Apocalyptic Appeal
by What is the appeal of televangelists pushing the Apocalypse, and why are they so successful at extorting money from their elderly viewers?
Apocalyptic Appeal
2012 is right around the corner, and with it the implications of a possible end of our world, as foretold by Mayan prophecies, rehashed, re-booted, and regurgitated by the interpretations of ignorant people with superstitious minds. Tens of thousands advertise our coming demise so that billions will pay into their Apocalyptic Ponzi scheme. Whether it is the Hollywood vampires, the belt-way bandits, or the money-grubbing televangelists, there are plenty of shrewd con men eager to win the battle of hearts and minds and pocketbooks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba7jGqRTKQU
One target demographic is the elderly, somewhere North of sixty, who are fed up with their jobs, their country, their lives and life in general. They see their own dis-corporation just down the pike, and their sense of reason and critical thinking have been overshadowed by the paralyzing fear of death looming in the (not so distant) distance. Even worse, as they start to lose their bodies and their minds to something inevitable that they will never really know or fully understand, they sense the impending loneliness, and want to take down as many people as they can, just to have the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LaNldfereQ&feature=related
If old age is indeed an island surrounded by death, as quoted by Stephen King, then it stands to reason that the stranded occupants of that damned and desolate shore would wish to have the company of other lost souls, clinging desperately to what was left of said island; eager to entertain each other with recitations of past memories, and to reassure each other that they recognize that they will all share the same fate. Speculating on the Apocalypse, secretly hoping that it will come soon, to wipe out everyone and everything in one fell swoop, offers the ridiculous hope that the ending will bring everyone together, that no one should ever die alone.
How can that not be appealing?
Living a life where justice is random and life is fleeting, where anyone anywhere at any time can be violated and broken and damaged beyond repair, where the rich get richer and the poor die penniless and hopeless on the streets of despair, how can the improbable possibility of total and utter annihilation not be appealing?
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