Among the flags wielded as weapons by the armies of MAGA that attempted an overthrow of American democracy on January 6, the Confederate battle standard of Virginia was on prominent display. Once a dishonored relic of treason, in the last century it has become the banner for a vocal anti-democratic resistance, founded in a manufactured myth representing the last gasp of a slave-owning Southern society. And despite small victories, it is a symbol that will not be easily extracted.
Before there were nations, countries were ruled by kings who claimed to derive their authority from God. But once common people started deposing those kings, and founded governments of their own, they had to find new ways of ascribing legitimacy. …
Recently I read an article in the Washington Post about the reactions of some Trump supporters to his loss in the 2020 general election. It’s mainly what you’d expect: while most Americans, whatever their political persuasion, accept the outcome, a fair share of those most devoted to the outgoing president claim — without any evidence whatsoever — that the election was stolen. Also unsurprising is where these ardent supporters get their information. In nearly every case, those interviewed came to their beliefs by “reading things from the Internet.” …
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