When Partisans Attack
One thing you may have noticed when talking to a partisan is that they bypass logical pathways when forming arguments. Inconsistencies, double standards, selective memory, feigned outrage are all unfortunate outgrowths of partisan tribalism. Loyalty can have a high cost. Science now shows us that in the human mind, reward centers are triggered by partisans when they deny an inconvenient fact out of existence (this happens if you cite a fact which runs contrary to the partisan’s views). Evolution, in its infinite wisdom, has determined that survival is often better achieved through being loyal, not being correct. Doing the “right” thing by your tribe (fellow Democrats or Republicans) is more important than doing the right thing.
As such, partisans are those whose “loyalty” mental pathways are given preference over rational pathways; they are people who value triggering reward centers in their brain for loyalty more so than the satisfaction of being intellectually consistent. (In some cases, people with logical pathway preference CHOOSE loyalty over logic for pragmatic reasons; I won’t go into that here) This is consistent with the fact that most people believe to be true what they wish to be true. This is why I urge non-partisans not to seduce themselves into believing they can easily “point out the facts” to partisans and convince them to change their mind. Partisans will receive their “drug” of endorphins ONLY if you do so and they can blind themselves to the new information.
Tribalism is central to human existence. Our family is our first exposure to it. Later, the children are politely asked to leave (and ideally not return) so they may form their own unions, just a young lion must find his own pride at some point. Our work environment and social circles present other examples.
The two political parties represent the largest “tribes” in America. They make up over 50% of the population. In contrast, regular churchgoing Christians make up less than 30% of the population. One of the ground rules of tribalism is that the person involved rarely wants to admit that they are prisoners of thought. One way tribe members assert their comparative intellectual independence is to condemn a member of a different kind of tribe of conformist throught. So you will have a progressive rail against the blind fealty of Christian sheep who can’t think for themselves while swearing allegiance to an ideology that is only partially based on principle but largely on a cynical compromise of left-wing interest groups ranging from labor unions to the trial lobby that make up the Democratic Party’s largest donors. Both groups make money off either bargaining against corporations or convincing juries that multinationals are evil (and thus need to pay out). In order to achieve favorable advantage in their conflicts, the groundwork is laid by anti-corporate propaganda that permeate well beyond politics (ie: Fair trade coffee, New Balance shoes).
At the same time, a right-wing tribal member advocates free market principles that benefit a communist dictatorship in Asia while critiquing policies at home as “socialist” and decrying the lack of freedom in other parts of the world. Here too the partisan assumes he is forwarding a noble proposition- freedom. A simple review of our opposition to communist USSR in the 30s, our support of it during WWII, our opposition to it thereafter, followed by making a communist dicatorship our largest trading partner today shows there is actually no consistency on the issue of freedom in practical terms. Again, an outgrowth of powerful interests such as defense contractors cloaked in high-sounding “values” as intellectually and moral hollow as its left-wing’s corollary- hatred of big business.
Never ask a partisan to explain his or her views. They are at the tail-end of a very complex interplay of forces who ultimately decide what their views should be and who they should hate. At the basis of this cynical agenda promoted by self-interested lobbies is the inexplicable assumptions such as “why is being a big company bad?” or on the other end, “what is wrong about solving some of society’s problems through collective means?”. Partisans are like mental patients; they are asked to give their symptoms, not their diagnosis.
In a next post, I will talk about the assumptions of Left and Right in America and how you can use such information to personal and financial advantage.
