'Christofascism' is here: inside the slow demolition of US public health

[erronis]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/may/03/christofascism-rfk-jr-health
Adrienne Matei

A long read with many good observations.

From prescribing spiritual warfare to demonizing health experts, RFK Jr's health empire has become a dangerous vehicle for a Christian nationalist worldview

n February 2025, Robert F Kennedy Jr began his tenure as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with an unusual message for the federal department responsible for protecting public health.

America's greatest challenge, he said, was not just chronic disease but a "spiritual malaise", a kind of soul-sickness derived from America's moral decline.

"Spiritual and physical maladies thrive on one another," Kennedy told HHS employees in his first address. The solution, he said, "must begin with a spiritual question", of personal responsibility and inward vigilance against the dark forces that would keep Americans "sedated" and "compliant".

Weeks later, the White House moved to cut 20,500 jobs across the very agency tasked with protecting public health.

. . .

[paleotn]

1. Christofacists are using Trump like a hobby horse and visa versa.

A dying religion and a retro political movement linked by their mutual hatreds. Both want to go back to a time when common decency wasn't so common. It wasn't some "golden age." It was a time when someone could be a complete ass in public and get away with it.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. ***IF*** they were the "right" people. Yes, that's a doub .... well, it's an entendre, anyway. nt

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Didn't the GOP crucify Jimmy Carter for citing 'malaise' as a problem ?????

So, shouldn't the GOP go after Kennedy too ??

[gulliver]

4. A good article despite the Christophobic word "Christofascist"

The article finds one guy to say it's a good word, so, of course it's fine to go to the newly sacred f-word ("fascist" ) dogma and hyperventilate it into the headline.

I'm starting to reluctantly accept that people seem to have to moor themselves to "some" simplistic, emotionally charged dogma, whether it calls itself religious or scientific or kind, or, usually, all three.

We can't accept that it's important to exercise without saying "vaccines are bad" on the one hand, or, "fascists are under my bed," on the other. Why can't it just be obvious that exercise is good and vaccines are too?

But no, smh, every little obvious fact about the world, including greed, laziness, and political bias has to be filtered through some form of simplistic melodrama of the mind. A story. Yay. I'm starting to understand what Harlan Ellison said about this whole thing. To paraphrase, the witless, blind mob drags the world down with its silliness, and that would be okay if it didn't drag down the rest of us too.

[erronis]

5. We do like snappy names - even if they are not helpful or may even be purposefully hurtful.

I'm one of those damned 'liberals'!

[gulliver]

6. I'm one of those too!

And, on edit, it is a good article. There is a lot of good information there.

[Igel]

7. Meh.

"Spiritual healing" by getting right with god, having the right crystals around to balance your energy, or getting your chi all balanced right ... Woo.

Some like being wooed, but it depends on the pseuder that's doing the supposedly scientific wooing.