As a former member of an American cult, I know why so many white Christian women fervently support Trump
Why do so many women support Trump? Short answer: All the things that work to control a cult member's mind.
Safety: the group punishes dissent and non-conformity, husbands have great freedom in how they treat their wives, divorce could mean losing everything and being thrown out into a world they believe is evil and will hurt them.
Indoctrination: rally chants, repeated mantras and slogan-like sound bytes, rewarded behaviors, all while self preservatory impulses remain in the back of the mind and independent thoughts are suppressed, a sense of superiority over even "lesser" people (minorities).
Us vs. them world view: Everything and everyone outside the ideological identity group is depraved and satanic, don't believe anything out there, stay ignorant, let the men do the thinking and deciding.
And the usual Christian framework that dictates womanhood from all sides: her role is to please men and praise Jesus, and never serve in leadership except in limited ways such as teaching young girls the rules they must abide by to conform, maintain group approval, and, of course, to please men, first their fathers then their husbands.
Should our current administration revamp the U.S. into their very own Gilead, the "strong" women we see on the right, the mostly blond, pretty loudmouths who so boldly take their hatred out on non-believing women and "enemies," will not have such freedom to speak out. They'll have done their part and then, poof, they'll be reigned in when no longer needed to influence culture.
Trump’s administration and his base, the Christian right, offer a s**t deal for women. So why do so many go for it? Same reason us “cult” kids “went for” being brutalised by each other: fear, lack of information and a steady diet of self-hating, figurehead-worshipping language.
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I speak from experience when I say that when you are brainwashed, there’s a wall in your mind. Logic lies on the far side; you can’t touch it. Instead, you see everything through the lens of indoctrination. So those Trump-loving women on Facebook, they really do believe professor Ford is “making this stuff up”, that they’re superior to non-white non-Christians, that Trump is helping them. They’re incapable of thinking anything else. Their answer to that koan, “how can countering one’s own best interests keep one safe?” would be this: “For safety, my own best interest is not having my own interests.”
Why do so many women support Trump? Short answer: All the things that work to control a cult member's mind.
Safety: the group punishes dissent and non-conformity, husbands have great freedom in how they treat their wives, divorce could mean losing everything and being thrown out into a world they believe is evil and will hurt them.
Indoctrination: rally chants, repeated mantras and slogan-like sound bytes, rewarded behaviors, all while self preservatory impulses remain in the back of the mind and independent thoughts are suppressed, a sense of superiority over even "lesser" people (minorities).
Us vs. them world view: Everything and everyone outside the ideological identity group is depraved and satanic, don't believe anything out there, stay ignorant, let the men do the thinking and deciding.
And the usual Christian framework that dictates womanhood from all sides: her role is to please men and praise Jesus, and never serve in leadership except in limited ways such as teaching young girls the rules they must abide by to conform, maintain group approval, and, of course, to please men, first their fathers then their husbands.
Should our current administration revamp the U.S. into their very own Gilead, the "strong" women we see on the right, the mostly blond, pretty loudmouths who so boldly take their hatred out on non-believing women and "enemies," will not have such freedom to speak out. They'll have done their part and then, poof, they'll be reigned in when no longer needed to influence culture.