Thread by @graceisforyou

I have a theory that people who have spent a lot of time reading excellent fiction, narrative-based literature, epic poetry, etc and are also stronger in disagreeableness than empathy are the least susceptible to propaganda.

My (mostly intuitive) reasoning is thus:

The disagreeable vs empathetic part should be obvious. If you place a high value on “peace” and/or “unity” as defined by “getting along w/ the group,” you will be EXTREMELY uncomfortable when everyone else is saying “this sounds good” but you think it sounds crazy.

If you’re one who isn’t naturally disagreeable you’ll do almost anything to relieve the cognitive dissonance created by your internal questioning of everyone else’s perception of reality. If you’re empathetic you’ll also empathize w/ their fears, even if you aren’t afraid.

This has been demonstrated in the Asch conformity experiments and elsewhere. It’s a unique sort of person who *truly* doesn’t care that the rest of the group disagrees with them or — worse — thinks their ability to perceive reality is lacking.

If you’re naturally disagreeable though, you have less of a hurdle to overcome as you weigh whether it’s worth voicing a different perspective than everyone else. Though it won’t be fun, at least your highest value isn’t “getting along” or “fitting in” or “making ppl feel good.”

The other part of my intuitive theory re: susceptibility to propaganda has to do with what shapes a person’s understanding of Reality itself.

The maxim “you are what you eat” applies as much to the kinds of thought and beliefs about reality we regularly put into our minds and spirits as it does to the nourishment we put into our bodies.

A person who has been raised on excellent narrative and has a worldview shaped by transcendent values embodied in the lives of complex characters and plots has a better chance against propaganda than a person who builds their understanding of reality primarily on Information.

This is partly due to the way fiction allows you to live inside other minds and thus expands your own ability to perceive. But there’s something deeper going on, I think.

How we conceive of Truth obv influences how we interpret Facts. Facts are important, ofc. But a student of good fiction knows Facts aren’t the totality of the Real. There are planes of the Real that transcend Facts, not making Facts less real, but orienting us to them properly.

To the person for whom Information is the best explainer of Reality, an Expert Analysis mediated through a Trusted Source of Information will be essentially equivalent to Truth.

This is why so many “normies” base their entire understanding of a thing on the analyses of Scientists, Doctors, and Experts on news programs. These ppl hold Truth for them. This is why such inane slogans as “Trust the Science” and “Believe Science” proliferate…

…and why the frustration reaches levels of genocidal wrath when some ppl simply *don’t* trust The Science or follow the Expert Guidance. Such dissenters are clearly anti-Truth from the perspective that Information = Truth.

This is a long thread 😅… almost done, I promise!

The person who has walked the hero’s journey many times in excellent narrative knows Truth is never simply handed to you. Truth is only unfolded with Wisdom, and Wisdom can only be attained through a journey.

Further, anyone who claims to be handing you Truth and expects you not to take Truth on a journey of a thousand questions is not to be trusted. Such people are always the villains, in every era and culture. Consider: even Almighty God of the Bible invites us to wrestle with Him.

For the person who has spent lots of time in the hero’s journey, Truth is not merely Information but has more to do with Wisdom — a hard-won prize that involves Information and Facts, but necessarily includes Risk, Sacrifice, Faith, Courage, War, and various types of Death.

Such a person immediately suspects anyone who wants to hand him Truth. He will go to war against the person who tells him not to ask too many questions, *especially* if that person tells him All Of This Is For Your Own Good. 🚩🚩🚩

Is there anything to this theory? Your thoughts?

A good point, which is why facts are an important part of reality, but Truth involves moral judgments. Propaganda flattens morality, making one-dimensional characters out of complex human beings and one-dimensional plots out of complex storylines.

https://twitter.com/UnwiredCrypto/status/1470540469427965953

“The past is another country.” Love that.

https://twitter.com/tim_sandsquid63/status/1470559459734958087