A Sense of Doubt blog post #4134 - SoD Reprint of 1573 from 2019 - The Cult of Outrage

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4134 - SoD Reprint of 1573 from 2019 - The Cult of Outrage

Just this reprint, and I had to fix an image.

Seems time for this message again as the national outrage is a bit out of control on some topics, though not on others.

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

BLOG VACATION #1 - 2026 - Taking a blog vacation for a couple of weeks, until at least June 26th, 2026. Mostly reprints. A few simple shares (not that simple shares are out of the norm) and THAT ONE THING. Need time for other things.

Link to the original post I am reprinting below:

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

A Sense of Doubt blog post #1573 - Cult of Outrage

A Sense of Doubt blog post #1573 - Cult of Outrage

I have always said that rape jokes are not funny. This one isn't either, but it's also not terribly offensive. It's unfortunate, but it's more thoughtless than endemic of misogyny.

That said, the follow up article on the possibility that as many men are sexually assaulted as women per year is startling, especially given how prison statistics affect the numbers.

This post has been hanging around in my queue for years, though not quite five years.

http://issuehawk.com/patton/2014/06/24/cult-of-outrage-brittany-furlan-and-the-rape-joke-that-may-have-been-in-poor-taste-or-genius.html
Cult of Outrage: Brittany Furlan and the Rape Joke That Was Either In Poor Taste or Genius

• By: Joshua M Patton
   
• June 24, 2014
   
• Articles, Uncategorized
   
• 0 Comments

Read more at https://issuehawk.com/patton/2014/06/24/cult-of-outrage-brittany-furlan-and-the-rape-joke-that-may-have-been-in-poor-taste-or-genius.html#5VfaeemeLHSIcHFP.99

Brittany Furlan is a comedian who found her fanbase on the social network Vine, shooting and starring in seven second videos. Furlan and a number of other “vine famous” people she often films with have made their names with irreverent comedy, often with little context.

So Furlan was working the red carpet with Lauren Elizabeth (who found her fame on YouTube) and interviewing some handsome actor from a soap opera that is somehow still on the air. After generally fawning over his handsomeness and making suggestive jokes about “backstage” Furlan ended the interview by saying “Let’s get you away from us before we rape you.”

And cue Twitter outrage. According to Mediaite.com, not only were people actually watching the red carpet for the Daytime Emmys but some of them were actually willing to admit it by tweeting their disgust for Furlan’s joke.

Hey #daytimeemmys maybe hire some red carpet "hosts" w a little less black and rape jokes next year. These girls have the verbal runs.

— Brandon Barash (@BrandonBarash) June 22, 2014

Most notably, some other actor from the same soap opera (there can’t be more than one still on, right?) tweeted, “Hey #daytimeemmys maybe hire some red carpet “hosts” [with] a little less black and rape jokes next year. These girls have the verbal runs.

For fans of Furlan’s previous work, the edginess doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Yet is it fair to give more famous comedians who have done “questionable” material in the past a pass, but excoriate Furlan? Was her joke tasteless or was she cleverly subverting traditional stereotypes? The immediacy of Twitter doesn’t allow much time for reflection.

Maybe this wasn’t a high-minded bit that sought to subvert the traditional male-on-female violence paradigm (although, you could argue that it does that if only inadvertently), but an off-the-cuff remark that was, at worst, in poor taste. Yet, the outrage machine loves victims like Furlan, because while Patton Oswalt can take time off from social media without negatively impacting his career, a comedian like Furlan cannot.

While it is remarkably well-intentioned, as always the outrage is misplaced. Yes, Furlan’s joke played on the old stereotype that rape happens when someone “gets too excited” about how the victim looks. The fact that a woman saying that to a man is noticed this way, suggests that perhaps the stereotype that men are always the perpetrators and women always the victims is falling out of fashion.

Yet “taking down” Furlan neither advances the cause nor does anything to help the actual victims who are being let down by the system. Of course, trashing a comedian – especially one who is not an established brand – is far easier than addressing the substantive problems affecting rape survivors.

Instead, activists of all stripes seek to imbue “their word” with the same kind of fearful power as the name of the main villain in Harry Potter. Spoiler warning, but at one point the eponymous character tells his friends that by referring to the villain as “Voldemort” rather than “You-know-who” gives him an added power he doesn’t really have. That is what is happening with words today. People hear “rape” and regardless of the context, fire off their outrage into the ether.

Rape is a serious social problem across the world and one that is not likely to go away because of some miracle legislation or great awakening in society (although one can hope). Hiding the word away, especially absent of context, will make it easier for society to forget about the real problem and take satisfaction in the false victory of “banning” the word.

Hashtag activism isn’t always lazy and unproductive, but this kind almost always is.

https://latest.com/2014/04/new-study-finds-men-as-likely-to-be-victims-of-rape-as-women/

A new study seeks to challenge the way Americans think about rape specifically that men are the perpetrators and that women are the victims. In an essay for Slate, Hanna Rosin details a new study by Lara Stemple and Ilan Meyer which shows that “the rates of nonconsensual sexual contact is basically equalized, with 1.270 million women and 1.267 million men claiming to be victims of sexual violence.”


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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1906.11 - 10:10
- Days ago = 1438 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2606.12 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 3998 days ago & DAD = 652 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3168 - Trumpism is a Virus

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-trump-virus_b_9133800

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3168 -  Trumpism is a Virus

This one has been in the draft queue for over three years.

There's more evidence even now how Trumpism is a virus.

Thanks for tuning in.

It's a virus that makes people crazy, like the segment on Cuomo PrimeTime on January 22, 2021 with the kid whose father threatened to kill him -- "choose a side or die" and "if you turn me in, you are a traitor, and you know what happens to traitors" -- and the son turned him in to the police.

Terrible.

Is there a vaccine?

A cure?

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/the-plague-of-partisan-paranoia/

I must agree with Never Trump conservative Tom Nichols that engaging with President Klan Robe’s dead-end supporters is a waste of time and brain cells. (The Atlantic)

If we've learned one thing about "Trumpism," it is that there is no such thing as "Trumpism." No content anchors it; no program or policy comes from it. No motivating ideology stands behind it, unless we think of general grievance and a hatred of cultural and intellectual elites as an "idea." And when views are incoherent and beliefs are rooted in fantasies, compromise is impossible. Further engagement is not only unwarranted, but it can also become counterproductive.

(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)	Fact-checking more than 25,000 false claims The year started with an impeachment trial and ended with a presidential election. The Fact Checker team paid attention throughout, with an eye on the truth. According to the Fact Checker, President Trump has made more than 25,000 false or misleading claims since he assumed office in 2017.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-shared-psychosis-of-donald-trump-and-his-loyalists/

What attracts people to Trump? What is their animus or driving force?

The reasons are multiple and varied, but in my recent public-service book, Profile of a Nation, I have outlined two major emotional drives: narcissistic symbiosis and shared psychosis. Narcissistic symbiosis refers to the developmental wounds that make the leader-follower relationship magnetically attractive. The leader, hungry for adulation to compensate for an inner lack of self-worth, projects grandiose omnipotence—while the followers, rendered needy by societal stress or developmental injury, yearn for a parental figure. When such wounded individuals are given positions of power, they arouse similar pathology in the population that creates a “lock and key” relationship.

“Shared psychosis”—which is also called “folie à millions” [“madness for millions”] when occurring at the national level or “induced delusions”—refers to the infectiousness of severe symptoms that goes beyond ordinary group psychology. When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the person’s symptoms can spread through the population through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violence—even in previously healthy individuals. The treatment is removal of exposure.

Why does Trump himself seem to gravitate toward violence and destruction?

Destructiveness is a core characteristic of mental pathology, whether directed toward the self or others. First, I wish to clarify that those with mental illness are, as a group, no more dangerous than those without mental illness. When mental pathology is accompanied by criminal-mindedness, however, the combination can make individuals far more dangerous than either alone.

In my textbook on violence, I emphasize the symbolic nature of violence and how it is a life impulse gone awry. Briefly, if one cannot have love, one resorts to respect. And when respect is unavailable, one resorts to fear. Trump is now living through an intolerable loss of respect: rejection by a nation in his election defeat. Violence helps compensate for feelings of powerlessness, inadequacy and lack of real productivity.

Do you think Trump is truly exhibiting delusional or psychotic behavior? Or is he simply behaving like an autocrat making a bald-faced attempt to hold onto his power?

I believe it is both. He is certainly of an autocratic disposition because his extreme narcissism does not allow for equality with other human beings, as democracy requires. Psychiatrists generally assess delusions through personal examination, but there is other evidence of their likelihood. First, delusions are more infectious than strategic lies, and so we see, from their sheer spread, that Trump likely truly believes them. Second, his emotional fragility, manifested in extreme intolerance of realities that do not fit his wishful view of the world, predispose him to psychotic spirals. Third, his public record includes numerous hours of interviews and interactions with other people—such as the hour-long one with the Georgia secretary of state—that very nearly confirm delusion, as my colleague and I discovered in a systematic analysis.

You're Wrong About

Losing Relatives to Fox News

DECEMBER 07, 2020

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1112270/6725503-losing-relatives-to-fox-news

Mike tells Sarah what makes older Americans more vulnerable to misinformation — and who is delivering it to them. Digressions include "Supernatural," the Rachel and a fake university in Pennsylvania. We recorded this episode before the election but tried not to make it too obvious.

Here's the article Mike wrote with all the research he did for this episode: 

The reality of Trump’s mix of drug cocktails and his need for supplemental oxygen contradict the narrative that he has conquered the virus. It’s as if he’s kicking down his own thinly constructed reality, and frantically trying to rebuild it again.

But Trump’s narrative works if you already bought in. You can hide, too, in the shared delusion if you are rich enough and White enough not to have to face reality. But for the rest of Americans, coughing, jobless, worried and already heading to the polls in record numbers, the vision isn’t selling.

@WashingtonPost https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/10/10/trumpism-shared-delusion-virus/

https://www.bainbridgereview.com/opinion/trumpism-is-the-real-virus-matthew-johnson/

Trumpism Is The Real Virus | Matthew Johnson

April 24, 2020 10:30 am

Tags: Politics

It’s painfully obvious that even before the outbreak of COVID-19 this country was suffering from a deadly plague — the plague of ignorance and incompetence spreading from the White House, its allied media, and an all-too-familiar Twitter account.

Unlike COVID-19, this sickness is manmade (and I use the word “manmade” with all due gender sensitivity). While I would hesitate to categorize the United States as anything better than a semi-democracy, millions of people (the majority of them men) voted for a man with no experience, no original ideas, and no compassion to lead their country. Many did this as a form of protest — they correctly rejected a status quo that for years privileged Wall Street at the expense of Main Street; wasted trillions of dollars and millions of lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters; and refused to provide health care, higher education, and gainful employment to large swaths of the citizenry.

Nonetheless, they were tragically mistaken to think Trump would do anything other than what he has done: Turned the United States into his own (pathetic) reality TV show, where he gets to be the hero and constant center of attention. Never mind that he is a fourth-rate entertainer at best, and never mind that thousands are dying from a pandemic that could have been prevented by — Hillary Clinton, perhaps? — or anyone competent enough to listen to their own staff or experts.

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But Trump can’t do that. He can’t listen. He is immune to reason — unless the reason is that it makes him look good. He’s a hopeless narcissist. A malignant fool. A jester masquerading as president. Even worse, he is a parasite that thrives off human misery. He pushes others down, so that he can look taller (just think of all his staff who resigned or were fired). Would anyone doubt that he would climb on and drown everyone around him if he fell into a pool and couldn’t swim?

I want his supporters to know that they can stop this. They can flatten this curve. All they must do is turn off FOX and find a new messiah. Or reflect on why they need a messiah. That’s all. I won’t even ask them to admit they were wrong because it accomplishes nothing.

I want Trump gone. I want him gone in some senses even more than I want COVID-19 to subside. At least COVID-19 is a silent killer who doesn’t infect our airwaves with lies and tantrums, all the while blustering war talk with countries big or small. I want Trump gone more than I want my stimulus check — or even my paycheck. I want him gone more than I want this football season to move forward as planned. I want him gone more than I want a beer at my favorite dive bar. And that’s saying a lot.

The Trumpers hold the key to victory. They should do on Election Day what we are already being ordered to do now: Stay home. Stay the hell home.

You’ve done enough damage already.

Matt Johnson, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is co-author of “Trumpism.”

The "Trump Virus"

Most members of the Republican Party, most notably in the Senate have been cowed and rendered helpless by The Mad King, even after his defeat demonstrating the power Trump continue to wield over his minions.

 

By Mark Lawrence

Dec 04, 2020

 

Slavish Trump devotee Geraldo Rivera recently suggested that we name the Covid Vaccine, the "Trump Vaccine" as homage to his alleged efforts to resolve the devasting effects of the pandemic. He said ""Make it like, 'Have you got your Trump yet?' It would be a nice gesture to him, and years from now it would become kind of a generic name. Have you got your Trump yet? I got my Trump; I'm fine." As repulsive and bewildering this suggestion is, he did get it half right. In light of the ongoing, incalculable devastation to Americans from Covid that has been directly attributable to Trump by virtue of his inaction, inattention, the downplaying of its effects and his pathological narcissism guiding all of his decisions, I firmly believe it would be entirely appropriate to rename Covid 19 "The Trump Virus." Why not? 14 million American "got" their Trump Virus. The Mad King himself engaged his own rebranding strategy referring to Covid as "The China Plague" countless times. America leads the world in deaths, and cases. Why? "The Trump Virus." Turnabout is indeed fair play, and there is another, even more important component to this branding effort namely, his ongoing legacy, the "Cult of Trump" and the extent to which it will plague our Democratic institutions for years to come.

Carl Bernstein has referred to these acts of omission as "Homicidal negligence."

Numerous former Administration officials, confidants, advisors and even family members have referred to Trumpism as a cult. It clearly meets the criteria. America is now confronted with not only a tribalistic, divided country, witness the incomprehensible challenges to the very clear results of the election with totally irrational and easily disproven accusations of rampant voter fraud. We must now recognize, and acknowledge that the "Cult of Trump" has been, and in spite of his loss to Biden, will continue to be a clear and present danger to our nation.

With over a quarter of a million fellow citizens falling victim to the Covid pandemic, and a daily death toll exceeding a thousand or more, we are seeing the equivalent of a Jonestown, or two, each and every day in America. That terrible event, the result of a cult movement, claimed 909 lives in Jonestown Guyana in 1978. While the analogy often used in the media regarding the death toll from Covid being the same as "three jumbo jets crashing daily" is a vivid image, no one could possibly imagine that occurring with FAA regulations and the current oversight of transportation safety. Two 727 Max jets crashed due to a defect almost two years ago, and the entire fleet of that plane was only recently allowed to fly again. As daunting and almost incomprehensible as it may seem, the Jonestown analogy is significantly more resonate, accurate and in my estimation, sadly needed to sufficiently shock the collective consciousness of a nation still in the grip of a cult phenomenon never seen before in our history. It's a branding challenge of the highest moral order. It's "The Trump Virus." With the Woodward tapes clearly demonstrating Trump's knowledge of the dangers of Covid as early as January, it has been obvious to everyone that it has always been about him, his image, his "numbers" and never the safety and well-being of the American people. His refusal to even speak with the Biden transition team as Covid numbers explode everywhere is, and must be seen as criminal. It is time to stop being "polite" about this phenomenon, and get tough, especially with the cowards and enablers of the Mad King in the Senate. It's the "Trump Virus."

Carl Bernstein has referred to these acts of omission as "Homicidal negligence." A fitting phrase if there ever was one. It is tragically simple to see unmistakable parallels between the Jonestown tragedy in 1978, and the daily Covid death count today. Many victims of the virus are "collateral damage" from cult behavior, ignoring all admonitions to be safe. South Dakota, fiercely led by a Trump ally, Governor Noem has a 56% positive Covid test ratio, and the highest death rate from Covid on Planet Earth. Yet, she proudly proclaims "We are free!" Yes, free from logic, science, common sense and human decency, that is certain. It has been widely reported that patients dying from Covid in South Dakota hospitals, gasping for breath, nearing their final moments scream with denial that it could be Covid, cursing at everyone in sight. Are they prayerfully exiting this mortal coil? No! They staunchly defend their Dear Leader and his denialism with their final breath. This is astonishing. Textbook cult behavior. It's the "Trump Virus."

In spite of the fact that President Elect Biden will take office on January 20, 2021, with a Covid response team already assembled, this nation faces a sobering challenge above and beyond the defeat of Covid. It is contending with the remnants of the Trump cult, most of whom are up in arms, emboldened and empowered in spite of the loss of Dear Leader to Biden, ready willing and able to defend his "honor" and continue the fight against reason, and the relentless assault on democracy however that may manifest. Most members of the Republican Party, most notably in the Senate have been cowed and rendered helpless by The Mad King, even after his defeat demonstrating the power Trump continue to wield over his minions. The press, and far too many segments of the public continue to clutch their pearls in fear of offending Trump supporters, concerned about ruffling their feathers. After all, they number 73 million strong, we cannot discount them right? What we can, and must discount are the cult members, the fanatics, the true believers who are the source of the problem. There are countless millions of Trump supporters who are not cult members, whose support of him stems from pragmatic policy positions, or simple rejection of the Democratic Party and its plans for the future of America. How we long for the days of debate over policy. Remember that time? We must reach them, first of all, and do our level best to join together in peacefully defeating what many have referred to as "the other virus." The Cult of Trump, the "Trump Virus." Pass it on.

 

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2310.21 - 10:10

- Days ago = 3032 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.