Yesterday's meeting with the "far-right curious" person I mentioned went better than expected.
He's of the "it's only fascism if it refers to an Italian state policy of workers bundled into guilds" persuasion, but using the 1940s film I wrote about a few weeks back, I actually got him to realize that even fascists of the era had a range of buy-ins to various forms of the movement - just like the range of "everyday conservatives" he worries are stigmatized unduly for liking extremists today. 1/3
From there, we talked about how that fear of being seen as a bad person leads people (usually men, in my experience) to rush to defend someone who's done wrong: racist, nationalist, sexist. They're so afraid of being called out themselves one day, they'd rather fight society's criticism of another than interrogate their own actions and pursue change.
And that fear shapes so many problems in our society. I know plenty of people I consider to be deeply in the wrong wrt political morality - 2/3
The term "deprogramming" comes to mind.
Normal psychological, emotional, moral self-righting may not suffice for individuals who have been so deeply programmed.
True, I am actually suggesting a compassionate healing rehabilitation process. Not that it is likely to come about in any practical sense.
@ceorl the best opportunity for a national wake up call was in the weeks following J6. Biden pissed away the moment in an apparent bid to foster some sort of 1980s style return to bipartisanship. The lack of accountability for political enablers has only minimized the severity of the event in the public eye.
True. I still love the idea of America and all, but I have little actual faith in politicians, the courts, law enforcement, the press and media, the US Mail, and other things that will come to mind to me later no doubt :)
Their dismantling of faith and institutions is impressive. Really excellent work.
A saving grace may be that they seem unable to work together without imploding.
@CanisPundit @ceorl @MLClark I mean that's one view. Or one might say that McConnell, Graham, and similar GOP folk pissed away the moment to draw back from the brink. I well remember Linds speaking after Congress re-convened the night of January 6; he sounded a little drunk and a lot rattled and he said basically, "enough already." A moment of clarity! -- and gone within days. So... who pissed what away, there?
@agunn I completely agree they had a chance to right the Right. A sad fact is Republican gerrymandering to select their voters has left them with a regressed mess as the Republican base. To vote to remove Trump in impeachment episode 2 would appropriately throw the GOP into minority status for a couple of decades. They put party, power, and personal gain ahead of country.
I agree with you. I have no doubt some of them will return to sanity in time, but another group will stubbornly continue to deny reality and insist black is white, up is down, day is night, and evil is good. Every cult has stragglers that continue to support the leader even after they die or go to prison. They can't deal with the truth because they refuse to learn and grow, preferring the past and all its prejudice to the present.
The intrapsychic origins - That propaganda is similar to the sometimes toxic expectations on boys as they’re socialized to behave a certain way - to BE a man. I’m only an observer this lifetime of their growing up processes, but through my son I see a lot of tender/emotional boys on desperate emotional lockdown, suffering a lot with depression, social anxiety & alienation. They are so ripe for the picking - haven’t yet developed a mature worldview. I think it’s really hard for them.
💔
As an aunt to five boys, three teens, I sorely agree. They will say I love you with full hearts, and face worlds that mock and diminish them for it. And when they struggle with complex topics, only to be condemned at the first fumble, it's hard not to fall further down terrible internet rabbit holes feeding on their initial anger, fear, and shame.
Thank you for being a steady guide and safe port for those around you. ♥️
And you. It’s awfully hard to give space when watching them suffer. I’m glad yours have full hearts. Mine does, but it’s buried deep for survival. Perhaps that’s their onboard compass meant to guide them back to wholeness.
Let’s hope. 💛
So many seem stuck in a political version of sunk cost fallacy. Or the gambler's version: "chasing loses." Or the grandparents version: "Don't throw good money after bad."
The human/political version just compells them to only believe what they hear from their leader... all others are lying.
So when #trump lies nonstop, and even WORSE- tells his followers that Kamala & Biden are saying all these terrible lies- they are afraid to leave the "protection" of trump.
but worse is seeing them with no idea how to off-ramp from extremism, so they just info-silo deeper & defend even more staunchly views they *should* be able to let go of via new data as it arises.
Seeing how quickly humans can and do become apologists for terrible acts, it's hard not to empathize with those who are now slowly coming to realize that their views were wrong, but who don't have the tools to walk back to decency yet, because they've been caught up in the propaganda for too long. 3/3