🤔 I thought Meta dismantled fact-checking and left the gates wide open for anything to be posted. But when my readers try to share this article on Facebook, those gates mysteriously slam shut. Denied.
This article is brilliantly written! The parallels you draw between Trump and Charles Manson are masterfully argued. Both project a distorted sense of messianic authority. Your writing is captivating, thank you!
Great piece. What really hit home for me was that neither cult leader lifted a finger, but used based rhetoric to send in their freak squad to do the dirty work. Plausible deniability at its finest.
I always look forward to your "letters" - the insights and brilliant "outside the box" themes and views are so spot-on (aside form the fact that you really know how to craft a sentence)!
It's terrifying to see where the world has ended up - I thought 2016 was bad - but then all the lies and deceptions, Russia, etc., came out into the open, charges were filed, lawsuits brought, etc., and I truly had faith that justice would prevail and rid us of this evil once and for all.
Instead, that Evil and his Project 2025 sidekicks were apparently just testing the waters. Now "they" are better prepared and know that the Dear Leader can proceed with impunity. The media is already under attack, schools and universities will no doubt be next, voting rights, and on and on. Here in Canada, we're just bracing for the "economic pressure" or whatever else that demented mind and President Musk come up with.
After all these centuries, you would think humans would have learned, evolved and gotten to the point where we could see collaboration is key, truth is essential, protecting the environment is not just a luxury, helping uplift people and taking care of the elders, etc., etc., benefits everyone. But clearly that's not the case. So, are humans just basically so selfish and flawed that they will swallow whatever someone feeds them (too much effort to inform yourself or think critically?) and always put their self-interest and unfounded fears ahead of everything and everyone else? It's something I still can't wrap my head around.
Thank you for the kind words! It’s always a pleasure to connect with sharp minds who see the patterns behind the chaos. As for humanity’s endless flirtation with self-destruction—yes, it’s maddening. Apparently, centuries of history lessons weren’t enough to stop us from falling for the same snake-oil salesmen, just with shinier packaging. Critical thinking is in short supply, but fear and selfishness? Always in surplus. Sadly, it seems some would rather burn the world than share it. Let’s hope the rest of us can keep the matches out of their hands.
Sadly "humanity's endless flirtation with self-destruction" seems to be the heading for the next few years. I guess all we can do is try to make the world a bit better -- and hope that good really does prevail in the end. Still horrible to watch it all play out.
This is brilliant, just brilliant! I agree with both the Jim Jones piece and this companion piece about Manson that Trump is a dangerously charismatic leader and one who has never ever admitted he was wrong about anything.
While it was a slightly good sign that the SCOTUS decided (by a one vote margin, mind you) to allow sentencing for his 32 felony convictions it’s also sobering to realize just how close it came to the opposite decision. Not that sentencing today will carry any weight for MAGATs but it is nevertheless a small victory for those who insist no one is above the law.
I shudder to think about Jan 20 and what will follow. But I thank you for these essays which illuminate the very darkest aspect of what’s coming.
PS Why the repeated use of bold text? Your writing is entirely persuasive and the bold text strikes me as unnecessary and a distraction.
Thank you—seriously, thank you. Your praise is as sharp as it is gratifying, and I’m delighted these essays struck the right chord. You’re spot-on: Trump’s refusal to admit fault, paired with his dangerously hypnotic charisma, makes him the perfect cocktail of cult leader and chaos agent. Jim Jones and Charles Manson couldn’t have scripted a more fitting successor to their manipulative legacies if they’d tried.
As for the SCOTUS ruling—what a nail-biter. A single vote saved us from turning the phrase “above the law” into something depressingly literal. Sure, today’s sentencing won’t budge the MAGA zealots, but at least it’s a paper trail for the history books—a breadcrumb that not everyone bent the knee to the orange demagogue.
I shudder right along with you thinking about Jan. 20 and the circus of horrors it might unleash. But your thoughtful engagement with these essays makes the work feel less like shouting into the void and more like lighting candles in the dark.
As for the bold text—point well taken. I was aiming to emphasize key points for impact, but if it detracts from the writing's persuasiveness, I’ll scale back or reconsider its use. Your feedback is invaluable, and I deeply appreciate it.
Thank you again for engaging so thoughtfully with these pieces—it means a great deal.
🤔 I thought Meta dismantled fact-checking and left the gates wide open for anything to be posted. But when my readers try to share this article on Facebook, those gates mysteriously slam shut. Denied.
And tonight on Mixtape on the Titanic...
Helter MAGA
Oh, Donny Convict, you're the star of the show,
Running your cult from Mar-a-Lago.
No knives, no guns, just a microphone,
But the mob you sent left blood on the stone.
You call it democracy, but it’s Helter Skelter,
Turning paranoia into a national shelter.
You didn’t need a knife, you didn’t need a gun,
Just tell ‘em they’re the victims, and the war’s begun.
Oh, it’s the cult leader blues, baby, sing it loud,
Turn the fearful and angry into your crowd.
Point to shadows, build the fear,
Let the truth disappear—
It’s the cult leader blues, baby, year after year.
Manson had his Family, you’ve got your base,
Waving your name like it’s saving grace.
He promised revolution, you promised the same,
But Donny, you’ve taken it to the Hall of Fame.
Helter Skelter meets “Stop the Steal,”
The Capitol burns, and you close the deal.
Blame the deep state, blame the press,
Blame immigrants, trans kids, and the IRS.
Oh, it’s the cult leader blues, baby, sing it loud,
Turn the fearful and angry into your crowd.
Point to shadows, build the fear,
Let the truth disappear—
It’s the cult leader blues, baby, year after year.
"Nobody’s better at cults than me, okay?
Manson? Amateur hour.
I’ve got Tucker, I’ve got Twitter, I’ve got MAGA hats!
And Greenland? It’s gonna love me.
Tremendous loyalty, the best loyalty.
They’d storm the gates, they’d drink the Kool-Aid—
Because when you’re a star, they let you do it."
Oh, Charlie sent his Family, and Donny sent his crew,
Each one screaming, “I’m doing this for you!”
But here’s the thing, Donny, here’s the score:
They’ll turn on you when they want no more.
The cult leader blues, baby, it burns so bright,
But the shadows you cast, they swallow the light.
And when the lies crumble, the truth comes clear,
It’s the cult leader blues, and the end is near.
Oh, it’s the cult leader blues, baby, fading away,
When the mob sees the strings and won’t obey.
Point to shadows, they’ve disappeared,
The truth reappears—
It’s the cult leader blues, baby, the reckoning’s here.
This article is brilliantly written! The parallels you draw between Trump and Charles Manson are masterfully argued. Both project a distorted sense of messianic authority. Your writing is captivating, thank you!
Thank you, Petra!
Great piece. What really hit home for me was that neither cult leader lifted a finger, but used based rhetoric to send in their freak squad to do the dirty work. Plausible deniability at its finest.
I always look forward to your "letters" - the insights and brilliant "outside the box" themes and views are so spot-on (aside form the fact that you really know how to craft a sentence)!
It's terrifying to see where the world has ended up - I thought 2016 was bad - but then all the lies and deceptions, Russia, etc., came out into the open, charges were filed, lawsuits brought, etc., and I truly had faith that justice would prevail and rid us of this evil once and for all.
Instead, that Evil and his Project 2025 sidekicks were apparently just testing the waters. Now "they" are better prepared and know that the Dear Leader can proceed with impunity. The media is already under attack, schools and universities will no doubt be next, voting rights, and on and on. Here in Canada, we're just bracing for the "economic pressure" or whatever else that demented mind and President Musk come up with.
After all these centuries, you would think humans would have learned, evolved and gotten to the point where we could see collaboration is key, truth is essential, protecting the environment is not just a luxury, helping uplift people and taking care of the elders, etc., etc., benefits everyone. But clearly that's not the case. So, are humans just basically so selfish and flawed that they will swallow whatever someone feeds them (too much effort to inform yourself or think critically?) and always put their self-interest and unfounded fears ahead of everything and everyone else? It's something I still can't wrap my head around.
Thank you for the kind words! It’s always a pleasure to connect with sharp minds who see the patterns behind the chaos. As for humanity’s endless flirtation with self-destruction—yes, it’s maddening. Apparently, centuries of history lessons weren’t enough to stop us from falling for the same snake-oil salesmen, just with shinier packaging. Critical thinking is in short supply, but fear and selfishness? Always in surplus. Sadly, it seems some would rather burn the world than share it. Let’s hope the rest of us can keep the matches out of their hands.
Sadly "humanity's endless flirtation with self-destruction" seems to be the heading for the next few years. I guess all we can do is try to make the world a bit better -- and hope that good really does prevail in the end. Still horrible to watch it all play out.
This is brilliant, just brilliant! I agree with both the Jim Jones piece and this companion piece about Manson that Trump is a dangerously charismatic leader and one who has never ever admitted he was wrong about anything.
While it was a slightly good sign that the SCOTUS decided (by a one vote margin, mind you) to allow sentencing for his 32 felony convictions it’s also sobering to realize just how close it came to the opposite decision. Not that sentencing today will carry any weight for MAGATs but it is nevertheless a small victory for those who insist no one is above the law.
I shudder to think about Jan 20 and what will follow. But I thank you for these essays which illuminate the very darkest aspect of what’s coming.
PS Why the repeated use of bold text? Your writing is entirely persuasive and the bold text strikes me as unnecessary and a distraction.
Thank you—seriously, thank you. Your praise is as sharp as it is gratifying, and I’m delighted these essays struck the right chord. You’re spot-on: Trump’s refusal to admit fault, paired with his dangerously hypnotic charisma, makes him the perfect cocktail of cult leader and chaos agent. Jim Jones and Charles Manson couldn’t have scripted a more fitting successor to their manipulative legacies if they’d tried.
As for the SCOTUS ruling—what a nail-biter. A single vote saved us from turning the phrase “above the law” into something depressingly literal. Sure, today’s sentencing won’t budge the MAGA zealots, but at least it’s a paper trail for the history books—a breadcrumb that not everyone bent the knee to the orange demagogue.
I shudder right along with you thinking about Jan. 20 and the circus of horrors it might unleash. But your thoughtful engagement with these essays makes the work feel less like shouting into the void and more like lighting candles in the dark.
As for the bold text—point well taken. I was aiming to emphasize key points for impact, but if it detracts from the writing's persuasiveness, I’ll scale back or reconsider its use. Your feedback is invaluable, and I deeply appreciate it.
Thank you again for engaging so thoughtfully with these pieces—it means a great deal.