Lately I’ve born witness to a great many people speaking about Trump, without really speaking about Trump. It goes like this: They speak of a quality or behavior that is reprehensible and then speak to the negative consequences of the promotion of that quality. It never goes well for Trump supporters. I think I understand why.
Most recently I listened to a speaker who was discussing arrogance and confidence. The speaker, a social psychologist, talked about how confidence is positive and arrogance is poisonous and how we can see the effects of each in people in our society. As she explained her point of view I couldn’t help but to think about Trump (a natural reaction) and the people who support Trump. I thought about how they would react to the conversation. They’d know immediately who she was talking about and then something would happen–as it does when I have these talks myself. The supporters would be turned off by her words. This isn’t because they think she is wrong or they support arrogance, but because they support Trump. What tends to happen is that such arguments clog up the cognitive bandwith. Unconsciously, the people who’ve chosen to align themselves with Trump will start to see the speaker as an enemy–the other, if you will. It is hard for us to identify with the other or to accept that what the other is saying might make sense, because the ‘other’ makes us feel threatened and defensive. It is far more difficult to see reason when you see the enemy through the fog of war.
Where political entitities have been most successful is in drawing upon that them vs. us mentality and making it more than a passing then. It is now the way impressionable minds are cultured. To everything.
Some Thoughts:
- In continuing to reflect on perceptions I’ve recognized that I give red heads a pass on looks. That is to say I have a much lower standard of beauty when it comes to redheads. I’ve noticed this again and again over the past week, and again just now watching someone on TV. Turns out the red hair is what makes them attractive whereas the rest isn’t as much so.