121Contact

The age of #COM is here

Coalitions of Minorities (#COM) are  becoming the driving force in politics. The existential dread of White Supremacists, i.e., losing power to encroaching groups, has become a reality. A new nation has been birthed and the midwife: President Donald #Trump.

 

Trump Supporters and Authoritarianism

We are Trump Supporters.

We believe in absolute obedience to Trump. We believe in the oppression of those who disagree. We live in fear and know we are powerless. We are victims and Trump is our rescuer.

Our black and white worldview tells us that people are divided into two classes: the weak and the strong. Most of our social problems would be solved if we could somehow get rid of the immoral, crooked and feeble-minded people. Aggression against the weak is necessary.

We project our own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto Mexicans, Muslims, and immigrants. Actually, anyone who is not with us is a valid target of our rage.

Trump & Palin trumpet victimhood over and over. We are Victims in need of Rescue by Trump-our-Rescuer to save us from Persecution by 'the other'.

The reason this kind of formulation is so dangerous in politics is that it not only fuels the fear-mongering of the oppressor that we’ve seen so much of from Republicans lately, it sets the stage for the authoritarianism (or even fascism) of the rescuer.

from the piece posted January 26, 2016 when I was blinded by confirmation bias. With apologies to Adorno, Fromm,  and Butler, Dallago, LeTourneau, Williams, and Wronski

 #Trump #Resist                                                   www.121contact.typepad.com 

Trumpian Discomfort

And still you believe him? NYT
Or maybe reversing your impassioned support is too humiliating and would cause internal pain you think you cannot stand...You will have to pour ever growing energy into maintaining your position and tamping down the reality that creeps up on you. Too sad. Be Strong. #Resist along with the rest who see him for what he is.

Va. Shooting Pushes Media to Familiar Places

It’s easy to blame the rhetoric and that’s the way the media are playing the Va. shooting. Political analysts are called before the cameras and call for unity. Not one social, cognitive or psychological scientist is interviewed in the mainstream media. We ignore the root and snip the leaves.

We don’t need more or less guns. We don’t need less fiery discourse. We need stronger social services. We certainly don’t need to prolong and ratchet up the trauma by seemingly endless replaying of the event and publishing the knee-jerk reactions of extremists.

We need more education that teaches our children how to handle strong emotions in a rational and effective manner. #Resist by #ThinkingAboutThinking 121Contact

widow-chronicles-husbands-murder-illegal-immigrant

A headline @Breitbart's  catches your eye. It can be related to many things.

        #ThinkingAboutThinking as you try to make sense of it; link it to already existing meems. When you get a link you also get a little reward; a pleasant brain-chemical-cocktail.

        SV represents a very real existential danger. He did kill someone. He was a repeat offender.  He is an illegal immigrant. You might link SV to ‘Immigrants are a high risk’ because it ‘natural’ to assign the actions of one to the traits of the group. That links to its own set of meems. Some may steer you toward action.

          Of course you might have linked SV to ‘the legal system failed’. That links to a whole other set of meems. Some may steer you toward action.

         Or both at once. Perhaps in denial of one. Perhaps considering both with a mind free to consider.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/03/02/widow-chronicles-husbands-murder-illegal-immigrant/