Nikki Haley is not a racist. She showed formidable leadership as South Carolina governor, in the aftermath of the 2015 mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in her state. But as a former MAGA activist now working to persuade people to leave the MAGA movement, I see Haley's recent comments on the Civil War and slavery in a particular light. They reflect the intense white fright pervasive in MAGA supporters as a result of continuous demographic change, and they affirm that a demythologization of historical nostalgia is necessary.

There is more at work here than just "MAGA voters are racist." Most with whom I once congregated and broke bread were not. I won’t label white racial hysteria on the right as “complicated,” but those suffering from white panic are often unaware that the conclusions they’ve drawn are largely molded by those deliberately sowing racial discord. This sowing has occurred since Day One of our nation.

Our species is change-adverse, generally speaking. Anxiety about America’s dwindling shite population does not necessarily mean those who are anxious are racists or white supremacists. Furthermore, our species also tends to perceive change as happening more rapidly than it actually occurs in reality.

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MAGA and far-right mythologies exploit these natural fears in apocalyptic terms. I'm not defending ignorance, but MAGA-friendly politicians and pundits traumatize their voters and audiences, seeking to make them desperate and panicked that the visible changes around them are occurring too quickly. Such mythologies do not merely change one’s identity; the effects go much further than that. These mythologies change something inside people — the unseen parts, like our souls. Some pernicious alteration occurs. I am living proof, however, that such alterations need not be permanent; those defending Haley’s comments have likely been transformed in such a way by MAGA messaging and right-wing ideology.

More than any other nation in world history, America’s identity and ethos are rooted in mythologies. Many will say that those with the most influence are those who control the information flow; I don’t entirely disagree, but I’d argue that those who control the shaping and inculcation of history may wield the most influence. And........

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