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Forgiveness as a political necessity (2020)

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  1. xk3
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    I found this article while I was thinking about how to help my Trump-can-do-no-wrong parents. They are totally unfazed in these past few months--if anything their conviction is stronger now than...

    I found this article while I was thinking about how to help my Trump-can-do-no-wrong parents. They are totally unfazed in these past few months--if anything their conviction is stronger now than ever.

    A Man is to be cheated into Passion, but to be reason’d into Truth

    • John Dryden, 1682

    Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired

    • Jonathan Swift, 1721

    This quote helped me get into the state of mind where I decided to map out the emotions that link with political ideologies. These words are sometimes used (and misused) by political parties. It may help to think about this like a blank canvas that you are filling in with a very fuzzy picture about the world:

    Conservatism

    Driving Emotions: Loyalty, Forgiveness?, Apathy?

    In many ways the conservative mood is the preservation of the status quo. This is probably the most common / baseline political feeling for those who didn't have another dominant mood during their childhood. This could be being Democrat because your favorite parent was Democrat, etc.

    Republicanism

    Driving Emotions: Pride, Fear

    Liberalism

    Driving Emotions: Guilt, Shame

    Libertarianism

    Driving Emotions: Trauma, Distrust

    Leftism

    Driving Emotions: Sympathy, Anger

    Populism

    Driving Emotions: Resentment, Hope

    Of course, everyone experiences different emotions at some point in their life but I'm thinking in more of a overarching/archetyping social milieu dominant mood. Logic is not the driving force of political ideology. If it was then it would be a science: largely undisputed. The more that an ideology is tied to their identity, the more emotional reasons people need to unfix themselves. If you only provide logical technicalities their brain will only fight harder to shore up their worldview.

    More specifically, I found this article while thinking about the potentially multi-generational cycle of these emotions and thinking about what comes after populism. I invite criticism and discussion about any of these ideas and any I have not touched on but which are present in the above article.

    2 votes