Re: 2-Jul-18 World View -- Generational explanation of today's vitriolic divisiveness in America
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2018 2:35 pm
During the days of the Barack Obama administration, I would write thatGuest 5 wrote: > No way in hell I will fight for this country...
if a regeneracy event occurred, then all the people would drop their
political leanings, and become united behind Obama. This was greeted
with horror by some commenters, where some people said that he and his
friends would never unite behind Obama.
Now the shoe is on the other foot, and I'm hearing from commenters who
say that they would never become united behind Trump.
Neither of these claims is realistic. If a nuclear missile landed on
Los Angeles, anyone who refused to defend the country would be branded
as a traitor, and would be treated as such.
A regeneracy event is a disconfirmation event in the sense of
Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. It forces everyone to
reevaluate all their deeply held beliefs, and either reject them or
double down on them. A tiny few people will double down and become
perceived as traitors, but everyone else will support the president,
whether it's Obama or Trump.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was vitriolically hated by many people, just
like Obama or Trump today. There were a few people who refused to
support FDR after Pearl Harbor, but history does not look kindly on
them.