The Enemy's Leader is always Satan

"Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship."   

-David Foster Wallace

“A person will worship something, have no doubt about that."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Thou shalt not worship any other gods before me."

-God 

One way to mark political tribes is by what they sacralize. Conservatives sacralize things like the constitution, the military and America, while liberals sacralize things like Democracy, the environment, and select minority groups.


Even though they don't sacralize these things, normal humans still value these things. Few conservatives or moderates hate the environment, and few liberals or moderates hate America.

These are pretty normal human values, but unfortunately, politics activates a war app in our brain. That's why the enemy's tribe leader is depicted as vehemently against the things our tribe holds most sacred. Even though it's contrary to normal human values, the enemy tribe leader is just that bad.

That's why conservatives accused Barack Obama of not only being anti-American, but literally not an American, because conservatives sacralize America. Obama must be a Muslim because conservatives sacralize Christianity. Obama gutted the military because conservatives sacralize the military. Obama continued the liberal war on Christmas because Christmas is the most sacred holiday for conservatives. Obama betrayed constitution because conservatives sacralize the constitution. Obama instigated a war on family because conservatives sacralize family. Obama must be a socialist because conservatives sacralize capitalism.

Out here in the real world, normal humans like Christmas, family, America, a healthy military budget, the constitution, and yes even capitalism. Liberals too! And yet the enemy tribe leader is vehemently opposed to things that normal people think are good. Americans, despite having normal human values, keep electing people with cartoonishly evil values. Seems strange.

List of people who hate family: Satan, Hitler, and Barack Obama

This is what we're seeing with Donald Trump too. Donald isn't just subtly or implicitly racist, but openly and extraordinarily racist because liberals sacralize race. Donald guts environmental regulation because liberals sacralize the environment. Donald is killing Democracy because liberals sacralize democracy. Donald is waging a war on the poor because liberals sacralize the poor. Donald Trump attacks LGBT rights because liberals sacralize LGBT groups.

I know that if you sit on either one of these sides, you're convinced one of these depictions is true and the other is make-believe. I'm telling you, look again. Be skeptical. The enemy's tribe leader probably has normal human values and you're just listening to people who are working extremely hard to exploit your potential for righteous hate in exchange for clicks, likes, shares, and votes.