America's decline from Cold War victor to "a house divided against itself" is not the result of external threats, but of irrational beliefs that spread like contagions, sickening "We the People" while enriching special interests that profit from fear and division. In 1957, the Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, warned about "subversive minorities" in the West who are animated by "chimerical wish fantasies" that may rapidly spread and develop into "psychic epidemics."
In 1984, the KGB defector, Yuri Bezmenov, warned of the danger of "ideological subversion," which he defined as "changing the perception of reality to such an extent that despite the abundance of information, no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves, their families, their communities, and their country."
In recent years, the American public forum has been afflicted with a host of irrational ideas that possess the minds of believers, distorting their perceptions and rendering them unable to think about complex problems. Instead of calm discussion, they are given to emotional outbursts and violent behavior. Critical thinking is replaced by mindless slogans and extreme, either-or propositions.
During the pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine was idolized as the liberator and savior of mankind, despite its failure to prevent infection. Similar "faith communities" have coalesced around the issues of racism, transgender medicine, Ukrainian nationalism, and climate change.
Mind Viruses: America's Irrational Obsessions examines the people, events, and interests that have produced these mental contagions that imperil our constitutional republic.
