There's been weird political stuff going on in this country forever. Lyndon LaRouche ring a bell? John Birch Society? People's Temple? Communist Party USA is still around, and they're still pretty radical. Now instead of cheaply printed little 'zines there's the internet. Some people are attracted to this stuff, and some to multi-level marketing, and some to wacky religions, and some to being catfished. I recently went on a date with an honest to God flat-earther. It takes all kinds, and there ARE all kinds.

I have to say that I find this yearning for community just like it used to be a little silly since I'm older now and lived in the past. Communities in the past were just as concerned about who they kept out as to who they accepted. Fraternal organizations and country clubs were picky about their members. "The wrong kind of people? I don't think so." I went to a Catholic boy's high school where we wore ties, and we regularly got into fights with kids from other high schools. Why? I don't think there was a reason other than they were not us. People think nostalgically about those multi-generational ethnic communities, without remembering that they came with patriarchy, religious tyranny, and organized crime. Travel was difficult when everyone didn't have a car, so they were STUCK with each other. Now people can choose their communities, and why have just one? But there are all kinds of different people, and now some person who doesn't want to leave the comfort of their home can feel like they belong to some group with special knowledge, even though they will never have to actually meet them. As long as that person is not planning some kind of personal mayhem, it's along the lines of a hobby.