NYT - Brooks "The Rotting of the Republican Mind"

[NRaleighLiberal]

(sorry about the paywall, This is yet another NYT op ed from today which fails to recognize the impact on the right wing noise machine. Until that is neutralized somehow, anything he suggests won't last any longer than the disbelievers turning on their radio or TV. So, posted for discussion/info)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/opinion/republican-disinformation.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage]

When one party becomes detached from reality.

David Brooks
By David Brooks
Opinion Columnist

Nov. 26, 2020

In a recent Monmouth University survey, 77 percent of Trump backers said Joe Biden had won the presidential election because of fraud. Many of these same people think climate change is not real. Many of these same people believe they don’t need to listen to scientific experts on how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

We live in a country in epistemological crisis, in which much of the Republican Party has become detached from reality. Moreover, this is not just an American problem. All around the world, rising right-wing populist parties are floating on oceans of misinformation and falsehood. What is going on?

Many people point to the internet — the way it funnels people into information silos, the way it abets the spread of misinformation. I mostly reject this view. Why would the internet have corrupted Republicans so much more than Democrats, the global right more than the global left?

My analysis begins with a remarkable essay that Jonathan Rauch wrote for National Affairs in 2018 called “The Constitution of Knowledge.” Rauch pointed out that every society has an epistemic regime, a marketplace of ideas where people collectively hammer out what’s real. In democratic, nontheocratic societies, this regime is a decentralized ecosystem of academics, clergy members, teachers, journalists and others who disagree about a lot but agree on a shared system of rules for weighing evidence and building knowledge.

snip

last para

What to do? You can’t argue people out of paranoia. If you try to point out factual errors, you only entrench false belief. The only solution is to reduce the distrust and anxiety that is the seedbed of this thinking. That can only be done first by contact, reducing the social chasm between the members of the epistemic regime and those who feel so alienated from it. And second, it can be done by policy, by making life more secure for those without a college degree.

Rebuilding trust is, obviously, the work of a generation.

[Karadeniz]

1. There was yesterday here which stated that the conservative brain could become more liberal if the

Person felt safe and secure. Way too much fear being tossed around!

[beachbumbob]

4. I guess you do not know many conservatives

The underlying drive is HATE, and fear will drive hate further especially when its all propaganda. When people are ill-educated, low information those people are the perfect fodder for totalitarian rule and why the "typical" trump supporter HATES democracy, there is NO 2 SIDES to issues, there is only ONE side that matters and its THEIR side.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Yes. Those 'false beliefs' are a feature not a bug.

The Republican mind experiment was crafted quite on purpose, with all the methodical reality-making bad intent. Goebbels would be impressed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. There's *some* truth to this but it fails to acknowledge, let alone explain,

why well-educated, urban, affluent, presumably intelligent people have also been warped or brainwashed or whatever into believing the conspiracy theories and insane claptrap being propagated by Q-Anon and the like. Brooks, clueless as ever, addresses only the stereotypical MAGAt, the uneducated gun-toting middle-aged white guy from Bumfuck, Oklahoma. What about all the lawyers and doctors and other urban professionals who've been eating Trump's shit as if it were the most beautiful chocolate cake with two scoops of ice cream? I'd sure like to know the answer.

[beachbumbob]

5. well educated doen;t mean that they can not be racist, but ill-educated can easily be conned into it

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. But the well-educated GOPers have been conned as well.

They were probably racist to begin with, but they've also bought into the Q-Anon conspiracies with the same blind enthusiasm as Joe-Bob the gun nut from the boonies.

[beachbumbob]

7. the well educated trumpers needed no conning as the propaganda validated their positions

its the masses that give the GOP the victories

[Hugin]

13. My working theory is the wrong people were rewarded following the crash in 2008...

No, I don't blame President Obama. The pieces were set before he had anything to do with the matter. He was merely another victim of what was already in motion.

A few months ago I happened on a movie which I mistook for a cheesecake piece called, "Hustlers". Underneath the glitter there was a deeper story in that movie which confirmed what I've been supposing. In society shifts, it's often informative to look at where different classes interact to see what has changed.

The movie was extremely insightful and well written. The important part of the premise to me was it was centered around a young woman who in an effort to support her grandmother had turned to dancing in a high end club. When she started (prior to 2008) it was a glamorous and exciting environment where the performers were all well treated, respected by the clientele, and highly compensated. She was going to school, graduated, and started a family. Eventually leaving dancing to pursue her career. Ultimately, the crash of 2008 brought everything to an end. She found herself unemployed single with a small child and still her grandmother to support. She thought she could fall back on dancing for the income she needed. When she goes back to the club she finds it has completely changed and is now relying on being a front for illicit activities and organized crime. The performers are no longer treated with respect and instead are dehumanized for the amusement of the clients who rarely pay for the services they receive.

So, in other words, every one of the clients had become a Donald J. Trump and the management of the club had become their enforcers.

The bottom line I'm trying to get to here is the simple truth that these educated GrOPpers are making themselves feel better about their status by demeaning those they feel are inferior. Instead of doing something proactive like you know the adage, the rising tide floats all boats. In fact, for some reason, they fear that situation and deem it socialism.

American society had become mean.

[Kitchari]

11. The "well-educated" GOPers I 've come across

Seem to skate on the surface of life, doing what pleases them, not caring to notice beyond the veneer of their own pleasure and ease, therefore conspiracy theories that support their convenient fiction are appealing. It's not thoughtful or deep or sincere. It's a joke, a pastime, a glib punchline that supports their notion of superiority

[zipplewrath]

16. All the while

slightly paranoid that someone or something will take it all away. Fear can easily feed such a paranoia.

[Kitchari]

23. Zero Sum Game

An approach that fears another's gain and actively works against the good of all

[yardwork]

21. Very insightful point.

[yardwork]

17. Tax breaks, deregulation, racism, and misogyny.

Think of Brett Kavanaugh. Why is he a Republican? Answer: He doesn't want to share, he feels entitled to have more than his fair share, he doesn't like strong successful women or black or brown people, he doesn't want to pay taxes to take care of other people, he doesn't want the government telling businesses that they have to protect workers and he doesn't care about the environment or living things. To him, enjoying the outdoors means playing golf or sitting on the patio at the country club.

He's Trump. We have a lot of Trumps in this country.

[Kitchari]

24. Very true

And as you say, there are so many

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. such a big blind spot. I guess when the media is part of the problem, they won't or can't

recognize it

[crickets]

19. And there it is. Nailed it. nt

[Kitchari]

28. Brooks is an ass

I cannot understand how he keeps his job. Complete ass.

[GusBob]

30. The mindset precedes the internet by generations

Basic fact: most conservatives are older

It goes way back before Scopes Monkey Trial and Darwin even

All the way back to when folks believed the sun revolved around the earth

[UpInArms]

9. There is a very informative documentary

On Netflix

Social Dilemna

...

Well worth watching.. lots to unpack there

[Dave Starsky]

12. David Brooks can suck a fart out of my ass.

He's one of the "good conservatives" who has bent over backwards for years trying to normalize that infernal orange imp.

And the Republican mind was always rotten.

[gulliver]

14. People just want their dreams to be good dreams, not nightmares.

I like the idea of "contact" between the "epistemic regime and those who feel so alienated from it," but it's not really actionable. To me, it brings to mind the "uncontacted people" in places like Peru. Our rural communities might take offense at the comparison, but it's apt. People do crave a certain amount of isolation. Without that, there's no learning the rules needed to live. The rules keep changing, and once-solid rules simply fail. "Contact" is, therefore, exactly what a lot of people are specifically trying to avoid.

Dems need to be win-win in terms of the material basics for all Americans. The goal should be a floor on material needs for everyone. That's why I like the idea of UBI and Jobs Guarantee. Some want the security of knowing they and their kids won't starve or lack healthcare. Some want more and want the inspiration of building and achieving something.

Some want to play music, some want to play baseball, some want to sit at their keyboard and post on discussion boards.

[jalan48]

15. Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Michael Savage, Alex Jones, Ann Coulter, Pat Robertson.....

and the list goes on. Right wing media has been effective at rotting (brainwashing) American minds. And, it was happening all the while Mr Brooks was touting Republican talking points.

[Me.]

18. New Word For Him?

Epistemic?

[NRaleighLiberal]

20. nah, he likes to play with that word often.

[greenjar_01]

22. Every single Trump supporter I know was better off after the Obama admin than before

Every single one with no college degree was doing quite well by 2016.

Brooks is clever enough to slip "cultural" into his horseshit analysis here.

It means race. It means race. It means race. It means race.

[Kitchari]

26. It DOES boil down to race

with these benighted people, but they will deny it (usually)

[Hortensis]

25. "The only solution is to reduce the distrust and anxiety that is the seedbed of this thinking."

What to do? You can’t argue people out of paranoia. If you try to point out factual errors, you only entrench false belief. The only solution is to reduce the distrust and anxiety that is the seedbed of this thinking.

That can only be done first by contact, reducing the social chasm between the members of the epistemic regime and those who feel so alienated from it. And second, it can be done by policy, by making life more secure for those without a college degree.

Rebuilding trust is, obviously, the work of a generation.

But the policy part, making life more secure, we get going asap.

We need to replace the future as an unknowable, scary black screen with a believable view ahead to the return of secure, prosperous times. I'd hoped Hillary's terms following Obama's would accomplish that, but instead we were dealt an enormous setback.

We're an incredibly advanced and wealthy nation, though, by far the wealthiest on the planet. And we are still a liberal democracy with government of, by and for the people. We just proved that.

With technology improving our lives and reducing the need to work long hours for it, it's very achievable. Actually, as inevitable as running water and the internet became -- if we don't destroy what we inherited first.

[Paladin]

27. Same old shit: It's up to liberals to make nice with the shitheads.

Fuck that.

Hey, David Brooks: I got your "epistemic regime." Right here.

[peggysue2]

29. You start turning this around by opening up opportunities and a measure of security to everyone

If citizens are able to breathe again economically, have a chance of a decent job at a decent wage, a lot of the griping will be quieted.

People cannot exist in this gig economy, with healthcare costs soaring and doors of opportunity slamming in their faces. Students are crippled by debt and growing numbers of Americans are experiencing food scarcities as a fact of life. That has to stop, as well as the huge wealth disparities, the ridiculous prison population (5% of the world's population, 20%+ of the world's prison population), and the long list of racial inequities.

Then, you begin to restrict the propaganda hose that has been wide open, 24/7 for the last 30 years. Yes, people will scream about 1st Amendment rights but even the 1st Amendment has limits (the old 'can't scream fire in a crowded theater' limitation, for instance). I'd suggest we're in that crowded theater scenario and the screaming of lies and disinformation has poisoned the minds of far too many threatening democracy and its very principles.

We cannot afford to screw up this narrow window of opportunity to repair, restore and reform. Because the next fascist-minded leader will be far more clever and articulate than Donald Trump. And the GOP? They've given up on the idea of democracy because they can't stand the thought of losing power and influence.

We owe it to our future and our past--flawed as it is--to strive to embrace the basics, the foundations of the country, make sure our kids are schooled in civics and civic responsibility, and get off the ME ONLY train.

Some Americans will never get it. We have to accept that fact while dragging as many of the persuadables across the line because without a growing majority, it's not simply the Democratic Party at risk. It's the whole damn country.

We won Round 1 on November 3rd, not as decisive as we hoped, but a first step. We need to be prepared--this is going to be a long, protracted battle if we truly want our 'better angels' to survive.

Personally, I feel somewhat confident because I really do believe that the majority of Americans are good and decent who still believe in the country's potential.

We shall see

[Sugarcoated]

31. Could someone post the article for

folks who aren't subscribers?