"The very same traits (pathologically dysfunctional competitiveness/greed/ambition), that drove them to manipulate the system to get ahead, "present" (symptoms) w/such intensity/severity that they are unable to turn "it" off even when "it" threatens to destroy what it created."
Rational former Republicans (@radiofreetom/@stuartpstevens) have struggled to understand what happened to people they thought they knew as "intelligent & reasonable".
There are several things at play. First, we often view others through our own subjective lens. Therefore,….1/
...even when agreeing on an issue, we assume we arrive at same conclusion for similar reasons.
Nichols/Stevens arrived at certain conclusions due to their belief in Conservativism’s “commitment to traditional values/ideas & opposition to change socially traditional ideas.” 2/
But the problem is that many of the “socially traditional ideas” that existed in this country's history involved racism, discrimination, misogyny, homophobia, & bigotry.
And although rational former Republicans were seduced by the pragmatism/deliberateness of the ideology....3/
Yes, Trump supporting Christian right engaged in moral compromisation (the "ends justifies the means")....to create moral authority. The moral compromisation occurred when the evangelicals adopted the "flawed leader" narrative to justify their support of Trump. 1/
An interesting study finding neuro-physiological parallels between white supremacy and addiction.
The study focuses on the dopamine “high”, but fails to recognize the potential neuro-physiological pain-avoidance “withdrawal” factor associated with group/tribal identity. 1/