I don't see that as particularly different actually. Many people are indeed secure enough economically that they can afford to waste time on luxury issues like imaginary trans people under the bed. Lots of other people aren't safe enough to have the time to waste on these obsessions.

We can only know what we allow ourselves to know. The problem of our politics is that oligarchs have figured out how to use identity signaling to get some people to shift their focus from their material well-being to imaginary problems such as trans existence or the collapse of Biblical literalism.

Exactly. "Sin" is the original one. The idea that invisible beings out there are watching your actions is the easiest problem in the world to "solve" for someone else--and it gives license to control them.

Having said that, these types of completely fabricated issues can only work when the economy or the jobs situations aren't as disastrous as Trump is making them out to be.

Anyone who disagrees with her viewpoints is biased, in her book.

Legendarily charismatic and a great person, to boot!

The metaphor has transcended the movie on notoriety. People want to fight a lot harder. And they're right.