Bannon and the 'Spears of Fear'

[Hippo_The_Pointer]

In an effort to understand the mechanisms through which the 'tRump base is maintained I've just spent an hour watching Bannon's war-room show. In watching it is interesting to see how he (and his guests) use rhetorical devises to keep the listeners engaged.

One of those devices is what I call "jabbing with the spears of fear”. It's a technique in which you make brief mention of something that you know your target audience fears. The fear can be the focus of discussion, or it can just be brief interjections into the discussion about a different topic (Arizona's audit was this morning's focus). In today's show Bannon was using the spears as quick jabs rather than the focus of discussion. He or the others on the show used the device at least 15 times in the hour I watched.

There are many such "spears of fear" that can be used to prod the MAGA's. Here are some of the common "spears of fear" that help keep MAGA's loyal.

Death panels
Socialism
Marxism
Damnation
Chinese communist government
Demons
Sharia law
Government take-over
Immigrants taking over
Crime waves
Taking your guns away
War on Christmas (and the implied destruction of American heritage)
Common core curriculum

I suspect that these "spears of fear" are the "electric fence" that helps keep the MAGA pinned in. In part I've come to that conclusion because Democrats and Republicans react differently to this set of spears.

Democratic response - Calm down everyone let's talk about the real issues that affect people's lives

Republican response - Yikes, ALARM - Run for the hills!

In watching (not just Bannon, but others on the right), it appears that these spears of fear can be used to form an electric fence around the bubble and help keep people pinned in.

Anyone got any other "spears of fear" that the right uses to scare their fearful base? I'm collating the list in order to perhaps identify remedies to these rhetorical devises that can have such a negative affect on people's lives. Thanks - The Hippo

[Champp]

1. republiQons are not at home in the Land of the Brave

They need to pack up and move somewhere, like russia, that would appreciate and honor their degenerate, anti-democracy, faint-heart, retrograde, shrunken-soul, state of fearfulness.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Putins Russia is the blueprint for Trump and Co.

It seems only a few Republicans like Romney and Liz Cheney realize it. The rest are either too stupid, compromised, or on-board.

[Hippo_The_Pointer]

3. Agreed

Hi RealNorth - I agree and to fight it I think we have to understand the mechanisms through which the base is controlled and influenced. While they control such a large base they have power, if that base can be reduced they lose power. So with that in mind I've decided to study the mechanisms being used and hence my post

[abqtommy]

4. This is a good op, and it all comes directly out of The Fascist Handbook For Dummies.

[Hippo_The_Pointer]

5. It is

Hi abqtommy - I agree and to fight it, we must understand the weapons they are using.