Dostoevsky warned of the strain of nihilism that infects Donald Trump and his movement

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Ani Kokobobo, Associate Professor of Russian Literature, University of Kansas

Nihilism was notably cited during U.S. Senate deliberations after rioting Trump supporters had been cleared from the Capitol.

“Don’t let nihilists become your drug dealers,” exhorted Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse. “There are some who want to burn it all down. … Don’t let them be your prophets.”

How else to describe the incendiary rhetoric and grievances that Donald Trump has peddled since November? What else to call the denial of the electorate’s will and his deep disdain for American institutions and traditions?

In 2016, I wrote about how Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky had, in his work, explored what happens to society when people who rise to power lack any semblance of ideological or moral convictions and view society as bereft of meaning. I saw eerie similarities with Trump’s actions and rhetoric on the campaign trail.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dostoevsky-warned-strain-nihilism-infects-131949585.html

[Irish_Dem]

1. Hitler wanted to destroy the world for personal gain.

So does Trump.

[flying_wahini]

2. You forgot Putin.... 😂

[Irish_Dem]

3. Yes. Putin will continue to destroy as much of the world as he can.

For his personal gain.

[Hortensis]

4. Yes. Many are identifying nihilistic urges in this. Then there's human sacrifice.

Sounds like that should be carrying our notions of what's happening way too far!

But anthropologists studying the patterns common to something like 100 societies that practiced mass human sacrifice -- typically involuntary masquerading as voluntary -- have found that comparing what's been happening in the U.S. checks off box after box. It's on such a large scale here that they believe it's very unlikely that be able to continue for years as it did in much smaller societies, but it could be made to recur when opportunity calls for it.

And why would it? For the same reason as all of them: "to fortify the political and economic power of those societies’ elites."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/human-sacrifice-ritual-mass-vaccination/621355/

That picture of Dostoevsky's manuscript is remarkable. Thanks.