Lowering of the Bar

Surveying the public's idols, one thing is clear, the bar is low, and one needs more luck than talent, or talent is a small part of the overall package, at any rate. Geniuses don't dominate the top, but fill the middle. Over on the right, I look at big-time celebrities like Trump, Kanye West and the like and wonder what on earth people are thinking, if they are thinking. Let us set Trump's policies aside for one moment and just look at behavior. Trump just flaunts corruption and deception left and right, he is not even good at hiding it, and the Christian Right eats his words up with a spoon. They have no qualms whatsoever supporting an obvious liar and a cheater. Trump has been called out on so many lies, it is ridiculous. He could at least try once in a while to tell the truth, just for the sake of the country. So all the noise they generated against the Clintons and all the other so-called liberals back in the day is exposed as mere hypocrisy. As for Kanye, he would say anything for his two goals, attention and money, the one supporting the other. He has no real opinions or ideas, just wants money and influence, like Trump. I suppose the main thing is that people don't want to feel threatened on an intellectual level, so they scorn the best and the brightest and select the not-so-bright, deemed more palatable and accessible. I can think of plenty better representatives of right-wing philosophy than Trump, so why didn't they get nominated?

I think Christianity for a lot of people has not so much to do with religion or belief. I think it is a tribal identity. People identify strongly with their own tribe, their family and friends. They will support whatever the tribe wants. Loyalty is the main thing. It is like the mafia. As for the religion, it is just a bunch of words reinforcing the tribe and its agenda. It is a suitable dress for the public to observe. Look at us, we're pious, you cannot impeach our piety, the Lord is on our side. Yeah, right.