Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about the rise of far-right evangelical movements that have decided democracy is just too much hassle and that a nice, comforting bit of authoritarianism might be the way forward. Apparently, free elections and human rights are all well and good until the wrong people start having them, at which point it’s time to burn it all down and start fresh with a strongman who promises to punish their enemies.

What’s truly fascinating (and a little horrifying) is that these people don’t even expect their chosen leaders to make their lives better. No, no—that would be naive. What really matters is that life becomes unbearable for the people they’ve been told are responsible for their misery: ethnic minorities, refugees, LGBTQ+ communities, independent women, and anyone with the audacity to know what they’re talking about.

Why Are They So Vulnerable?

Study after study has shown that those most drawn to these movements aren’t the ultra-successful, self-assured types but rather those feeling adrift in a world they no longer understand. Economic instability, social progress, and a general sense that their “glory days” are over make them perfect recruits for cult-like ideologies that promise to bring back a past that never actually existed.

And let’s be honest—nuance is hard. Critical thinking takes effort. It’s much easier to just be told that the reason you can’t buy a house or get a promotion is because of immigrants and feminists rather than, say, 40 years of economic policy that gutted the middle and working classes. Add in a bit of selective Bible-thumping and some televangelists who assure them that Jesus was definitely a nationalist who loved tax cuts for billionaires, and suddenly, democracy starts looking optional.

The Dunning-Kruger Revolution

Of course, there’s also the small issue of delusion. The people leading the charge into this brave new world of isolationist authoritarianism genuinely believe they are the smart ones. This is where the Dunning-Kruger effect comes in: the less they know, the more convinced they are that they’ve got it all figured out. Experts, academics, journalists—people who dedicate their lives to understanding complex issues—are seen as elitist liars, while the bloke who posts conspiracy theories on Facebook is a visionary truth-teller.

They believe strongmen leaders will restore order, despite all historical evidence suggesting strongmen tend to make life worse for everyone, including their own supporters. But at this point, they don’t even care if it’s a bit worse for them, as long as it’s catastrophically worse for everyone else. There is a grim sort of justice in that—like setting your house on fire just to smoke out a neighbour you don’t like.

Manufactured Victimhood

The real tragedy is that far-right evangelicals see themselves as the true victims. Not the people losing their rights, not the ones being persecuted, not the families being torn apart by cruel policies—no, the real suffering is being done by people who don’t like having to adjust to a changing world.

They have been convinced that they are the last line of defence against a terrifying dystopia where… what, exactly? Gay people exist? Women have jobs? Refugees get to live in safety? It’s all very dramatic for a movement whose biggest hardship is often being told “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

The Bleak Punchline

The irony in all of this is that these people believe they are taking back control, when in reality, they are handing it over to the very elites who manipulate them. They rail against globalists while being herded like cattle by billionaires who wouldn’t cross the street to piss on them if they were on fire. They reject expertise and democracy, only to find themselves under the rule of opportunists who care about them far less than the progressives they despise.

And so, the cycle continues. They will keep voting against their own interests, keep cheering as their freedoms erode, and keep believing that if they just make the world miserable enough for others, their own lives will magically improve.

It’s sad, really. This isn’t just a political shift—it’s a collective breakdown. The world is changing, but instead of adapting, learning, and growing, these people would rather drive the entire bus off a cliff, just to make sure the people they hate don’t get to their destination either.