Alphus and Omegus wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:44 am
The vast majority of people who vote Republican do so because they are ignorant. Some are malicious, but most have been lied to their entire lives by fat cats who have concocted a fake populist narrative, one in which the "elites" of a society are not the billionaire oligarchs like Elon Musk or Bernie Marcus but rather professors who make almost nothing in comparison and who have zero political influence or power.
This is a totally absurd and deceitful idea, but it is persuasive to some people because they feel angry at the world for not accepting their antiquated religious beliefs. They thus become like a raging bull chasing a silly red flag instead of the matador who is trying to harm it.
Yes, all the above ought to be so obviously true to any even moderately well-informed and fully cognizant individual that I can't help feeling a sense of both bewilderment and despair at how many otherwise seemingly literate and articulate people fail to see it. I particularly admire your "raging bull chasing a silly red flag" analogy. That is a gem! I will never forget that one!
ETA: I hope you won't consider this too much of a derailment, but that analogy reminds me of the joke about an American Tourist in a small town somewhere in Latin America who smelled something really delicious being served to the customer at the table next to his in the restaurant where he was eating. He asked the waiter what it was, and if he could order the same. The waiter replied, "Señor, that is the testicles of the bull that was killed in today's bullfight. It is only served once a day, on a first ordered first served basis, and you have to put in your order at least a day in advance to get it."
The American immediately put in his order for the next day, luckily before anyone else did, and delightedly got to enjoy it the next evening. It was every bit as delicious as he anticipated it would be, but it seemed a considerably smaller serving than he saw the evening before. When he asked the waiter why his serving seemed so much smaller than he saw yesterday, the waiter replied, "You need to understand, Señor, that sometimes the bull wins!"
I wish that in today's world the innocent, oppressed bull would wake up and defeat the "matador" who is the real enemy more often!
No precept or claim is more suspect or more likely to be false than one that can only be supported by invoking the claim of Divine authority for it--no matter who or what claims such authority.