Reactive insanity

[Tom Sawyer]

Made a comment on the Washington Post's opinion piece.
We no longer want to just win. We want to destroy.

My comment
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-not-politics-as-usual--it-is-political-pyromania/2018/09/24/dd49fe4c-c024-11e8-90c9-23f963eea204_story.html?outputType=comment&commentId=ff4e2ba7-4210-4090-8434-af0580d2b73f

I'm pleased to see the Post having an opinion piece that isn't towing the left's bias. I'm disappointed to watch friends I know to be very intelligent swept up in this hysteria, unable to try and be objective.

As a libertarian I find fault with Kavanaugh's positions that don't support the 4th amendment, however that doesn't make me stop being objective regarding unsubstantiated claims.

People are being manipulated and agitated, obfuscated and twisted into this emotional state. The amygdala responds with the "fight or flight" non-rational, reactive response. Wenatchee, where the whole town went nuts over the claims that satanic child abuse was claimed to have occurred, comes to minds. "Recovered memories" that turned out to be false and the subsequent reactive insanity that was triggered in the wider group of people.

[KBCraig]

I watched the world turn crazy over the nomination. My friends on the left who would (and sometimes have) take to the streets in protest over presumption of guilt of a poor minority, were happy to presume guilt on the part of an elite prep school and Ivy League graduate -- "because you know how those people are".

I disagree with many of his positions, but I want to see him derailed over that. The opposition here doesn't want him merely rejected, they want him destroyed. They don't even care that the next nominee in the wings is Amy Barrett, who is confirmed to be anti-Roe and will walk on easily.

[Tom Sawyer]

Maybe Amy Barrett can replace the "can't stay awake" RBG.

I was strongly anti-Trump... dang lefties have pushed me into defending him. I'm just hoping they are over playing their hand and their behavior is a sign of their weakening position. They will probably keep going more "progressive" and that won't play well to the wider audience.

[KBCraig]

I was strongly anti-Trump... dang lefties have pushed me into defending him.

Yep. What I've found is that they can't just disagree where they disagree. If they're opposed to someone, then that person must be every single thing they hate.

[Tom Sawyer]

I have to admit I find it entertaining when he kicks the lefties in the nuts.  They sure are easily trolled.

[Russell Kanning]

wasn't obama a harvard man?

I have seen some videos of people that thought the world had ended .... I don't think this will cause such changes.

[Jim Johnson]

The conservatives were like this 8 years ago. They were completely off their nut, wearing their tri-cornered hats.
They weren't trolled directly by the President but it was insane how easily they could be trolled.

[Pat K]

Well not quite , they did have rallys and yelled and were silly.
But they weren't assaulting people , running through the streets breaking windows, setting cars on fire, blocking roads, threatening  people in restaurants ,etc etc.

[Jim Johnson]

Well... they are more conservative.

[K neth]

Three years ago, Scott Adams became a guidance counselor to an up-to-date degree in Persuasion Science, for a year he walked us through the latest: what Khaneman, Cialdini, and others have built on Bandler and Grindler and their like.  The science to influence has advanced from Nixonian Era stick fights to Trump with a flame thrower.

The science shows that the techniques used by the Great Shitlord to get elected would somewhat influence the undecided 15%, changing the eventual vote of 20% of those, swinging the overall vote by 3%.  Obama had Cialdini on his team from the beginning, but Hillary's campaign didn't add him until the last couple months-- remember 'Dark'? Damn good persuasion that branding attempt, but too little too late.

The science shows that Trump's techniques would cause 10% of those who would never vote for him anyway to go batshit.

[Jim Johnson]

Eric Holder can be added to the list of Democrats calling for open violence against the Republicans.

[Tom Sawyer]

Three years ago, Scott Adams became a guidance counselor to an up-to-date degree in Persuasion Science, for a year he walked us through the latest: what Khaneman, Cialdini, and others have built on Bandler and Grindler and their like.  The science to influence has advanced from Nixonian Era stick fights to Trump with a flame thrower.

The science shows that the techniques used by the Great Shitlord to get elected would somewhat influence the undecided 15%, changing the eventual vote of 20% of those, swinging the overall vote by 3%.  Obama had Cialdini on his team from the beginning, but Hillary's campaign didn't add him until the last couple months-- remember 'Dark'? Damn good persuasion that branding attempt, but too little too late.

The science shows that Trump's techniques would cause 10% of those who would never vote for him anyway to go batshit.

OK I have to ask, where the heck did you learn such things?

Trump has been an effective troll. Out of the chaos he finds advantage. Republican's were too afraid to take on some of the left's sacred cows and became the party of socialism-lite.

Still pissed off I have been pushed closer to Trump's side because I dislike the commies so much. Of course this whole process does seem to polarize and push people further to the edges of their beliefs.

[Tom Sawyer]

Eric Holder can be added to the list of Democrats calling for open violence against the Republicans.

More, worse violence is in the future. Of course shooting up a soft ball game and hitting people in the heads with bike locks has already happened by the angry leftists.
And the angry alt-right has gained support as well.

Reminds me how middle america's fear of drugs led to ramping up the drug war, which led to Gangsta Rap and the Bloods and the Crips moving into the heartland. Attacking what you fear seems to make it grow.

[K neth]

OK I have to ask, where the heck did you learn such things?

Well, like I said: Bandler, Grinder, Cialdini. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming

Here's Scott Adams, right after the election, predicting what we have seen over the last two years:
http://blog.dilbert.com/2016/11/23/a-lesson-in-cognitive-dissonance/

Imagine you are one of the anti-Trump folks who believe we just elected a racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-semitic, science-denying dictator. Let's say that's the movie playing in your mind. That's some scary stuff.
...
As Trump continues to defy all predictions from his critics, the critics need to maintain their self-images as the smart ones who saw this new Hitler coming. And that means you will see hallucinations like you have never seen. It will be epic.

The reason this will be so fun to watch is that we rarely get to see a situation in which the facts so vigorously violate a hallucination. Before Trump won the presidency everyone was free to imagine the future they expected. But as Trump continues to do one reasonable thing after another, his critics have a tough choice. They can either...

1. Reinterpret their self-images from wise to clueless.

or...

2. Generate an even stronger hallucination. (Cognitive dissonance.)

If Trump's critics take the second option – and most of them will – it means you will see a lot of pretzel-logic of the type that is necessary hold onto the illusion that Trump is still a monster despite continuing evidence to the contrary.

[jerryswife]

wearing their tri-cornered hats.

Hey, man, what a ya got against tri-cornered hats? I know people who have been wearin' em for years before O came along.
It's a fashion statement dagnabit.