Intersection of political discourse, ritual sacrifice, and blood

[suegeo]

Regarding the bloody (literal) picture of the former president from the rally last Saturday. 7/13/2024

Can some anthropologist here, or somewhere, guide a learned discussion of political discourse, ritual sacrifice, and blood?

This whole issue of the word blood--and leaders using the word blood to get their way-- was brought to my attention when I read a book by Doris Lessing years ago.

Doris Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.

In Ms. Lessing's book "Prisons We Choose To Live Inside" she writes of trying to keep one's wits when the word blood is used. *see cite below.

She writes "This word 'blood.' It is always being used by leaders to raise our temperatures."

Further "It is not too much to say that when the word 'blood' is pronounced, this is a sign that reason is about to depart."

"All this blood business of course goes back to ritual sacrifice"..."to let blood flow out to please some savage deity. It goes very deep in us all."

"When a leader invokes blood to arouse us to support him and his cause, it is time for us to be on our guard."

The picture taken of a bloody Trump last Saturday is a time for us to be on our guard.

I am not a psychologist or anthropologist. But can an anthropologist add further light about "blood", bloody images, and how leaders use this "stuff" to raise the temperature of an already boiling political environment.

The republicans are upping the temperature. They are yelling Fight Fight Fight. They are going to use the bloody image to push the sociopath further down the fascist path the right is taking. Fight for the fascist. Fight for Putin's puppet.

Reason is about to depart and the bloody DJT photo taken by Evan Vucci is a call to be on guard.

*The Lessing quotes are all, or mostly all, on page 13 of the paperback book I have.
ISBN: 0-06-039074-3
ISBN: 0-06-039077-8 (pbk) which probably means paperback?

[sybylla]

1. I have no answers, but I am provoked to though by your post.

I absolutely would not doubt that there is a connection and that someone somewhere has studied this.

That said, humans are both predictable and swayable, so an actual study could be difficult to conduct.

If anyone finds answers, I hope they are shared here.