--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Robert Gimbel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > (snip) > > "An excellent point. One of the *foundations* of > > the True Believer mentality is "if this person > > taught me or told me one thing that has proved > > useful or true, then everything he says is useful > > and true." Extrapolating from this assumption, > > over time True Believers put the leader of their > > mass movement up on a pedestal and tend to auto- > > matically believe *everything* they say. They > > start to assume that the leader has a special > > "presence" that normal people don't have. The next, > > and IMO most dangerous step, is when they start > > to assume that anyone who doesn't feel and act the > > same way, and who doesn't put the leader up on the > > same pedestal that they do is "attacking" him, or > > not giving him the "proper" respect that he is due." > > This sounds like a perfect description of Hitler's rise to > power, and the view that der Fuehrer had becoming a 'God' > of sorts, to his followers.
Eric Hoffer was the son of German immigrants, and Jewish. His work was originally based on the rise of fascism in Germany. He later extended it to cover all "mass movements," including religions, especially those that consider themselves the "chosen people," and thus better than others, including Judaism itself. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
