Needles under the skin

And then suddenly “salvation” may arrive. A person hears a clear and sharp answer, something like: it’s all the capitalists’ fault. Or: it’s all the communists’ fault, it’s all the Jews’ fault, it’s all the atheists’ fault, it’s all a group of traitors in the government and their accomplices.

The target doesn’t have to be too small, but really anything will do. It can be gender discrimination, racial injustice, environmental irresponsibility, eating meat, or building cell towers.

For the most part, the target is random. The main thing is that it gathers all the rot of the soul into a single compressed beam and stirs the right instincts at the right time.

At first, a person still understands that the essence of their grievance with the world can’t boil down to this, but the simplicity of the answer heard is enchanting.”