Several stories in the news today have me wondering if the GOP is a cult or is on its way to becoming one. Below are quick explanations of the stories with links to Newsvine seeds you can click on to find out more.
Story 1: A right-wing blogger, Eric Dondero, urges people to dump all of their democrat friends from Facebook, divorce their spouses or dump their boyfriends/girlfriends if they voted for Obama, cut off all contact with all other friends and family members who supported the president, and quit their jobs if their bosses are lefties.
http://carloz.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/08/15018385-angry-republican-libertarian-urges-action-against-family-friends-acquaintances-who-may-have-voted-for-obama-divorce-break-up-resign-dont-do-business-with-un-friend-on-facebook
Story 2: A right-wing pundit named Kevin DuJan is telling conservatives to cancel their cable television and stop newspaper delivery so that they are not exposed to any opinions or news that might contain left-wing ideology. He even went so far as to tell people to not watch Fox, since he considers even Fox News too leftist for him!!
http://bonosrama.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/08/15027016-rightwing-pundit-urges-conservatives-to-cancel-cable-and-stop-reading-news-to-avoid-mind-changing-facts-and-reality
Story 3: A commenter on the right-wing website Free Republic said that because President Obama was re-elected, he is going to be cutting up his credit cards, closing his savings and checking accounts, getting rid of his health insurance, destroying his medical records, turning off his Direct TV, getting rid of his computer, and building a gate to close his house off from the rest of the world.
http://bonosrama.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/08/15026963-hilariously-crazed-wingnut-rant-of-the-day
In addition, well-known right-wing pundits such as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, etc. use the power of their media positions to instill fear and spread propaganda to get their listeners to vote republican. (I.e. through the spreading of such lies as Obama is a socialist or communist, that he is a terrorist and/or a Muslim; that Muslims are going to take over America and institute sharia law; that liberals are all evil; that black people will riot and kill white people if President Obama doesn't win, that the country is becoming communist and/or is ending soon; and all minorities and democrats want handouts, etc.)
It strikes me how similar these actions are to those taken by cults. Most cults urge their followers to cut themselves off from the rest of the world, including close friends and family members. Cult leaders know that friends and family will often try to dissuade people from joining or influence members to quit. Cults also discourage members from seeking out information via the internet, newspapers, radio or any other form of media; they know that if members are free to read newspapers, watch television and surf the net, that they will be exposed to alternative ideas and information, making it much harder to retain control and to get members to succumb to propaganda.
According to the website "How Cults Work", some of the tactics used by cults include mind control, destroying personal relationships, deception, and fear tactics. (Click here to learn more about these tactics.)
The stories listed above all fit the pattern of behavior exhibited by cults, including using fear, mind control and propaganda, and by isolating members from friends and family.
What do you think? Is the GOP becoming a cult?
