It’s a terrifying abuse of human brain’s defense wiring.

At a tribal level/time when we are not under stress, we often disagree and bicker. However, when the tribe is threatened, those disagreements take a back seat to survival. If the stress is constant, our brain structure begins to change. Empathy is reduced, to better allow for defence/warfare.

The modern right is designed to hijack these mechanisms. The constant flow of fear puts the brain into a warfare state. Tribe becomes everything, with internal issues being put on a back burner till the threat is over. However, the threat is never over. It shifts and changes, but is never gone. Eventually, out-tribe empathy becomes harder and harder, while internal disagreement becomes almost impossible. In a tribe preparing for war, this is life-saving. For a political party, it’s an unthinking, pliant mob to control.

Breaking out requires breaking that internal cycle. Recognising you are being manipulated, and internally countering the effects. Most people just can’t do that. Deprogramming the damage is a job of generations, and that’s assuming it’s no longer being reinforced.