Currently listening to a history of the John Birch Society, which outlines the rise of a hateful part of US politics on the back of methods not unlike what we see today (but in 50s and 60s terms, so with letter-mail-out blitzes in lieu of social media fake news campaigns).
Definitely feeling a deep weariness at how long the far-right has been stirring up its theories of hate, and getting away with it.
History's important, but whew. No one ever promised that it would be fun.
@MLClark Link? Would be interested it reading/hearing that.
@GARRT 👍 This is from the Behind the Bastards podcast. Technically a two-parter, with Ep 1 going into the bio of the multiple-failed-candy-businesses man who created the organization post-WWII. But it's in Part 2 that we really dive into how his organization functioned: the stark anti-Communist rhetoric, the driving hatred of racial integration, the push for members to flood PTAs to shape how history's taught to kids... all the same "greatest" hits.
So little changes.
@MLClark Thanks! I'm off work tomorrow night so this will be on my list.
@MLClark perfectly articulated toot. I join you in your
deep weariness.