The Conservative Psyche: How Ordinary People Come to Embrace Paul Ryan's Cruelty

[applegrove]

Last edited Wed Aug 22, 2012, 01:31 AM - Edit history (1)

The Conservative Psyche: How Ordinary People Come to Embrace Paul Ryan's Cruelty

By Joshua Holland at AlterNet

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/conservative-psyche-how-ordinary-people-come-embrace-paul-ryans-cruelty

"SNIP...................................................

In a recent interview with AlterNet, Lakoff said, “Conservatives have a very different view of democracy, which follows their moral system.”



The basic idea in terms of economics is that democracy gives people the liberty to seek their self interest and their own well-being without worrying or being responsible for the well-being or interest of anybody else. Therefore they say everybody has individual responsibility, not social responsibility, therefore you’re on your own. If you make it that’s wonderful. That’s what the market is about. If you don’t make it, that’s your problem.



But it's not just about the moral imperative to be self-sufficient – that's always been central to the right's moral worldview. But beginning in the early 1960s, with the advent of the Right's deeply flawed “culture of poverty” narrative *, a defining morality tale about the public sector has been about how it does nothing but foster “dependency.” This, according to today's conservatives, makes virtually every form of government intervention in the economy profoundly immoral, as it keeps a segment of the population mired in poverty for generations.



This powerful story has only become more deeply entrenched in the conservative worldview with the growing influence of Ayn Rand. Rand wasn't only a schlock novelist, she was also the progenitor of a sweeping “moral philosophy” that justifies the privilege of the wealthy and demonizes not only the slothful, undeserving poor but the lackluster middle-classes as well. Her books provided wide-ranging parables of a world made up of "parasites," "looters" and "moochers" using the levers of government to steal

...................................................SNIP"

[Zoeisright]

1. I also think that a lot of people are simply cruel.

And selfish and ignorant and greedy and uneducated and just plain mean. It makes them feel better to stomp on someone else.

[DebJ]

2. Good article, thanks. n/t

[fasttense]

3. But Ayn Rand depended on Social Security

and many of the uber rich would NOT be rich if not for government hand outs, huge tax give-aways, government contracts, fraud and corruption. Right now CEOs earn more than their corporations pay in taxes. So instead of paying taxes, corporations are paying it to their CEOs.

So they may preach self-reliance but the successful conservative uses every handout they can force out of government. But you can hardly ever convince a RepubliCON that their uber rich, trust-fund leaders are on welfare just like the Welfare Mom's they so dislike.

"We often ignore new contradictory information, actively argue against it or discount its source, all in an effort to maintain existing evaluations. Reasoning away contradictions this way is psychologically easier than revising our feelings. In this sense, our emotions color how we perceive “facts.”
"


"And here, one of the apparent differences between conservative and liberal cognitive styles comes into play: the “backfire effect.” The term was coined by political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler, who found that when conservatives' erroneous beliefs were confronted by factual rebuttals, they tended to double-down on those beliefs." 


So, most RepubliCONS are doomed to be conned by the billionaires who are stealing them blind.

[Yavin4]

4. It's Really About Ego and Arrogance

Conservatives are primarily White males who believe that nothing bad will ever happen to them, until it does. Then, they run screaming and crying for govt help.

Many folks who work in IT were conservative or libertarian. In the 80s and 90s, ITers made more than the general population, and their incomes grew year over year. Then, in the late 90s, firms started outsourcing more to India and importing H1B Visa holders to fill positions. These same ITers hollered and cried for their government to stop outsourcing and H1Bs. They hate government regulating corporations, but now they insist on it when it adversely affects them.

The Wall Street bailout and Ayn Rand's acceptance of SS and Medicare are also prime examples of this kind of thinking.

Conservatives are just selfish, ignorant, assholes.

[flamingdem]

5. That's some sick shit they're peddling

at this point I don't even want to TALK to anyone who is voting for Romney/Ryan. :barf: