Useful Idiots

are you? I know I have been guilty of this before

A “useful idiot” is a person who is easily manipulated through flattery to join a political movement or support other ideologies. They are swayed easily because of their egos, strong convictions and naivete. Useful idiots can be exploited by powerful interest and ideologies to further their agenda without even knowing it. They can also distract entire groups of people from genuine issues in society, allowing powerful people to do as they please in the shadows.

Useful idiots do not use critical thinking when joining a cause, which can eliminate the use of critical thinking altogether. If a person wants to fit in for example, they would just hop behind something without questioning the causes underlying motives and principles. They also further deepen polarization politically and socially by magnifying extreme and dogmatic views using zero conflict resolutions skills. With a useful idiot, there is no middle ground. Without conflict resolution, it becomes harder to find middle ground and miss out on real opportunities to create change, wasting most of their money and effort on a manipulative cause. These people are activists who unwittingly promote extremist or divisive agendas, Individuals who blindly follow charismatic leaders without critically evaluating their ideologies, and those who are swayed by misinformation or propaganda, leading them to support causes that ultimately harm society.

Are you BEING truly useful, or just an idiot?