A recent online thread among people most of whom are usually pretty reasonable concerned, in part, Joe Biden’s claim, some years back, that Donald Trump had advised people to cure Covid by injecting bleach into their arms. A number of posters disagreed with my description of Biden’s statement as a lie, which struck me as an example of the unfortunate effect of tribal loyalty. Further thought convinced me that I myself was not immune.
I'm confident my belief is false, but emotionally I believe the two main tribes currently raging at one another are, first, the tribe that is open to hearing evidence and rational argument, then second, the tribe that projects, while embracing, the term "epistemic closure".
I'm in much the same place, but from the other side. My criticisms of Democrat and left-aligned beliefs, media, and policies are legion. But my criticisms of Republican and right-aligned beliefs, media, and politics are tinged with the strong suspicion that they are actively out to get people like me. (Yes, that's more than loyalty-to-a-sports-team, or personal animosity to a few people who've annoyed me personally, which is how you describe your feelings.)
Realistically, whichever party wins, American government action and inaction will continue to kill people. Moreover, they would mostly be roughly the same people. But my gut sees e.g. Forced Birther policies as more murderous than e.g. policies of Defense By Drone Strikes on foreign soil. (The numbers almost certainly disagree with my gut, particularly while most American women with likely-to-be-fatal pregnancies have the ability to travel out of the no-exception-for-maternal-health zone.)
On the other hand, when it comes to this election cycle, while I dread pretty much all Republicans, any loyalty I have to the Democrats is entirely about reducing - or at least delaying - the damage the Republicans want to do. I don't have spare political energy to care about the good of the country, given Republican attacks on people like me. The Democrats are at least as likely to do idiotic things as to successfully unwind recent Republican dis-improvements. But at least if they win they'll block any more federal-level attacks on people right wing Christians enjoy harming.
Meanwhile, while we fight about cultural issues, aka which non-rich demographic group gets to be privileged, we get ever less competition, ever greater inequality, and corporations treated as more like people than many real human beings. I suspect a lot of donors have encouraged this outcome, via donations to both sides. (Yes, I'm left wing in more than a cultural way.)
Thanks for the clarity. Will take your word for all of it. How about weighing in on this burning question: will either the Dems or GOP ever collapse of their own top-heavy weight, near-complete detachment from actual principles, and essential apathy toward the concerns of most of their own members who aren't big-bux donors? The rise of any alternative is a separate question; I'm rooting for it but not optimistic. On the other hand, the possibility of party fracturing seems real and the number of voters who ID as unaffiliated has never been higher, for reasons too numerous to mention here.
Is it wrong to enjoy humiliating enemies? My parents taught me that humiliation builds character. Were they mistaken?
I'm confident my belief is false, but emotionally I believe the two main tribes currently raging at one another are, first, the tribe that is open to hearing evidence and rational argument, then second, the tribe that projects, while embracing, the term "epistemic closure".
Ah, the quintessential David column: "Everyone is stupid and corrupt, except me. Even those who should know better!"
https://www.mattball.org/2018/04/we-all-have-our-blindspots.html
I'm in much the same place, but from the other side. My criticisms of Democrat and left-aligned beliefs, media, and policies are legion. But my criticisms of Republican and right-aligned beliefs, media, and politics are tinged with the strong suspicion that they are actively out to get people like me. (Yes, that's more than loyalty-to-a-sports-team, or personal animosity to a few people who've annoyed me personally, which is how you describe your feelings.)
Realistically, whichever party wins, American government action and inaction will continue to kill people. Moreover, they would mostly be roughly the same people. But my gut sees e.g. Forced Birther policies as more murderous than e.g. policies of Defense By Drone Strikes on foreign soil. (The numbers almost certainly disagree with my gut, particularly while most American women with likely-to-be-fatal pregnancies have the ability to travel out of the no-exception-for-maternal-health zone.)
On the other hand, when it comes to this election cycle, while I dread pretty much all Republicans, any loyalty I have to the Democrats is entirely about reducing - or at least delaying - the damage the Republicans want to do. I don't have spare political energy to care about the good of the country, given Republican attacks on people like me. The Democrats are at least as likely to do idiotic things as to successfully unwind recent Republican dis-improvements. But at least if they win they'll block any more federal-level attacks on people right wing Christians enjoy harming.
Meanwhile, while we fight about cultural issues, aka which non-rich demographic group gets to be privileged, we get ever less competition, ever greater inequality, and corporations treated as more like people than many real human beings. I suspect a lot of donors have encouraged this outcome, via donations to both sides. (Yes, I'm left wing in more than a cultural way.)
Thanks for the clarity. Will take your word for all of it. How about weighing in on this burning question: will either the Dems or GOP ever collapse of their own top-heavy weight, near-complete detachment from actual principles, and essential apathy toward the concerns of most of their own members who aren't big-bux donors? The rise of any alternative is a separate question; I'm rooting for it but not optimistic. On the other hand, the possibility of party fracturing seems real and the number of voters who ID as unaffiliated has never been higher, for reasons too numerous to mention here.