Professor, scholar, and biographer Walter Isaacson joins to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic could fundamentally change the U.S. economy, workplaces, and society. Aired on 04/20/2020.
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How The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Change America Forever | The 11th Hour | MSNBC
Before Trump, the best modern-day example of a cult of personality came to us from North Korea and Kim Jong-un, the despotic dictator that Trump admires so much.
Kim Jong-un’s cult of personality paints him as a man who can do anything. According to this propaganda, he can climb tall mountains, even though like Trump, he is horrendously obese, and in terrible physical shape. Like Trump, Kim Jong Un brags about being able to make strong and intelligent military decisions, despite neither one of them having a military background. And when architects design new apartments and shops, he is given credit for doing so.
“This man is a genius at every level! Why can’t we all be like him? He must be something special, and we are clearly not. Ergo, let’s listen to him since he knows best.”
— Trump supporters
The Republican party has been replaced by a destructive cult known as Trumpism. It’s a cult rooted in lies, absurdities, wild conspiracy theories, self-deception, hypocrisy, pathological ignorance, self-righteous bigotry, doublespeak, and blind dogmatic obedience to the “Chosen One.”
Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who once taught at Harvard Medical School, wrote a paper titled Cult Formation in the early 1980s. He delineated primary characteristics, which are the most common features shared by destructive cults, destructive cults like Trumpism..
1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. That is a living leader, who has no meaningful accountability and becomes the single most defining element of the group and its source of power and authority.
2. A process of indoctrination or education is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion or thought reform commonly called “brainwashing”.
The culmination of this process can be seen by members of the group often doing things that are not in their own best interest, but consistently in the best interest of its leader.
3. The exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling members.
Here are 10 warning signs of a potentially unsafe group or leader.
• Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
• No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
• No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.
• Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
• Former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
• There are records, books, news articles, or broadcast reports that document the abuses of the group/leader.
• The group/leader is always right.
• The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is acceptable or credible.
As we’ve all seen, when it comes to the warning signs and characteristics of a cult, Trump and his followers check most of the boxes.
It’s like their minds have been infected with some sort of mental virus that blocks out logic, reasoning, and critical thinking, which inevitably transforms them into simply horrible human beings.
There exist no statute limitations on aggravated 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.
The Manhattan DA’s office is ready to indict and prosecute the fake billionaire, 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, depraved creep and self-proclaimed 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 Donald John Trump in the matter the moment he is hurled out of the Oval Office.
𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐀 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎
𝐌oscow’s 𝐀rsewipe 𝐆et 𝐀rrested 👮🏻 👮🏿 👮🏻 ⛓ 🧻 ⛓ 👮🏻 👮🏽 👮🏾
The abysmal ignorance of the insanely delusional, disgustingly boorish and ridiculously foul-mouthed 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 is absolutely staggering.
It is actually becoming ever so slightly difficult not to feel sorry for the rapidly dwindling herd of bleating omega males that still support the pathetic beta male Donald John Trump and his utterly disgusting fake bone spurs, because it is in for an extreordinarily rude awakening in the immediate future.
@CShield Aweee my halfwitted
idiotic little darling, Why are you so angry? 🤣😅🤗 Sounds like someone has some anti social emotional behavior issues they need to sort out with all those FAKE FACTS you’re spewing out that lopsided little toothpick brain of yours. I hope you get the medication your moronic
imbecilic brain cells need 🤣😅🤗
Coronavirus looks like a pretty good argument for Bernie, as it will only exasperate the already crazy wealth gap and bring to light just how weak the social safety net is in the wealthiest nation on earth.
@Pedro Suarez It’s the same as before: without Congress being a lot more progressive m4a will not happen. It needs huge grassroots support which it still does not have. Bernie will influence the Dem 2020 platform though.
@Jim Skarw Omg, can you, and people like you, learn at all what current Medicare is about and how it works? It’s been around for over 50 years, for crissakes. M4a will be based on current medicare but would cover the 20% of costs and coverage that today’s medicare does not cover like dental and hearing aids.
@Jim Skarw You really seem to have the mentality that millions of seniors with Medicare are receiving bad care. Yes, the issue of physician reembursement is real. But on the other hand physicians in other countries are not wasting time dealing with insurrance companies. They spend their time being doctors and providing care. The idea that other countries have inferior care is BS. Germany and France have top notch care. They look in horror at America with its millions of people with no real health care because they can’t afford insurance. They see healthcare as a human right. Americans tend to see it more as a choice.
@John Crowe They were trolls before and they didn’t show up wrt actually voting for Sanders.
not even american but from what it looks like trump will steamroll biden now that bernie’s out
Let’s learn the lessons that every time we have Republican’s running the Senate they’re all about saving the money its just people not so much. But history shows us all this since Reagan.
Daniel Kruger
It is more about POWER than money
Money is just a bonus‼️
https://youtu.be/mvMXDLL9j00 China
Daniel Kruger and every time we have Democrat’s running things, we get a pushy radical social agenda that doesn’t matter to the day to day needs and concerns of most Americans.
Both parties are out of touch and broken.
@General St. George yea I guess ice melting and flooding American city’s isn’t relavent to us .but republicans giving tax cuts to the rich and then they still outsource are jobs. Or the fact republicans just don’t care all the republicans running things are rich old white guys. Mitch McConnell should be fired
@General St. George What/Which pushy radical social agenda is it that doesn’t matter to the day to day needs and concerns of most Americans? Health, Education? Environment?
America right now is NOT the GREAT COUNTRY it should or could be, as has now be laid bare to the whole world. This cliche is nothing but a myth, something the powers-that-be have been used to brainwash the American masses, which worked to the extent that they did not endeavor to better it.
Well said, just because the U.S. is the most powerful country doesn’t mean it’s the greatest. We used to put our resources to good use for the betterment of people’s lives.
For the umpteenth time, the trickle down, supply side policies Republicans con working people with don’t work. Hate to say it, but many of my fellow working class people have willfully bought into the crap that screw them.
The post-Trump Republican Party won’t just have to disassociate themselves from Trump, they’re going to have to walk away from the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
Paying higher wages also doesn’t work. Automate.
@RILLA Why not? Is that because of inflation?
3LD Narcissists rule the GOP. https://thoughtcatalog.com/shahida-arabi/2016/06/20-diversion-tactics-highly-manipulative-narcissists-sociopaths-and-psychopaths-use-to-silence-you/
Change the ones that are for corruption and crooked systems sure it will
More automation will come out of this and less working class jobs. High unemployment and lower wages. I really don’t see a rosy future for anyone in the service or production sectors. This pandemic is going to be around for a while and will probably remain with regular outbreaks.
Jed Bowser with this pandemic comes famine. Plant a garden, stay home.
@wendyknoxleet How to garden without rain? But, I am looking at rabbits, and ducks in the parks, differently these days, muhaha.
Silke Gehtyoutubegarnichtsan
Have news for you my friend.
Our wild ducks have cancer from all
The Pollution that society has placed in our Waters.
We are, effectively, chemically castrating ourselves.
And within a few short generations.
Humanity will be sterile.
So, enjoy your dinner😷
Silke Gehtyoutubegarnichtsan plenty of rain here in the U.K., and free health care for all.
Silke Gehtyoutubegarnichtsan I catch and eat wild rabbit and pheasant already. Very easy to do.
income stratification, crippling debt for the middle class, letting the wealthy have YET ANOTHER crack at gambling our futures away?
with republicans still in power, the only thing that could change is how much faster all the existing problems of the past 40 years will envelop us
Aww he has high expectations for humanity. Too bad we lost that already.
Hey, I can think of one lesson: don’t elect a reality TV show host with several failed businesses as President.
https://youtu.be/mvMXDLL9j00 China
Long Nose Was Probably Blaming Obama for Bush’s Market Crash & then Giving Bush Credit for Taking Out Bin Laden. People See What they Want to See. Facts Don’t Matter to Some Folks .. Most Republican Stupidity Was Caused By Windmills.
@long nose grow up open your eyes. No amount of blame will get you ANYWHERE.
Hey why stop there? Surely you can think bigger.
What about we stop voting for republicans, or corrupt democrats, or any politician that cares more about his donors than his constituents.
@long nose Yeah & Obama Failed at Stockpiling Covid19 Vaccine.. & His Economy Just Wasn’t Fool Proof.. We’re Just now Seeing that. A Fool Completely Tanked it in Only 3 Months.
Cumo sounds like a good candidate for 2020.
Tianpei Xie much better than demented China Joe who doesn’t know what year it is.
He would make a great president. Trump is the worst in living memort
He does now. But, it’s too late for that.
I agree. A lot of people wanted his dad to run for President before he passed away, and now even his brother was recommending him to run for president, but he’s expressed that he’s not interested in being president unfortunately.
wendyknoxleet you mean Barack Hussein Obama?
Reflection? Introspection?
Not possible in America.
Over confident and under educated, as usual.
Exactly!!
You want change? First, the white house color has to be restored to its original color from orange.
The cost of PPD is showing up in the grocery stores! Prices are on the rise !
Pensei que era 🍓
Walter, you have one heck of a beautiful home. Magnificent!
I don’t think that I could look at life the same way anymore after this..
Me either.
ok but like i would totally let cuomo smash👀
“How The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Change America Forever” is the same as Katrina , 9/11/2001, and the Spanish Flu in 1918 in that these were events that humbled America. The problem is our becoming prideful again after each event so it wasn’t forever.
I’ve lived through a tornado. I can live through anything.