Poisoned by a dangerous cult
On a flight from Detroit to San Diego before the November midterm elections, I sat silently while the woman sitting across from me was poisoned.
Allow me to explain.
I have a habit on long flights in larger jets that have built-in TV screens in every seat to keep mine turned off. Instead, I eavesdrop on what nearby passengers are watching and listening to via earbuds.
My choices on this flight included movies with Tom Cruise and his ego in flight gear; Sam Elliott and his mustache on a horse, and a computer-generated Clifford the Big Red Dog.
And then there was the woman sitting directly across the aisle. She and her husband, who sat on the other side of her in the middle seat, are probably close to 70 years old.
In the span of 15 minutes, in which I couldn’t stop myself from looking over at what was playing out in front of her, the woman became more and more agitated, gesticulating at the screen, shaking her head and nudging her husband with her elbow.
Classic symptoms of poisoning.
What was she watching?
A certain “news” channel that showed these headlines at the bottom of the screen under a variety of talking heads (yes, I sat there scribbling in my seat because they were so … sickening).
These might not be verbatim, but they capture the essence.
“GOP Senator: Biden’s Words are Inflaming Violence” (cue the irony and hypocrisy)
“Clinton Comments About Trump Raise Eyebrows” (yes, they’re still obsessed with Hillary, and later played a retro clip of her “deplorables” comment that helped defeat her in 2016)
“Wokeness in the Military”
“Republican Voters Under Attack”
“Violent Crime Surging in Major Cities”
“Murderer Entered US Illegally Twice” (complete with menacing photo of person of color)
“Hillary Compares Trump Rallygoers to Nazis” (there she is again)
“Report: Most Americans Lose $4K/Year Under Biden”
And, one that would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic:
“Bidens Serenaded by Elton John as Dow Plunges”
The onslaught was relentless, and the woman was steaming.
Finally, I had to look away, having seen enough of this fire-hose assault on truth, objectivity and democracy.
And then I got it.
I finally understood how our country has become so divided, so crude, such a powder keg of violence. I have steadfastly refused to watch Fox “news” other than accidentally seeing outrageous snippets on other feeds, but in those 15 minutes of watching that woman’s blood pressure, anger and yes, hatred, go off the charts, I finally got it.
This woman and millions like her have been brainwashed by a right-wing propaganda machine — a machine that will kick into overdrive soon with Congressional “hearings” led by the likes of the “Honorable” Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.
This is a cult and its instigators and members are dangerous.
