Maggies

We are a social species. Part of our makeup is to clump into tribes or cults where we feel securely surrounded by those we believe are “just like us.“ In music there are groupies, Swifties, Deadheads. In politics, lately, the Republican Maggies who follow their idol.

None of these cults _ few modern cults actually _ care much about the particulars. Oh, they like the music or politics. But it is really about the ambience of themselves, the band, or the leader, or the assumed “movement.“ After a while it all freezes into an unthinking, illogical, jingoism.

Some of it is genuine. But a lot is just the joy of being in a mob. Some is to feel young again (especially the case with Deadheads or Maggies). And some of it is just a way to either celebrate power or let off steam.

Since crowds have always acted this way _ there are examples throughout history and the current world _ the only real surprise is how the cult of democratic government actually believes _  against all evidence _ that voters can be logical and not carried away by carnivals and torch light parades.

So I sit back in my impotent neutrality and hope this really is just like Swifties and Deadheads, and that we are not about to turn into Northern Ireland of the 1920s or Germany of the 30 years war.