It. Is. You.
It is them - but it is Trump also...
= new reply since forum marked as read
professionals use (among others) to describe mental disturbances afflicting typical Republicans. A frightening percentage are also psychopaths to some degree.
As a common man, I prefer to just call them cold, selfish, self-centered, greedy, fear-driven assholes......
Also want to read "The Authoritarians" by Dr. Robert Altemeyer.
Sometimes it's frightening to read about the psychology and roots of this massive issue, but the more I understand it, the better I can face up to dealing with those people in my life.
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I found some good psychology articles that began painting a picture of certain personality types common in all societies. That process has reduced my stress while observing their behavior, particularly since I have a highly sensitive personality.
The key light-bulb moment was when I realized their personality type craves a structure of authority in order to feel complete, which is something I never was attached to. As kids, we were taught to respect authority but not worship it or be dependent on it in our lives.
Therefore, they seem to want a structure something like this (top-to-bottom) but with millions of variations:
God > preacher > grandparents and parents > bosses at work > political pundits (Limbaugh, et al) > politicians (Reagan, etc.) > like-minded siblings and friends > spouse or partners.
They have great difficulty dealing with situations when their structure becomes broken or collapses, and some with serious mental problems may resort to violence.
Just my amateur observations.....
Comfort in close-mindedness, I suppose. That's how conservatives prefer we all stay so we're easier to control.
Education is the key. Far too many people read anything with depth these days, to our peril. We need to refocus on providing our youth with a well-rounded education so that healthy open-mindedness starts early.
That's exactly what pulled me out of my backward, country ways of thinking after I started college. That, and a couple of great high-school teachers in my farm town school that gave me a little head-start in physics and English.
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Murdoch would be forced to rename that network "The Republican Party Propaganda Channel".
Actually in a fair, rational and just world Murdoch and his whole damn clan would be forced into poverty on a deserted island because of massive social, cultural and economic damage he's done to at least three nations I'm aware of (UK, US and Australia).
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We've allowed a number of social/cultural bubbles to form in the US that are quite dangerous and we must work to get all of us out of our comfort zones more often.
I recall bubbles of sorts in the 50s thru 70s, but they were mostly economic, cultural and regional. Now, they're mostly political which is contrary to working-class unity.
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