The Horrible Tulsa Rally I don’t personally think is the result of only Covid worry. I think it’s a result of the exhausting embarrassment of supporting Trump. In 2016 you could wear a hat without much guff I suppose (before he was elected). Now the only people who would wear one today are trying to be noticed.
It reminds me of an incredible story I heard a long time ago (and confirmed here
www.mentalfloss.com/...) that Stetson Kennedy infiltrated a booming KKK. He realized people were joining in part because they thought it was “cool”.
After police were not interested in pursuing he turned to the writers of the Radio show. They’d incorporate secret handshakes, phrases etc. The Klan members would go home and see their kids mocking the same “secrets”.
Its membership was skyrocketing, and its political influence was increasing, so Kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group. By regularly attending meetings, he became privy to the organization's secrets. But when he took the information to local authorities, they had little interest in using it. The Klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them.
Struggling to make use of his findings, Kennedy approached the writers of the Superman radio serial. It was perfect timing. With the war over and the Nazis no longer a threat, the producers were looking for a new villain for Superman to fight. The KKK was a great fit for the role.
As the storyline progressed, the shows exposed many of the KKK's most guarded secrets. By revealing everything from code words to rituals, the program completely stripped the Klan of its mystique. Within two weeks of the broadcast, KKK recruitment was down to zero. And by 1948, people were showing up to Klan rallies just to mock them.
Superman and KKK reduced the resurgence to ashes.
No one likes to be the butt end of a joke, a loser humiliated.
Am I wrong to think that is happening to MAGA? I’ve thought about this a lot the last three years.
That’s why the idea of teenagers and Tik Tok seems the perfect Kryptonite. If your “hero” is getting mocked by teenagers you tend to jump ship, and Superman proved that.
I think it’s the perfect shiny thing to get him to chase because it just adds to this historical humiliation creating anti-enthusiasm.