I don't understand; why do people defend things such as the confederate flag

[Rev. Rye]

Or because we're the result of generations of the outcasts of every other country rutting, latching on to religious fundamentalism, and enshrining the ability to use lethal weapons as a basic human right.

I'm pretty sure most murders here are not religiously motivated, but figured it was a matter of time before someone blamed religion in America for it.

Honestly, when I brought up religious fundamentalism, I chose it as possibly the clearest manifestation of a larger underlying problem: a sense that "I reject your reality and substitute my own" with an alarming vehemence and a strong desire to force that view on everyone else that it could seriously be taken for mental illness if the DSM didn't strictly proscribe diagnosing people with mental problems that were part and parcel of a larger culture.  I suppose Trump and the Stavrogins on the alt-right may be a bit clearer an example at this point, but I strongly suspect they might not have that long of a shelf life.