An American Taliban?

4est_4est_Gump said:

I've had to point this out several times this morning. In his brilliant study of mass movements and true believers, Eric Hoffer lays out the case that it is not the righteousness of a noble cause, or its reward, but the uplifting identification with something larger to those who feel insignificant or alienated from larger success in life. The hallmarks of the true believer, and Hoffer makes no judgement on the right or wrong of any mass movement be it the church, the Nazis or Uncle Joe Stalin, is rabid obedience to the cause, the casting aside of any formerly held contrary beliefs (think the reformed smoker or the born-again Christian who cannot shut up about how glorious their future is going to be compared to their task*) and a willingness to sacrifice the self in the name of the cause. This is why I doubt that 72 virgins/heaven is the big draw, I submit that it is the desire to die in the service of something bigger than the individual to establish that they were the "real" harbingers of the movement's vanguard and will be remembered as a hero once Utopia is established thusly gaining that accolade and fame they were unable to garner in life.




* and this too, is one of the hallmarks of the mass movement true believer, the past was injustice, the present not much better, but because of the movement, the future will be glorious. If a movement is ever sated, then it begins a slow death and goes into consolidating gain mode.

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Conager said:

I thought this thread was going to be about the violemce from the left against anyone that does not conform to their worldview.

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KingOrfeo said:

So far as that goes, a thread about the Tealiban would be more appopriate.

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KingOrfeo said:

So far as that goes, a thread about the Tealiban would be more appopriate.

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Fala said:

He still loves my collarbones.

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Christian school: Teen banned from graduation 'not because she is pregnant but because she was immoral'
Washington Post - ‎5 hours ago‎
A small Christian school in western Maryland is not backing down from its decision to ban a pregnant senior from walking at graduation next week.

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