Republicans Living in an Impermeable Bubble

The joke recently is that republicans live in an impermeable bubble where facts aren’t able to penetrate it. Bill Maher has been doing a weekly bit on his show Real Time with Bill Maher called “Dispatches from the Bubble”. This may be a joke to explain their cognitive dissonance in politics, and there is a lot of truth to it but Republican citizens aren’t necessarily to blame for this bubble.

Watch "Dispatches from the Bubble" 

http://www.hbo.com/video/video.html/?vid=1242055

When reading a blog post, Facebook page or even watching a video on YouTube, it is important to pay attention to whether it allows comments that challenge the view being presented, and if it doesn’t it should be a sign of its credibility (of course there are exceptions but this is something to pay attention to). Sites that allow comments but block anything that questions or challenges its view also help create this bubble. This is dangerous because those who agree don’t get to see comments challenging it and from their perspective by not seeing these comments it looks like everyone agrees with it. It is one thing to block comments that are disrespectful, but to block comments simply because one doesn’t have a good rebuttal is extremely dishonest and a perfect example of how bubbles can be created.

Churches are another reason for this bubble; those going to church on Sunday trust their pastor more than politicians. If a pastor talks about who they believe should lead our country, their opinion is likely to persuade how the church members vote. There are many different religious beliefs and Christianity which is the most popular doesn’t even agree on everything and they can’t all be right. If religious leaders success rate on picking which God to follow is so low, what makes them think they are in a position to choose who should lead the country?

Let’s face it, even if one religion was right, that is still an alarming amount of people who have a false sense of reality. This false reality causes many to embrace their religious view over anything else which creates the impermeable bubble that doesn’t allow facts to enter.

If Republicans are not being shown an honest rebuttal of their own beliefs and ideas than what other conclusion can they come too? Silencing ideas that challenge a particular view is a problem and if our ideas and beliefs are constructed biased on facts, than we should welcome counter arguments to see if they hold up. If we are afraid to ask or entertain questions - than we are insecure about the truth.

Everyone needs to realize, it’s alright to switch teams in politics, and there is no shame in looking at both sides of an argument and coming to a different conclusion. By doing this, it shows others we value the truth over our own ego. For too long, admitting we are wrong has been seen as a weakness. It is time we associate admitting being wrong with strength, because those who can do this only become stronger while those who can’t continue to stay weak with an inflated ego and false sense of knowledge.

Will a Republican Candidate do the Right Thing?

In a recent Public Policy Polling (PPP) poll published on March 12, 2012, it found that in Alabama just 14% of voters think Obama's a Christian while 45% think he's a Muslim and 41% aren't sure of his religion. In Mississippi only 12% think Obama's a Christian while 52% think he's a Muslim and 36% are not sure. From the video it is obvious that race is a big factor for those in Mississippi and calling the President a Muslim could be their way of calling him something else. However interpreted, these are alarming stats, but what is even more alarming and disgusting is that no Republican candidate has spoken up and expressed that the President is actually a Christian.

This actually says a lot about their character and lack of leadership, by not commenting on this it should tell the public that their candidacy is dependent on the ignorance of voters and are not willing to stand up for what is right. Conservatives are always talking about their morals, yet by not saying anything and allowing people believe something false in order to win votes is far from moral.

A respectable candidate would publicly defend the President such as John McCain did in the 2008 election. Republican candidates should want to win with their ideas not by relying on the ignorance of voters. If any of the Republican candidates want a chance at winning in 2012, speaking up against this ignorance would be a good first step in regaining credibility and the trust of moderate voters. Let’s hope one of them can do the right thing.

The Tribal Effect in Politics

Understanding Why We Fight and How to Resolve It

The state of American politics has become alarming over the past few years. When I was in High School, if a student talked about another student the same way many politicians talk about each other, there is no doubt the student would have been given detention. Politicians are supposed to be mature adults and the leaders of our country, yet they have been behaving like the bully’s we all knew in high school. It shouldn’t be a mystery to anyone why things don’t get done in Washington D.C. when we see how Republicans and Democrats talk to one another other. So why have politicians become so nasty toward each other over the years?

One reason is money influencing politics but that is another topic; let’s focus only on the Democratic and Republican parties. These are obviously the two most popular political parties in the US, and because they are constantly at battle with each other over policies and ideas, it has created a tribal effect. This is similar to a rivalry between two sports teams, except in this case there seems to be a lot less respect between the two. In tribe’s and rivalries, if an individual were to switch to the other side they are labeled a traitor and despised for it. We are taught at an early age that no one likes a traitor, and this unfortunately carries over into politics.

Whichever political party one belongs too, most likely their family and closest friends share this same political view (of course there are exceptions). Constantly being around people who we agree with doesn’t challenge our views but only re confirms to us are view is correct, plus they like the people who share their view so it is hard to imagine people we like and admire could be wrong as well. But when we suddenly become engaged in a conversation that challenges our views and we find ourselves struggling to defend them, the tribal effect kicks in and no matter how sound the other argument is we tend to deny it so we can stay on the same team/tribe.

Many times the one who can’t defend their stance on an issue tends to be the one who ends the conversation and is done either on purpose or subconsciously in order to avoid getting to a point where they have to admit they are wrong. It’s sad people will continue to stick with a political party when they can’t defend their parties’ views when challenged. Many forget that whether Republican or Democrat we all are on the same team which is the United States.

When people don’t realize that both parties are on the same team, they can become willing to bring down everyone including their own party just so the other side doesn’t “win”. This is completely irrational, but this is what the tribal effect can do.

This doesn't mean each party shouldn’t fight for what they believe is best for the country. Fighting for what we believe in is a good thing, but it is how we approach fighting these disagreements that is important. It should be done with honest debate, facts, logic, and fairness. We should be asking ourselves, do we really want to win an argument if we have to do it dishonestly and by misrepresenting the other side? Winning like this isn’t a win for either party except for their ego. Winning with bad ideas and policies only hurts the country in the long run.

This is where the country is at now. In the past, too many bad ideas have won and people are starting to see that Republican ideas are losing the debate. Because republicans are losing the debate they have resorted to name calling, and distorting the truth. They are painting the other side as evil in hopes that the public will become afraid to vote Democrat. Just like in any argument, whenever one is losing and refuses to admit it they usually resort to name calling. Once one sides resorts to name calling and facts no longer matter, there is little to no chance they will ever admit the other side has a valid argument.

When one side can no longer debate their losing policies they are left with only attacking anything the other side does (even though many times ideas they use to support they now end up attacking). For examples, President Obama used Mitt Romney’s health care plan as a guide for creating his own and because a Democrat liked his plan, Romney was then against it. Another example, Republicans say government doesn’t create jobs but attacks President Obama for low job numbers, but when job numbers increase they go back to government doesn't create jobs. It doesn’t make much sense, but when we understand how the tribal affect works it suddenly makes a lot of sense! Understanding the underlying reason for our disagreements is the first step we can take to resolving them.