I don’t know about y’all, but if I grew up in a country that never has the news criticizing its leaders, I’d be very skepical and deduce that there is censorshop going on and the offical news could be exaggerated or entirely falsified. Do people in authoritarian countries actually just eat the propaganda? To what extent do they believe the propaganda?

  • Hawke@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    That’s not the point of the phrase — the statement refers to the true believers drinking poison unquestioningly, without entertaining the thought that it will kill them.

    • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Check the story! They knew they were going to die. That was the point. He told them. He told them exactly what was up and they consented. Their minds were so twisted by his lies that they couldn’t imagine any other life. That’s what drinking the koolaid means: you subscribe to a belief wholeheartedly, even a crazy one, to the point where youd rather die than question it.

      • Hawke@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        you subscribe to a belief wholeheartedly, even a crazy one, to the point where youd rather die than question it.

        That’s what I said too, which is to say that the point is not the killing but the unquestioning nature of it.

        It’d be so much better if that authoritarian fifth would drink the flavor-aid in the sense of killing themselves.