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We all lament that people with mental problems are walking the streets, unless there's a cozy basement. A few years ago, people walking down the street shouting to themselves drew attention. (At least from tourists.) Now they're indistinguishable from many Bluetooth users.
The right wing is a coalition of interests, a sort of "big tent." The plutocrats set the course, but they are few in number. So they are joined by the militarist super-patriots, fundamentalist theists, racists, authoritarians, sexually repressed, and gold standard and other Libertarian types. (There is some overlap.) What they all have is an obsession that can be played to. Promises are made, though rarely kept. The plutocrats always win though.
So far, I am talking about normal behavior. I encounter people who think the earth is 6000 years old, or who ask me why I would choose socialism over liberty. Seriously. Their information is filtered differently. They are out of touch with reality (IMO) in significant ways, but they function. So it works. (Nobody (or at most one person) can claim to be 100% in touch with reality.)
Where they connect with mentally challenged people is the constant appeal to "higher authority" than the democratic process. Where someone is already hearing direct instructions from Jesus or Thomas Jefferson, the play toward violent symbols promises visceral satisfaction. A simple oppressor. It's the government this time. (Jews, Muslims sigh with relief.) With no internal filters, the mentally ill will go hunting. Their prey has been demonized. The authorities are ignorant. Did they arrest Buffy for killing vampires?
When Sarah Palin told people to reload, she clearly said she was not advocating violence. I remember seeing kids throwing rocks at a lamppost. None of them thought they would hit the bulb, much less break it. When it broke, they were genuinely surprised. Then they ran away. I hope they learned from that. Sarah didn't. All the right wingers who appeal to macho instincts they are "just taking it to the edge" or "just joking."
They are always surprised when the deranged and miserable people, those loners, bring their threats to fruition.
--imm
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