Taken from a 1930’s German cookbook
For would-be dictators eager to replicate the past
Preheat oven to boiling point.
List of Ingredients:
• Leader – Choose this ingredient carefully.
Qualities to look for: Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Seen as charismatic by followers
Pathological liar and bully
Exhibits extreme self-interest and egotism
Lacks general intelligence, ethics, empathy, and integrity. And taste.
Limited communication skills existing of “it’s a hoax!” “fake news!” and “no one’s ever seen ANYTHING like it!”
• Scapegoats — Without this ingredient, the recipe will fail.
Look for a group with little or no power and on which all of society’s ills (crime, joblessness, drugs etc) can be blamed.
Once added to the mixture, stir constantly.
• Supportive ingredients –Add inexperienced, incompetent, scared mini-me’s.
Easily found in Congress as well as the Animal Network.
Their only qualifications are the lack of ability to think for themselves, and willingness to bow down and otherwise embarrass themselves, all for the pleasure of the Leader.
Important:
Even though many of these ingredients are rotten, that’s ok;
They pair perfectly with the Leader.
• The willfully ignorant—An easy ingredient to find since it includes about 40% of the population. They too are vital for this recipe to succeed. They deliberately avoid evidence that’s in conflict with their Leader’s beliefs. It helps prevent guilt and provides a built-in excuse to act without reason. They thrive on conspiracy theories and are expert at blaming others for the Leader’s mistakes.
When shopping, look for those who believe vaccines cause illness, climate change is a hoax, the world is flat, the Leader is the second coming, and that everyone else (i.e. minorities, the WOKE, LGBTQ folk, scientists, librarians, health care professionals, educators, people whose careers involve helping others, as well as all those who don’t support the Leader), are out to get them. They label these individuals as having (name of leader) Derangement Syndrome.
Directions: Continually agitate the mixture. Most important, be sure no other ingredients are added accidentally to the recipe, such as facts, evidence, failures of the Leader, common sense, empathy, competence, critical thinking skills, and pesky regulations that keep people and the environment healthy. Avoid these like the plague.
Pour mixture in a flat pan and place in oven. After being heated to the boiling point, remove from oven and again, stir all ingredients thoroughly. Add the following seasonings to taste: vast income inequality, gerrymandering and other forms of voter suppression, a wimpy judiciary, and bribes in the form of millions of $100 dollar bills.
Now dig in!
NOTE: History with the Recipe for Disaster suggests you have a barf bag or other receptacle handy, but unfortunately, that may not be sufficient. If not addressed in time, it may take several years to recover. That’s the problem with this recipe. After consuming, it must be treated quickly, before all the diners succumb and the kitchen blows up from heat, anger, lies, hate, and corruption.
FINAL THOUGHT: Seems every few decades, some section of humanity decides to try this recipe, hoping for a different outcome. Often, it isn’t even a conscience decision. A person takes the form of a leader, creates change so fast that it’s hard to respond, and seems to solve a problem by attacking the scapegoat. Also, never underestimate the built-in ingredients of fear of the “other” and cruelty, combined with the excitement of being associated with the leader. These people are easily identified. In one decade, it was a special salute; today, an article of clothing. Just look for the red hats.
Marsha Shearer is a resident of The Villages and the author of “America in Crisis: Essays on the Failed Presidency of Donald J. Trump.”