There is something psychological happening here. I can’t help but think that an obviously flawed election but the news just passing this on by as if all is normal.... the several bouts of hopes up and disappointment as new avenues are tried to overturn results or investigate only to result in nothing. What is this doing to the mind?
I would like you to share if you know any physiological experiments conducted that may shed light on what is going on here. Relatively unknown studies, and those conducted by the military (especially the Israeli military) would be of interest.
Some that come to mind:
Blue Eye vs Brown Eye study: classroom of children told the blue eyes are the better group and brown eyes are bad. Blue eyes bully brown eyes and start performing better in academics. When the good and bad are reversed, then the brown eyes dominate. I immediately see this applied in the news. Dehumanize the other side, the evil trumpers, right wingers, libs, BLMers.. whatever it is. It seeks to separate and dehumanize. How many are comfortable calling for the death and demise of an entire group? Anti vaxxers? White supremicists?
People = not to be dehumanized. But their ideas are free game to attack. Please don’t fall into the dehumanize trap.
The Conformity Test. Participants were asked which line was the longest, people were planted to select the wrong answer, and the tested people also gave the wrong answer despite knowing they were wrong. The news, social media, all avenues of public conversation... the more you show unity in those avenues, the more you can convince people who participate in them to come along even against their own judgement.
False consensus study. Participants were given a scenario and given two outcomes, asked which the scenario people would choose, which they would choose for themselves, and what attributes people would have who selected either outcome. Study found people thought the others would choose what they chose themselves, regardless the the outcome. We are prone to see others as choosing what we choose. We want to see others as in our group.
When confronted with someone who thinks differently what do we do? we’ve been fed this lie that there are two sort of groups. We are the good and the other is bad. They think differently so we treat them poorly like the blue eye vs brown eye.
But also we are less likely to feel a threat coming...like if we see most people as liking Trump or supporting him, especially in small rural areas, there is less likelihood to think most will vote Biden. And with news pushing Biden, as well as social media favoring him, most people think there’s no way Trump can win. I’m interested in knowing how the resulting outcome being not what we expected effects us. I know the PBS guy said he would respond with Molotov cocktails at the WH. So easily we can learn to dehumanize and destroy others while feeling so damn right about it. This is what the media is pumping into your brain. It does not matter if you know it or not, you are affected by it. It will alter the way you think. This is why trained mentalists who know how manipulation works will avoid advertisements. Throw out your tv.
I know there has to be more... what are the effects of getting your hopes up and dashed? All the “bombshells” and “just wait” and “big news on the 6th!!!” I want to know if there are any studies done covering this. I think it may create complacency, thinking other people have it covered and the outcome they want will be secured and they don’t have to do anything. Or maybe create a learned helplessness as well, that no matter what they try all effort will fail.
Look how many are disillusioned by voting and with politics in general especially after this. Mainly the people who are conservative leaning, voted Trump, or even those who didn’t but believed in fair elections and trusted America. What about the young voters who see what’s going on but don’t really think they can make a difference? Dashing the hopes of Trump voters as well as taking down the republicans (in name only, or somehow beholden to the Dems.) plays into the left media. They don’t want emboldened right leaning folks, they want a population who agrees with them or doesn’t think their disagreeing will amount to anything.
And the republicans themselves? Who knows their game. They’ve long stood back and allowed atrocities to occur despite “having evidence” or stating bold things and inviting lawsuits that never come, or sitting on stories while never actually challenging these things in the courts. Maybe there’s dirt against them. Maybe they can’t stand up without them being exposed as pedophiles or something worse. Or maybe they concede to get benefits in other areas like future trade deals or a promise to get help in reelection.
I don’t know. What to you guys think? Sorry for formatting, mobile.