Thread by @Nick_Carmody

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins People who voted against Hillary, without necessarily being supportive of Trump, eventually evolved into defenders of Trump when that vote became a judgment about their morality/character. Eventually they began to identify with, internalize, & defend Trump's persecution narrative

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins Once this occurred, there probably was a need to find "evidence" to not only outwardly defend themselves and their decision/vote, but also to inwardly reassure themselves that their vote against Hillary (default vote for Trump) wasn't an indictment against their moral compass. 2/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins That "evidence" was not only the easiest to find on radical right and Russian manipulated news sources, but, regardless of its truthfulness, it was also the most damning against Hillary, the most exculpating of Trump, and, by proxy, the most exculpating of themselves 3/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins Most people already have a poor understanding of epistemology, so their ability to apply a proper level of discernment is lacking. This is especially true when their level of personal investment is extremely high 4/

https://twitter.com/Nick_Carmody/status/1061029979297697792

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins Obviously, when they're defending their moral character, which is what a defense of their vote for Trump has become, they will search for any and all "evidence"......... regardless of the reliability, accuracy, or truthfulness. 5/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins Confirmation bias is a huge problem in the political climate. But at least in this context, the political component is secondary b/c some Trump voters were initially seeking bias-confirming evidence that exonerated their character/morality. 6/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins Once they felt their character had been sufficiently vindicated, they could comfortably view themselves as the "good guys". At this point the binary, "us vs them", "in-group/out-group" societal conditioning kicks in, and a zero-sum assessment is made: 7/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins ...."if I'm the good guy, then my persecutors are the enemy, and they and their beliefs are evil". This assessment is substantiated by the fact that they believe they were unfairly persecuted. From this point on they and Trump have "merged". 8/

@SethCotlar @jordanlperkins And any piercing of Trump's infallibility is a piercing of their own rebuilt and recently confirmed morality and good character. If Trump is exposed, it threatens to shatter their self-concept. Hence, the hyper-aggressive quest to seek out & propagate bias-confirming information