Donald wants to know how the GOP gets people to vote against their own self-interests.
Answer: The GOP propaganda machine is designed to play on their fears.
Do you all know about that Cell Biology article that showed brain differences between conservatives and liberals?
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Answer: The GOP propaganda machine is designed to play on their fears.
Do you all know about that Cell Biology article that showed brain differences between conservatives and liberals?
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Here's the article: cell.com/current-biolog…
MRI scans revealed that self-described conservative students have a larger amygdala than liberals.
(I'm summarizing from the article. I'm NOT a biologist)
The amygdala is an almond-shaped thing in our brains.
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MRI scans revealed that self-described conservative students have a larger amygdala than liberals.
(I'm summarizing from the article. I'm NOT a biologist)
The amygdala is an almond-shaped thing in our brains.
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The amygdala is active during states of fear and anxiety.
In other words, conservatives are more fearful.
Liberals have more gray matter at least in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain that helps people cope with complexity.
cell.com/current-biolog…
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In other words, conservatives are more fearful.
Liberals have more gray matter at least in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain that helps people cope with complexity.
cell.com/current-biolog…
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Liberals are thus more comfortable with nuance and complexity.
The well-oiled FOX-Trump propaganda loop is specifically designed to play on the fears of their base and rile them.
Like this, for example 👇
I see this and roll my eyes.
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The well-oiled FOX-Trump propaganda loop is specifically designed to play on the fears of their base and rile them.
Like this, for example 👇
I see this and roll my eyes.
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The Fox base gets really scared.
In 👇 @karen_stenner and @JonHaidt talk about an "authoritarian dynamic."
People with what they call an "authoritarian disposition" have a bias against those who are different.
They have an aversion to complexity. They're easily riled.
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In 👇 @karen_stenner and @JonHaidt talk about an "authoritarian dynamic."
People with what they call an "authoritarian disposition" have a bias against those who are different.
They have an aversion to complexity. They're easily riled.
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So the "authoritarian disposition" describes the same "fearfulness" and aversion to complexity in the Cell Biology article.
In other words, the political psychologist notice the same thing as the biologists: heightened fearfulness in people who identify as conservative.
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In other words, the political psychologist notice the same thing as the biologists: heightened fearfulness in people who identify as conservative.
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When people with an authoritarian disposition are riled, they can become cruel and dangerous.
The problem comes when a demagogue or a propaganda network riles them and stirs their rage and anger.
That's when we have a dangerous situation.
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The problem comes when a demagogue or a propaganda network riles them and stirs their rage and anger.
That's when we have a dangerous situation.
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The formula is simple: The strongman leader identifies (invents) enemies and promises to vanquish them.
They vote for rich people who are robbing them because the rich people give them what they want more than economic security: Protection from their "enemies."
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They vote for rich people who are robbing them because the rich people give them what they want more than economic security: Protection from their "enemies."
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See what happened when I was concentrating on spelling "amygdala" correctly? 👇
About the racism: Think of it this way.
Diversity = complexity, and they can't handle complexity.
To deliberately rouse their fears and rile them is pure evil.
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About the racism: Think of it this way.
Diversity = complexity, and they can't handle complexity.
To deliberately rouse their fears and rile them is pure evil.
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This is a really interesting question, and there are probably a few ways to answer.
First, they seem to fear what the are told to fear by their leaders.
A second way to answer lies in the meaning of the phrase "normative threat."
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First, they seem to fear what the are told to fear by their leaders.
A second way to answer lies in the meaning of the phrase "normative threat."
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I've seen several definitions, but most precisely it is a "perceived threat, when no hostile action or physical damage appears imminent."
@karen_stenner and @JonHaidt in their article "The Authoritarian Dynamic" . . .
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researchgate.net/publication/23…
@karen_stenner and @JonHaidt in their article "The Authoritarian Dynamic" . . .
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researchgate.net/publication/23…
. . . explain that when a person with an authoritarian disposition is faced with a normative threat, they become fearful and angry (and dangerous).
@karen_stenner made the article available free on her website:
…e-4700-aaa9-743a55a9437a.filesusr.com/ugd/02ff25_370…
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@karen_stenner made the article available free on her website:
…e-4700-aaa9-743a55a9437a.filesusr.com/ugd/02ff25_370…
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. . . so it seems like normative threats are perceived as real threats while real threats can be disregarded in the interests of appearing "strong" or following the leader.
I'm not a biologist or political psychologist so I'm not sure this example fits, but. . .
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I'm not a biologist or political psychologist so I'm not sure this example fits, but. . .
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. . when my son was 2, at the zoo, he wanted to grab a rattlesnakes. (He couldn't obviously. There was glass)
When we climbed a platform and looked a giraffe in the eye, screamed with terror. (Oops. Got down from there fast)
He didn't understand what to fear.
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When we climbed a platform and looked a giraffe in the eye, screamed with terror. (Oops. Got down from there fast)
He didn't understand what to fear.
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I think it's a different way of saying the same thing. I'm researching disinformation, which brings me to the study of fascism, which is hierarchical and authoritarian.
I'm finding that using "hierarchy v. fairness" better describes what I see.
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I'm finding that using "hierarchy v. fairness" better describes what I see.
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This thread is now a blog post here:terikanefield-blog.com/fear-and-corru…
