionalism.

It can happen here. It IS happening here.

Misplaced trust and faith in our history, our exceptionalism, and our institutions has gotten us here and allowed this fascistic threat to grow.

We're not immune to fascism. In fact, we're especially vulnerable to it. And it is growing in strength and size and ambition.

Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton

Polices that could make us safer, that could prevent massacres of children and people in public places are incredibly popular.

The problem isn't a lack of support.

The problem is that our leaders have failed us by lacking courage and

I wish I could say what happened in Uvalde is an unfathomable tragedy.

But it's not. It's completely predictable.

This disgusting state of affairs and these senseless tragedies could be prevented if our leaders had courage and were concerned about more than the economy.

2/

We absolutely have to address gun culture in the United States.

We need to admit our white supremacist foundations have led to a state of paranoia, of firearm fetishism.

That is a massive part of the problem and requires a sea change of cultural proportions.

3/

We must recognize that the GOP, with its radicalization, its dependency on fear, paranoia, and conspiracy theories has created an environment where guns and violence are a main part of their appeal.

This state we're living in isn't independent of that. At all.

4/

And any conversation about gun violence or mass shootings has to involve the NRA, an institution that has done more harm to Americans and created more tragedy than nearly anyone else.

It is an absolute blight on the American body and its influence cannot be downplayed.

5/

Jared Yates Sexton
@JYSexton

All right.

We need to talk about how Trump and the GOP are marketing themselves as the Southern Fire-Eaters who spurred secession and the Civil War and how that time bizarrely mirrors our own.

Here's a taste of what I write about in AMERICAN

This ad that's making the rounds by Lauren Boebert, in which she brags about taking her gun to Congress, is not just empty posturing. It reflects a growing tension in our government that seems to be trending toward the societal discord and violence of the Civil War.

2/

The way our history is taught, the Civil War just...kind of happened. Out of nowhere. But there were many forces involved and they reflect what we're going through now.

To understand, we need to look at those forces and the people who benefited and cultivated them.

3/

Prior to the Civil War, Congress erupted into violent chaos. There were massive brawls, duels, assaults, all of it arising from the South's refusal to accept any legislation or development that didn't reflect their desires or empowerment.

4/

Members of the southern Democrats would come armed to sessions to intimidate their rivals, flashed knives and clubs and, if the process got out of control, would use them.

These threats we're seeing now have a very, very similar flavor and should concern people.

5/

#24hrstartup recap and analysis

What a weekend celebrating makers looks like.

A thread

👇Read on

Let's start with a crazy view of what @ProductHunt looked like on Sunday

Download image and upload

A top 7 with:
https://t.co/6gBjO6jXtB @Booligoosh
https://t.co/fwfKbQha57 @stephsmithio
https://t.co/LsSRNV9Jrf @anthilemoon
https://t.co/Fts7T8Un5M @J_Tabansi
Spotify Ctrl @shahroozme
https://t.co/37EoJAXEeG @kossnocorp
https://t.co/fMawYGlnro

If you want some top picks, see @deadcoder0904's thread,

We were going to have a go at doing this, but he nailed it.

It also comes with voting links 🖐so go do your

#24hrsstartup was an amazing event

I never went to a hackathon but this just felt like one even though I was just watching \U0001f440

Everyone did great but there were a few startups that I personally loved \U0001f496

Some of my favorites are in the thread below\U0001f447
— Akshay Kadam(A2K) \U0001f47b (@deadcoder0904) November 19, 2018

Over the following days the 24hr startup crew had more than their fair share of launches

Lots of variety: web, bots, extensions and even native apps

eg. @jordibruin with

\U0001f3a8\U0001f3c3\u200d\u2640\ufe0f DrawRun just launched on Product Hunt! Idea to App Store to Product Hunt in 68 hours!\u2070\u2070https://t.co/mxnLZ8FRSu

Thanks for the motivation @thepatwalls @arminulrich @_feloidea
— Jordi Bruin (@jordibruin) November 20, 2018