re: #354 Blind Frog Belly White

Yes, it already existed. But it’s the ‘making it safe to hate’ thing that is key to understanding the corrosive effect. A wingnut once told me about the first time he ever heard Limbaugh - “He was saying the same things Id always thought!”

Sure, the hate and insanity existed, but largely it was isolated and disorganized, and to some extent marginalized. Limbaugh provided an articulate voice for these people, so they realized they weren’t alone. Then along came the internet, and they all found each other, and began a cycle of feedforward stimulation - not only are their crazy hateful thoughts ACCEPTED, but the crazier and more hateful they are the MORE accepted they are!

I saw this happen on the Bowsite, where once Obama was elected, it was like there was a competition to come up with the most demeaning names for him. And the prize was that you got more respect, the less respectful you were to him.

Despite our vaunted intellect, we are still emotional beings. In my opinion that’s why cognitive science is so important. It will give us knowledge and tools to help us overcome our stupid side.