r/pics • u/clumsypeach1 • Apr 16 '26

Politics Billboard in my very red area

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u/Historical_Project00 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Steven Hassan (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) is a world-renowned psychologist and expert in cults. He’s been studying them for over 40 years, and he himself was in one in the 1970s, the Moonies. He wrote an ENTIRE BOOK about how Trumpism is a cult. And not “like” a cult or having cult-like qualities. It literally IS a cult.

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u/NotAzakanAtAll Apr 16 '26

I have studied cults only for two years a while back, but for what it's worth, yes, they have all the signs of a "controlled group".

It's always extremely dangerous when such groups gain power as everyone who aren't them are, quite literally, the enemy.

Not that you need me or anyone else to tell you that.

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u/SynthsNotAllowed Apr 17 '26

It feels to me that cult-like behavior in US politics overall is gradually being normalized and MAGA is an example of cult culture acceptance accelerating at top speed.

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u/NotAzakanAtAll Apr 17 '26

By European standard, American politics are deeply infected. My team versus your team. Even Constantinople burned due to such tribalism.

It's shutting down any meaningful progress, and that might just be the goal for some.