Make education, reading, and research great again.
Recently, an individual shared something on social media that caught my eye. It was a video clip from a program called, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and a caption which read:
“HUGE Revelation: who is deep state corruption within - Chief of Staff office. The most powerful people in the country = Lobbyists. Calley Means talks about the blocking of MAHA for example.”
For context, Mr. Means was a “health activist” and senior advisor to Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services. He resigned in October. I don’t know who the hell Joe Rogan is but following the departure, Means went on his podcast to allege that administration officials and lobbyists had stalled MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) initiatives.
I tend to avoid comment threads, though in this case I felt compelled to reply:
“K Street lobbyists and AIPAC have been puppet masters controlling both sides of the aisle for a long time. For those whose research extends beyond influencers and social silos, this is not new information and certainly not a "huge" revelation. Trusting RFK Jr. was the first fatal error of the MAHA movement. Trusting Trump was the death knell. Cults of personality are inherently fragile and volatile vehicles on which to hitch for lasting change.”
I followed up my comment with a book recommendation: “The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government” by Brody and Luke Mullins. If you’ve not read it, you should.
Granted, Mr. Means is correct. Washington is controlled by big money. But the more I investigate Mr. Rogan; he strikes me, as most influencers do, as just another narcissistic gas bag.
The post begs a question I find myself asking far too often:
You wouldn't blindfold yourself and eat something a stranger fed you, right?
So why do many of our family, friends, and neighbors eagerly consume things they hear from so-called "influencers?"
I'm not just referring to political influencers.
Religious and social influencers are equally toxic. For proof of this, look no further than Catholic and Eastern Orthodox influencers known as “Rad Trads” and “Orthobros” respectively.
Likewise, the entire MAHA movement was founded by anti-science quacks and snake oil salesmen. If Dr. Oz’s numerous “miracle diets” were so effective, why did his daughter serve as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers?
Michael Liebowitz, co-author of “Down the Rabbit Hole,” observed, “It's hard to tell whether so many influencers, talk show hosts, politicians, etc., actually believe the ridiculous things they espouse, or are just catering to an audience.”
I suspect the latter.
Narcissists who crave fame and aspire to become influencers often commence their mission by carefully studying their target audience. They meticulously examine various groups to identify which is most vulnerable and susceptible. The individual then adopts a persona that best reflects the group's needs, motives, or mission. Usually, that persona appeals to both fear and passion.
The mic'd morons, shock jock theologians, armchair politicos, and wannabe experts on all things in between don't spend any measurable portion of their time reading, factchecking, cross-referencing or ensuring accuracy. They're much too busy feeding their insatiably self-centered appetites with likes, shares, subscribes, and follows.
For their part, the followers become a mindless herd of sheeple who believe anything fed to them by charlatans with webcams who are often fueled by fringe movements.
This is one example of what’s known as the cult of personality.
Incidentally, cults of personality aren’t limited to politics and religion. Sports and entertainment are similarly fertile breeding grounds. Taylor Swift could belch into a microphone, and it would be heralded as a number one hit by her followers known as, “Swifties.”
In his book, "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle," Chris Hedges writes, "In an age of images and entertainment, in an age of instant emotional gratification, we neither seek nor want honesty or reality."
Similarly, Isaac Asimov observed, "The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
Though we have a plethora of resources at our fingertips, we live in a willfully ignorant era that shamefully resembles fictional literary works like Idiocracy. Influencers hold a good portion of the blame. Sheeple would do well to remember that those who follow the herd see only assholes.
How about we make education, reading, and research great again?
