Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Newsweek: "How Murderer Charles Manson And Donald Trump Used Language To Gain Followers"

Used language you say?! Why...come to think of it...Trump and Hitler both used language, too! And Trump and Stalin both used microphones! And Trump and Genghis Khan both breathed air...so...a pattern emerges...
   But at least:
Smaller is clear that he does not believe President Donald Trump is similar to the convicted killer, or that their followers have any shared beliefs or characteristics, but he did say we can look to the current president to see how language is used to form a bond with followers.
But the idea in the article seems to be that both sets of followers are psychologically defective, and Trump and Manson are both good manipulators. This effort to take it back once it's been said doesn't impress me.
   Then there's basically my favorite part:
Smaller doesn’t have specifics on what Manson may have told followers, but said cult leaders may say things like...
[facepalm]
   Some this crap is the fault of sensationalistic headline-writers. But not all of it.
   TBF there's a point or two in the article that isn't entirely lame...but they seem pretty stock to me.

[Also: not enough to just compare Trump to Charles Manson...but to murderer Charles Manson. Because of all the Charles Mansons out there I guess.]

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure Newsweek's survival strategy is to put Trump in every headline, no matter how idiotic the headline will become (because #Resistance). In a just world that strategy would prove very ineffective.

9:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The thing is, I remember when Newsweek was quite respectable, not long ago at all. It is astonishing how far they've sunk.

9:46 AM  

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