Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Most Bush Supporters: Intentionally ignorant or unable to process reality?

Willravel · 10-21-2004, 04:08 PM

The bottom line is that people seem to have better things to do than care about what's going on politically in the world. People are too busy with work or family or school to pay attention to what's going on.

Outside of these people, you have the dissonant people. People who have savcraficed a lot with Bush in office and don't want to be wrong about what they put so much work into. Imagine you voted for Bush (some don't have to imagine, obviously). You've been protecting him since he stole the election. You vote for him, he loses, but steals the election and people askyou why. So you fight them on it. You didn't vote for the loser! So you start in a pattern of defending him. Next he starts going on vacation for years at a time. People call him lazy, you say he's doing his job. You start to have a vested interest in how people see Bush. Then 9/11 happens. Ww all want to hunt down the killers. You know your president won't let you down. So he goes after Ossama. Everyone is with you all of a sudden. Bush is going to get them! Then we attack Iraq. You are back in the position of defending Bush's actions. So now you can see a pattern of defending your decision back in 2000. Now here comes the election...time to fight with all of your might!

Why does this happen? Dissonance. If someone is called upon to learn something which contradicts what they already think they know — particularly if they are committed to that prior knowledge*— they are likely to resist the new learning. Even Carl Rogers recognised this. Accommodation is more difficult than assimilation. You have vested interest in him being right, even if the facts stand in stark contrast.

That's my explaination, Opie. IMO.

Edit: I won't be happy with Bush until he apologizes to the people of Iraq, the people of France, Germany, Russia, and every other country that said, "Don't". He need to accept that he made a decision based on bad information, then address those who it hurt. People died because of the USs campaign. Innocent people. Based on a mistake. Apologize, unless you aren't sorry.

10-21-2004, 04:08 PM	#28 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	The bottom line is that people seem to have better things to do than care about what's going on politically in the world. People are too busy with work or family or school to pay attention to what's going on. Outside of these people, you have the dissonant people. People who have savcraficed a lot with Bush in office and don't want to be wrong about what they put so much work into. Imagine you voted for Bush (some don't have to imagine, obviously). You've been protecting him since he stole the election. You vote for him, he loses, but steals the election and people askyou why. So you fight them on it. You didn't vote for the loser! So you start in a pattern of defending him. Next he starts going on vacation for years at a time. People call him lazy, you say he's doing his job. You start to have a vested interest in how people see Bush. Then 9/11 happens. Ww all want to hunt down the killers. You know your president won't let you down. So he goes after Ossama. Everyone is with you all of a sudden. Bush is going to get them! Then we attack Iraq. You are back in the position of defending Bush's actions. So now you can see a pattern of defending your decision back in 2000. Now here comes the election...time to fight with all of your might! Why does this happen? Dissonance. If someone is called upon to learn something which contradicts what they already think they know — particularly if they are committed to that prior knowledge— they are likely to resist the new learning. Even Carl Rogers recognised this. Accommodation is more difficult than assimilation. You have vested interest in him being right, even if the facts stand in stark contrast. That's my explaination, Opie. IMO. Edit: I won't be happy with Bush until he apologizes to the people of Iraq, the people of France, Germany, Russia, and every other country that said, "Don't". He need to accept that he made a decision based on bad information, then address those who it hurt. People died because of the USs campaign. Innocent people. Based on a mistake. Apologize, unless you aren't sorry. Last edited by Willravel; 10-21-2004 at 04:12 PM..*