Newsweek's front cover of Michelle Bachmann has received much coverage, with the photo apparently depicting her not as herself but rather as a crazy woman.
Of course, there's no chance that she actually looks that way in real-life. I mean after all, it's never been said before or written anywhere that she has a crazy-eyes look. No, it has to be that liberal rag Newsweek simply out to get her, to make her look silly.
Oh boy. Anyone with half a brain would know that odds are extremely low that her people did not see the cover photo before it went to press. I'm sure it was OK'd by the Bachmann folks, and I'm sure they felt that's just how she looks when photographed.
But what is frightening is it's my sense that those who first stirred up the controversy and made it into a national crime are Bachmann's supporters, not Bachmann herself or her people. Her die-hard fan base cried foul, clamoring for justice, believing it was another evil, liberal plot.
It's one thing to be an enthusiastic supporter for a given candidate, but many a Tea Bagger goes beyond to what can only be regarded as cult-figure followers. Anything that is perceived to be a slight against their leader(s) is immediately called out and admonished in the most forceful manner -- never mind if there's any truth to their presumption.
Recall when Sarah Palin made incorrect statements about Paul Revere. It was reported then that her followers quickly bombarded Paul Revere's Wiki page, attempting to change the correct facts there to match Palin's wrongness. To me this was horrific. People were more than willing to modify the truth in an effort to "please" or "honor" their glorified leader. It was something right out of Orwell's 1984 -- bone-chilling.
In my opinion this behavior is unsettling to put it mildly and could conceivably devolve into something more dangerous. History shows that followers of cults can get so caught up in their beliefs and so removed from reality that unfortunate actions can result.
It's something to be aware of and keep a watchful eye on.... Nothing good can come from zombie-like hero/heroine worship.
3 comments:
Some of the other photographs that NEWSWEEK purportedly had for consideration were published on the Internet. The one they actually used for the cover was quite flattering and portrayed her as "relatively normal" by comparison.
If anyone had a motive to post the picture, then we have to look at the timing. It coincides with Perry entering the race and crazy eyes has his voters.
Perry is establishment. Bachmann is not.
Motive? Me thinks you give too much credit. It's simply how she looks, period. We've seen this Bachmann look many, many times before, and for her followers -- I mean supporters -- to claim it's an outlier photo is ludicrous. And as you wrote, there were actually "worse" photos Newsweek could have went with....
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