Wish I had seen that BBC program. I'm kind of fascinated at this phenomenon of the wilfully ignorant who latch on to these cult-like trends and movements. I'ld love to know more about what makes them vulnerable to buy into the crap they espouse. I've mentioned loneliness and ignorance. But I have only a vague grasp of just how they get so sucked in.

A friend of mine mouths all the "talking points." ("We're being robbed of our freedoms." etc.) She attends a huge, "non-denominational" church, where right-wing stuff gets preached from the pulpit. (I've gone with her a number of times.) This church got cited by local authorities for not conforming to COVID restrictions on large assemblies. I respect that she is a person of deep faith and is very virtuous in many ways. But her politics are completely dictated by this church. For instance, she's worried that homosexuals are trying to take over the nation and ruin our lives. One-on-one, she would never be unkind or intolerant toward anyone because of orientation. But she parrots off "the points." She seems to believe the pastor at her church gets all his ideas direct from heaven. That is the authoritative voice she listens to that must not be questioned. These folk are favorably disposed toward authoritarianism. It makes them feel more emotionally secure, I guess. I wish I understood them better.