| | | I agree with this machine generated essay on "nut bag" followers except when it comes to Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson believed rebellion is necessary to preserve the spirit of resistance.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. ... God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion; what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."
Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787
WHAT FOLLOWS IS MACHINE GENERATED
"Followers becoming more extreme than the original thinkers or leaders they follow, often to prove their devotion, establish status, or enforce orthodoxy.
Let’s expand with examples across religion, politics, philosophy, science, and even pop culture.
Religious Extremes: The Zeal of the Convert
1. Jesus - Crusaders & Inquisitors
The original teachings of Jesus emphasized love, forgiveness, and humility. Yet over time, institutions like the Inquisition tortured heretics in his name, and Crusaders slaughtered innocents under the banner of Christ. The gap between original message and follower behavior became massive.
2. Mohammed - Wahhabism & Jihadism
Mohammed unified tribes and preached submission to God (Islam). Later, extremist interpretations like Wahhabism emerged, seeking to purge Islam of “impurities” by force. Modern jihadist groups often bear little resemblance to early Islamic teachings but claim moral purity through violence.
3. Moses - Zealotry & Legalism
The story of Moses involves liberation and covenant. But some of his followers later became obsessed with the letter of the law over the spirit, leading to sects like the Zealots in ancient Judea, willing to die (and kill) over fine legal points.
Philosophers and Their Disciples
4. Ayn Rand - Objectivist Cultism
Rand preached rational self-interest, but some followers became rigid absolutists. Nathaniel Branden’s group around Rand resembled a cult—complete with loyalty oaths and moral purges.
5. Karl Marx - Totalitarian Marxism
Marx envisioned a classless, stateless society. Yet his name was later used to justify totalitarian regimes, gulags, and purges under Stalin, Mao, and others, people claiming Marx’s mantle while abandoning his nuanced economic and social theories.
6. Friedrich Nietzsche - Misappropriation by Nazis
Nietzsche despised nationalism and anti-Semitism, but his idea of the Übermensch was twisted by Nazi ideologues to justify racial superiority, despite Nietzsche’s hatred for the very ideologies they pushed.
Political Fanaticism
7. Thomas Jefferson - Anti-Government Militias
Jefferson was a champion of liberty, but some libertarian and anti-government militias in the U.S. idolize him while promoting armed resistance to democratic governance, far beyond what Jefferson actually endorsed.
8. Che Guevara - Global Revolutionary Cult
Che was a revolutionary who believed in armed struggle, but his face now decorates posters and T-shirts of people who often know little of his brutal methods or ideology. The image became detached from the reality, yet worshipped nonetheless.
Science and Pseudoscience
9. Charles Darwin - Social Darwinism & Eugenics
Darwin’s work was on natural selection, not ethics. Yet his ideas were co-opted into "Social Darwinism," used to justify racism, imperialism, and eugenics, which horrified Darwin himself.
10. Freud - Freudian Orthodoxies
Freud pioneered the unconscious mind and psychoanalysis, but his followers often entrenched his ideas into dogma, resisting any evolution in psychology, even as Freud himself remained more exploratory.
Modern Day Cults of Personality
11. Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, etc. - Techno-Messianism
Modern fanbases around tech entrepreneurs exhibit cult-like loyalty. Musk’s fans often defend him regardless of the issue, conflating innovation with infallibility. Jobs inspired a near-religious design philosophy, even after his death.
12. Trumpism, Bernie Bros, and Beyond
Many political movements morph into fandoms. Trump's base or Bernie’s die-hards sometimes outdo their leaders in extremism, shunning compromise, nuance, or criticism. The same phenomenon applies on all sides of the spectrum.
Why Does This Happen?
1. Identity Formation:
Being a “true believer” gives people belonging and purpose. Extremism often becomes a badge of sincerity.
2. Simplicity Over Complexity:
Followers often flatten nuanced ideas into slogans, creating black-and-white systems out of gray philosophy.
3. Social Competition:
Extremism can become a competition, who’s the most faithful? This dynamic spirals into purity tests and dogmatism.
4. Founder Absence = Interpretation Wars:
Once the founder dies (or becomes inaccessible), followers reinterpret, embellish, or enforce their own vision as the correct one." |
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