As this incredibly perceptive psychological profile of common wingnuttery attests, the root of their insanity and depravity is not something that the reality-based might normally suppose. It's not greed. It's not ignorance. It's not even bull-headedness, though the profile rightly emphasizes that aspect. All of these play into the overall pathology, but the real culprit is the urge to obey.
It's true that fanatics can be manufactured without this urge: Randroids are an example. But fanatics cannot cohere into a mass movement without it. Subservience is the root of their insanity.
posted by RETARDO MONTALBAN @ 7:33 AM
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