Recently, I’ve had a few encounters with people over 65 who can only be characterized as bitterly angry. Their certainty about an impending apocalypse has created a seething cauldron of despair they want others to know about and understand the danger because this is the moment in history when the wheels finally come off; we are all doomed. Their rationale is the talking points they’ve been spoon-fed; to disagree with them draws out their wrath that anyone should be so uninformed. Ignorance of doom is a red flag for them but also allows them to flaunt their disdain that one should be so belligerent about seeing the obvious truth of collapse all around them.

While I recognize that this wasn’t necessarily created by the Republican party, they did take advantage of a giant, malleable meatball of disenchanted, fundamentalist Christian, white, angry Americans walking in the crazy shoes of Charismatics. The Republicans soared and picked up the baton for this vast group of misfits when they and their media lackeys took on the role of fabulists to lure the simple-minded down a rat hole. Now, we have a riled-up base of the nearly insane that likely will not be pulled down from the rafters without someone giving up the strategy that was used to ensnare them, and that would reveal them to be tools for the propagation of a kind of zealotry that is nothing short of fundamentalism on the side of irrational extremism. Why would a political ruling class do something like this to its constituents? Because it’s lucrative and gives power to those who want to harness the energy of a loony machine.

The reverend Jim Jones and his People’s Temple in the jungle of Guyana immediately come to mind after listening to these cranks in public spaces defending their messiah and his party’s bizarre plan to accelerate his disciples onto the path of encountering heaven. Jim Jones was a master dog-whistle illusionist, painting images of impending doom that would befall the cowering, less-than-educated masses pummeled into fear. Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Donald Trump, and the majority of Republicans appear to my simple mind to have taken a page from Jonestown to massage their followers into a state of panic similar to those who were coerced with fear and drugs into committing mass suicide, but ChatGPT brought me around to have to admit that the violence deployed in that jungle over 40 years ago is not a part of this modern equation. To quote:

It is also important to acknowledge that within any political party, there is a wide range of beliefs, opinions, and tactics. While it is possible to find similarities in some tactics used by various political groups and manipulative methods employed by cult leaders, it is crucial to distinguish between the extreme behavior exhibited by the Peoples Temple and the standard political strategies used by mainstream political parties.

Next, I asked it to define “dog whistle” as used in politics because I see some in politics and media using “extreme behaviors”:

In populist political culture, a “dog whistle” refers to a coded message or subtle communication strategy that conveys a specific meaning or sentiment to a targeted audience without explicitly stating it. The term is derived from the concept of a dog whistle, which emits a sound at a frequency that can be heard by dogs but not humans.

In politics, dog whistles are often used by politicians or political groups to appeal to certain demographics or supporters without alienating other potential voters. These messages may involve using certain words, phrases, or themes that resonate with a specific group but may not be apparent to the general public. Dog whistles can be used to convey controversial or divisive sentiments, such as racial, ethnic, or religious bias, while maintaining plausible deniability for the speaker.

Well then, I’m sticking to my potentially misguided thought that we are living through a moment of cultism being played on a massive scale where those with an inkling of hate of change or difference have been manipulated and taken to the brink of madness through dog whistles and extreme speech influencing people into irrational behaviors. As far as ChatGPT’s take on things, I tend to believe that it’s programmed not to take controversial positions, but the way I see it, there are those with public voices that are difficult for me to distinguish from someone like the reverend Jim Jones. Stay away from KookAid, you freaky right-wing extremists.