I’m currently reading “The True Believer” by Eric Hoffler, and it is making me wonder something about contempory America. Most of the content of the book (note, I’m going slow… only about halfway through) strikes a chord in me as having a piece of truth about it. As far as the ideal society to foster the “frustrated” individual, who is ripe for the joining of a mass movement (either social, national, or religious), I wonder how America currently rates. I look at the United States today, and I see a nation of people who don’t really have much to identify themselves with. Ethnic unity is breaking down, the family unit is shattered, and patriotism is amost cliche. Our country is full of individuals who are in the lower income brackets who have tasted slightly better (people who have moved from middle class to lower class), people who are full of aimless ambition, people with shameless selfishness, and people who can’t seem to find any purpose in anything (aka. “the bored”). I’m not trying to call for revolution here, I just wanted to get some opinions.
Pardon my cynicism, but what I see in the States is a whole bunch of people who may have have plenty to complain about, but find the avalanche of entertainments available distracts them sufficiently that they can’t be bothered to do much about it.
So, uh, possibility of mass movement here, low. IMO.
Best finish the book, High Deity, before you begin to apply Hoffler’s well-thought-out reasons why people join and do the will of radical groups to the growing number of disenchanted individuals who live in Americans today.
In summary, most True Believers share these traits…
(1) They believe that their own culture has wrongly rejected them.
(2) So they must believe that the sub-culture that they have joined is superior to the culture that abandoned them.
(3) Their personal sense of self worth can now only be realized through blind allegiance to the “cause” and not through any independent thoughts or actions.
Sounds like most Bushbangers and most Peacemongers to me.
2 and 3 sound like ALL of the pro “military :rolleyes: dominance at all cost” to me.
I thought Bushbanger was slang for neo-con 
I agree that looked at closely americans are a mixed bag of so many races and religions that they would appear “disunited”… but overall I think most americans are patriotic, religious and share common beliefs. They cling to their subcultures and sects of course where they feel more valued… but they do feel very “american”. So cohesivness isn’t an issue I feel. (Families are shattered all over the globe… not an issue.)
Well Michael Moore talks about the illusion of prosperity that fuels hope… this is a common cultural mark and keeps 'em subdued. Its more common in the US than in most countries I feel. Hardly a reason for revolution I agree.