I want to better understand the "Crunchy MAGA" right wing wellness phenomenon

[Anonymous]

I'm a crunchy wellness person. I'm a vegan, I live in Takoma Park, grow a lot of my own food, and I do yoga. I am vaccinated but skeptical of Big Pharma, I tend to use medications as a last resort if lifestyle modifications don't work.

I want to learn more about the people who agree with Trump and RFK's MAHA movement. I'm trying to make this a friendly question although I can't help but point out the logical inconsistencies.

For example - you want to get chemicals out of food and water - me too! So why do you vote for the party that wants to deregulate industries?
You're skeptical of Big Pharma - me too! But do you think Republicans don't take donations from pharmaceutical companies?

What about the environment? Most yogis that I practice with are very cognizant of climate change and sustainability and protecting wildlife. I would also agree with criticisms from the right about the global scale climate initiatives being a lot of feel-good greenwashing, and that wealthy elites are hypocrites when they fly on private jets to a climate conference. So does this mean throw the baby out with the bathwater and Drill, Baby, Drill? And allow corporations to pollute everything?

I also agree that obesity is a problem and that we should eat healthier. Again, why do you feel Republicans are the people to make this happen? Especially when their standard-bearer is obese himself? To be quite frank, a lot of this attitude I'm seeing seems to be less about Make America Healthy Again, but more making it an individualistic superiority complex about shaming people without the resources to live healthier (they live in food deserts, have long commutes and sit at multiple jobs all day, cannot afford a single family home to have their own gardens, etc) and bragging about your own ability to be healthy, rather than enabling the (gasp) government to make it easier for people to be healthy?

[Anonymous]

I guess it includes all the folks that would measles to again be endemic in the United States.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that both movements are rooted in purity, rejection of expertise, and anti-modernism. The alt right rallies around less benign forms of these (racial purity vs. food purity).

It’s not a far journey from “back to the land” to homesteading, tradwives, idealizing women as barefoot and pregnant, and then the rolling back of women’s rights. Similarly, for people concerned about their health who pay attention to research on food additives, it’s not too much of a stretch to go from “corporations are putting profits above people” to “scientists and doctors are not to be trusted”.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you saying that the GOP are a bunch of gaslighting hypocrites?

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My guess is that both movements are rooted in purity, rejection of expertise, and anti-modernism. The alt right rallies around less benign forms of these (racial purity vs. food purity).

It’s not a far journey from “back to the land” to homesteading, tradwives, idealizing women as barefoot and pregnant, and then the rolling back of women’s rights. Similarly, for people concerned about their health who pay attention to research on food additives, it’s not too much of a stretch to go from “corporations are putting profits above people” to “scientists and doctors are not to be trusted”.

Pretty much this.

These people are "winnable" for Dems if they weren't tied to making everything gay/trans.

Also everyone realized climate change was a scam, so that's instantly discrediting for many now

[Anonymous]

Horseshoe theory

[Anonymous]

I think so much of it is ignorance, amplified by a social media echo chamber. Not in a mean way... just, people don't know what they don't know, and it is easy to fall into an echo chamber with algorithms promoting different things in our feeds.

Highly suggest anyone interested in this topic follow Dr. Jessica Nurick on instagram (or your preferred platform). I have learned so much from following her.

[Anonymous]

Biden should have ordered an immediate, full-throated ban on all gas and diesel vehicles the moment he was inaugurated. No exceptions.

Such a missed opportunity! Now look where we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think so much of it is ignorance, amplified by a social media echo chamber. Not in a mean way... just, people don't know what they don't know, and it is easy to fall into an echo chamber with algorithms promoting different things in our feeds.

Highly suggest anyone interested in this topic follow Dr. Jessica Nurick on instagram (or your preferred platform). I have learned so much from following her.

This X10000. There is also a good amount of grifting money to be made off the crunchy wellness community. You have a market of well off enough individuals who will priories their discretionary budgets on wellness products, supplements and treatments that are unproven to have efficacy. This is a gold mine to MAGA. Remember there were a good amount of MAGAs attacking the vaccine and actual prevention while pushing snake oil treatments and hawking supplements during COVID. They made millions.

[Anonymous]

Influencers have a lot to do here - prior to instagram, it was bloggers. They get into a lot of pseudoscience, mis-cite research, cite out of context, cherry pick studies, to serve their purpose.

Conspiracy theorists are really hard to reason with because no matter what evidence you show them, they will pick reasons to dispel it as fake news. I have a couple MAGA family members who are vehement anti-vaxxers, home schooler types. There is literally no reasoning with them. I have tried.

[Anonymous]

None of it makes any sense.

MAGA and RFK should be polar opposites. RFK wants MORE govt intervention while they is the anithesis of that.

How can you MAHA if you allow PFAS and microplastics in everything because you gut the EPA? Makes zero sense.

Watch the show Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix. The whole wellness industry is a cancer. It sells people snake oil. It doesn't matter if they're libs or MAHA, the wellness industry sells people what they want to hear. It's all super scary and devoid of any science.

[Anonymous]

They’re modern eugenicists.

[Anonymous]

I'm seeing seems to be less about Make America Healthy Again, but more making it an individualistic superiority complex about shaming people without the resources to live healthier (they live in food deserts, have long commutes and sit at multiple jobs all day, cannot afford a single family home to have their own gardens, etc) and bragging about your own ability to be healthy, rather than enabling the (gasp) government to make it easier for people to be healthy?

Holy elitist entitlement Batman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My guess is that both movements are rooted in purity, rejection of expertise, and anti-modernism. The alt right rallies around less benign forms of these (racial purity vs. food purity).

It’s not a far journey from “back to the land” to homesteading, tradwives, idealizing women as barefoot and pregnant, and then the rolling back of women’s rights. Similarly, for people concerned about their health who pay attention to research on food additives, it’s not too much of a stretch to go from “corporations are putting profits above people” to “scientists and doctors are not to be trusted”.

Pretty much this.

These people are "winnable" for Dems if they weren't tied to making everything gay/trans.

Also everyone realized climate change was a scam, so that's instantly discrediting for many now

? Does everyone realize that "climate change is a scam"? That's news to me. Certainly, progressives don't think it's a scam, and neither do most educated people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of it makes any sense.

MAGA and RFK should be polar opposites. RFK wants MORE govt intervention while they is the anithesis of that.

How can you MAHA if you allow PFAS and microplastics in everything because you gut the EPA? Makes zero sense.

Watch the show Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix. The whole wellness industry is a cancer. It sells people snake oil. It doesn't matter if they're libs or MAHA, the wellness industry sells people what they want to hear. It's all super scary and devoid of any science.

I agree that the wellness industry is full of predators. MAGA is NOT about less government intervention! It wants to force more women to give birth, force religion, ban LGBTQ, force schools to stop admitting minorities and stop teaching history, ban books, and basically legislate white Christian nationalism into the culture. It’s insanely big government. Where MAGA gives its leaders a pass is in removing any government protections for individuals from corporations so corporations make more money.