New Oscurantism
Feb. 19th, 2025 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
studio1009 Another article in the Feb 2025 issue of The Atlantic is "The New Rasputins, Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe" by Anne Applebaum.
She describes the New Oscurantism as a new political movement that promotes misinformation, fear, dark forces, charismatic leaders. She thinks it is no longer relevant to use the labels Left and Right because they often overlap in practice.
"When conspiracy theories and nonsense cures are widely accepted, the evidence-based concerts of guilt and criminality vanish quickly too."
The some of the president's appointees are former progressive Democrats and the Republicans don't follow the traditional Republican values. They are anti-vaccine, Putin apologists, Nazi-supporter, cult followers. Logic and reason do not apply. Nor does truth.
History is full of unqualified people gaining influence as political advisors and bringing ruin to the country. Russia, Romania, Hungary, and now the USA. She cites Rasputin and Helena Blavatsky in particular. She also mentions Elon Musk elsewhere.
I had heard of Rasputin, but didn't remember exactly why he was a bad guy. Time to study up.
If what the Felon-in-Chief is doing doesn't make sense, you are right. It isn't meant to.
She describes the New Oscurantism as a new political movement that promotes misinformation, fear, dark forces, charismatic leaders. She thinks it is no longer relevant to use the labels Left and Right because they often overlap in practice.
"When conspiracy theories and nonsense cures are widely accepted, the evidence-based concerts of guilt and criminality vanish quickly too."
The some of the president's appointees are former progressive Democrats and the Republicans don't follow the traditional Republican values. They are anti-vaccine, Putin apologists, Nazi-supporter, cult followers. Logic and reason do not apply. Nor does truth.
History is full of unqualified people gaining influence as political advisors and bringing ruin to the country. Russia, Romania, Hungary, and now the USA. She cites Rasputin and Helena Blavatsky in particular. She also mentions Elon Musk elsewhere.
I had heard of Rasputin, but didn't remember exactly why he was a bad guy. Time to study up.
If what the Felon-in-Chief is doing doesn't make sense, you are right. It isn't meant to.
