This kind of appeal taps into a bias that seems to be bred into us
We are living in the most peaceful and prosperous time humanity has ever known, by far, yet the great majority of people believe the world is rapidly going to hell in a hand basket, even while things are actually improving at amazing pace. The only thing the previous 200,000 years of humanity would find more astonishing than our standard of living, is our apparent ingratitude for it.
Some scientists call this bias (the notion that the world is worsening even while it is actually improving) "declinism," and you can find evidence of it dating all the way back to the earliest human writings. Evidently natural selection favors this bias and has kept it alive.
Thus the appeal of "Make America Great Again" and Bernie's claim that Americans are worse off today than they were a generation ago. People nod their heads and agree, because it taps into a bias we're born with. People who are inclined to believe things are getting worse and something must be done to stop it can be especially energized by demagogues who identify the persons responsible as "outsiders," be they immigrants or billionaires.
|
(
In response to this post by WahooRQ)
Posted: 02/23/2020 at 09:41AM