This is a fascinating article that explains why the quote often attributed to PT Barnum about a sucker is born every minute is even more true in America today where the emotional rantings of Beck, Palin, Rush, et al work and intellectual debate of issues in full doesn’t. Read the whole article (this excerpt only touches the surface) to understand why we have become a nation of ‘sheeple’.
Why are so many American voters enraged by attempts to change a horribly inefficient [health care] system that leaves them with premiums they often cannot afford? Why are they manning the barricades to defend insurance companies that routinely deny claims and cancel policies?
It might be tempting to put the whole thing down to what the historian Richard Hofstadter back in the 1960s called “the paranoid style” of American politics, in which God, guns and race get mixed into a toxic stew of resentment at anything coming out of Washington. But that would be a mistake.
If people vote against their own interests, it is not because they do not understand what is in their interest or have not yet had it properly explained to them. They do it because they resent having their interests decided for them by politicians who think they know best. There is nothing voters hate more than having things explained to them as though they were idiots. As the saying goes, in politics, when you are explaining, you are losing. And that makes anything as complex or as messy as healthcare reform a very hard sell.
In his book The Political Brain, psychologist Drew Westen, an exasperated Democrat, tried to show why the Right often wins the argument even when the Left is confident that it has the facts on its side.
[…]
Right-wing politics has become a vehicle for channelling this popular anger against intellectual snobs. The result is that many of America’s poorest citizens have a deep emotional attachment to a party that serves the interests of its richest.Thomas Frank says that whatever disadvantaged Americans think they are voting for, they get something quite different.
The vast majority of people have always followed a few. It’s easier and doesn’t take much thought.
Typical Democrat lament on why the people don’t understand the good their leaders do.
It starts off with the false premise that the current health care reform effort is worth a crap.
He did get this right, “…anger against intellectual snobs”
The original title was fun, as well:
“Turkeys who vote for Christmas!”
I see a few of the turkeys are already here, this morning.
To follow Uncle Dave’s metaphor to it’s logical completion, the creeps defending deceit in the comments this morning – are Judas Goats.
“There is nothing voters hate more than having things explained to them as though they were idiots.” Because most people are idiots, we jump before we have the facts. We base our decisions on emotions. We can’t maintain our interest for more than a few moments,
look a squirrel. Where was I.
Excellent post. We need more of these to open the eyes of the sheeple.
ANSWER
The answer lies in Mazlow’s theory of Motivation and Hierarchy of Needs.
Sheeple dismiss lower levels of interests because their republican masters have taken control of their higher order interests – FEAR.
Sheeple need to learn about Mazlow’s theory and should be part of Obama’s education stimulus package.
People are taught behavior, how to react, from day one. It is a learned process they grow to believe they themselves have formed and created. They also feel they ‘aren’t like them’, regardless of whoever ‘they’ might be. It allows a form a freedom in their own minds, and causes a reaction of “I already know the answer” syndrome. They refuse to have to process all the data that is laid out, and want the ‘simple solution’ that is given, rather than one that they formulate which ‘may be wrong’. Easier to believe in someone else, as then when it fails, you have someone else to blame. Plus, change is a terrible animal for most if not all people. While they say the may ’embrace’ it, when presented to them in the light of day, change terrifies all comers. So easier just to believe what they are told, and go along with the crowd, because things were always better “back then’.
I’m for the health bill, but voting for it goes against my (at least immediate) self-interests. i already have good insurance, if the health bill goes thru it will cause disruption and my taxes will likely increase.
Likewise, I voted for Obama even though I understood that my taxes would increase.
Does the author explain why am I voting against my own self interests?
The Heath Insurance Bill is a perfect example of naked capitalism.
Companies bought access into a process that defines regulations which affect their profitability.
We have a perfect capitalistic system at the moment.
I suppose we should all be grateful there are people out there who know what is best for us.
RBG
#13 RBG. I am certainly glad that, here in the UK, 63 years ago there were some people who knew what was best and got past those who were either uninformed or just foully greedy and gave us a National Health Service.
My parents grew up with a system that meant that if they got sick they got treated and my grandparents were not saddled with huge debts.
We pay a lot less per head and wind up with a marginally longer average life span. There’s always room for improvement but it is a fantastic system!
I thought this was satire at first. It’s actually a great insight in how Libs think. This guy starts from the false premise that Dems base their arguments on facts, when in fact the opposite is true. I figured out 15 years ago that Dems arguements on emotion instead of facts. Everything is about “fairness”. “We have to do this for the children”. “Millions will die if we dont…” Etc. blah, blah.
Then they use their emotional argument to justify harming individuals for the good of the collective. They see all of society as two groups: the elected privileged class and unwashed masses that must be taken care of. They’re completely against individual empowerment, so of course, anyone voting in their own best interests would vote against most Democrats.
Zooming back fir the wide view, perhaps the whole political system is theater for the masses, and the money that is just a stage prop.
Behind the curtain the real work is done.
BUT MORE THAN THAT–YES, people voting against their own interests as exemplified several times above. ((YOU Don’t Know who you are. Thats the whole issue!—hah, hah.))
The point for a few of you who might be distracted by the light is: Yes, both parties are evil and horrible but the dems/libs more often than the repugs/conservatives will share a bit of their thievery with you.
Therein lies your long term self interest. Yes–the long term interest of good health requires you to give up the freedom of shitting in your drinking water today.
Silly Sheeple.—aka—all you dipshits disagreeing above and below.
Silly Hoomans.
A Republican is born every minute.
“Thomas Frank says that whatever disadvantaged Americans think they are voting for, they get something quite different.”
A Democratic President and Democratically controlled Congress? What’s the problem?
Reagan sure proved this headline true, as I remember that time.
When they polled people about Reagan’s ACTIONS and POLICIES, it was negative.
But Americans still loved the man and conservatives worshipped him — it was a strictly emotional loyalty to the leader.
I skimmed the article and will read it later.
First impression –it’s not “Americans are sheeple” but, more specifically, “conservatives are sheeple”
Typical liberal misconception that majority of people are stupid.
Let’s see the same issue from the viewpoint that majority of people are intelligent… It transforms into the question of why politicians do not understand the real needs and wants of their constituents? Which is the real problem…
Maybe the idea of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barney Frank dealing out health benefits in a command and control structure is a bit worse than the current situation.
Health care funding is in trouble, has been on this path for decades, but government micromanagement and it’s subsequent deal-making power mongering is NOT the answer but instead is MORE of the problem.
Let’s try a little step. Allow interstate insurance, allow tailored packages where it’s not one-size-fits-all, and mostly go to loser pays tort reform to remove the pirate lawyers from the practice of law. And see what happens to costs.
Uncle Dave, the PT Barnum quote, although attributed to him, actually was never said by Barnum.
So I’m expected to accept the rantings of “an exasperated Democrat”? The author Drew Western, like most Democrats, don’t get it and are just making excuses for their own failures.
As usual, the political hacks on this site have already posted their old, tired, and predictable BS.
I call it projection. Rich liberals vote for higher taxes, so they bash others for going against their economic interest and voting their values.
Pres Obama admits breaking his promise.
For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your — if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you’re not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge. [emphasis added]
#25: I didn’t know that about the quote, so I looked it up and made the correction. Thanks!
23–dismal==yep, avoid the issue and raise the straw man argument. I’ll rephrase so you can twist it up again: “Why do intelligent people vote against their own interests?
24–sweeny==another straw man. No command and control system was ever proposed. Can you only think you have won an argument if you change it out of all recognition first? Why do you vote against your own self interest?
25–goagain==geneeral denial. No facts, analysis, counter argument. Bumper Sticker no think on the march.
26–Poor Mickey==still in his constant rut with an army of straw men. Hint: Taxes have been lowered by Obama. Hint: Senate Plan projected to save money over next Decade. Now post again and tell us you don’t believe the OMB because you have run the figures yourself?
27–Micky==on a roll, only pathetically off point. Issue is the psychological makeup of the delusional repuglican voting base voting AGAINST THEIR OWN PESONAL INTERESTS.
Not even interesting, just demonstrative, that none of the type so described can make a cogent argument in their defense.
Straw Men ==== UNITE!!!!!! Its all Obama’s fault our futures and that of our childrens is going downhill.
Why do people vote for Republicans?
1. They play at a higher level operationally. Their candidates and pundits look better. Their commercials are more inventive, even if the production values are sometimes low. They are unified in message and are always on the attack.
2. Echoes of Nixon’s “Southern Strategy.” Whenever a Dem suggests helping a poor person the GOP opines it will be a poor black person.
3. Constant use of an enemy “them.” Has a dual functionality of letting the prospective voter feel threatened and superior because they are included as in-group.
Clearly this article was written by a bitter Democrat. The core premise regarding health care is completely false. There is absolutely no person thinks that nothing should be done to reform the health care industry and health care insurance industry. Not one.
Americans were not enraged at the attempts for reform. They were enraged at the details of the reforms that were being proposed in the middle of a recession. Basically the author of this article is presuming that the details of the reforms were universally accepted as good. If you don’t like the details they proposed, then clearly you are against all reforms. It is a false dichotomy.
Further, the Democrats were as much to blame for the current recession as the Republicans. It wasn’t Bush that pushed through the “stimulus” bill. It wasn’t Bush that bailed out the automakers.
At the end of the day, the fundamental truth is that it is not possible to vote for *any* candidate without voting against your self-interest in some way. Similarly, it isn’t possible to vote for any piece of legislation that does not in some way work against your self-interest.
So let me see if I get this straight – I am voting against my own interests if I want to stop the Gov’t from raising my healthcare costs with an unsustainable 2000 page “system” that
-doesn’t even cover 1/2 of the uninsured they promised to help
-takes 10 years of tax collections to pay for five years of care,
-forces me to pay more than you b/c I have a great plan now but I am not in the SEIU.
Oh, and: I am a Glenn Beck following Sheeple, or an idiot Republican, or a pure racist if I don’t go along with the folks that think this is a great idea?
The brainpower of the left-wing amazes me.
Of course Wilson/FDR/LBJ/Carter all proved this is a better system and we should do this. Look a the success of:
The Federal Reserve
the SEC
The war on poverty
USPS
Amtrak
Food Stamps
Medicare
Farm Subsidies
The dept. of Energy
These all run at low cost, and are not going broke, and have low fraud & great results.
Giving the great success of Gov’t run programs that facts are with the left – Look at the great health care in Cuba, North Korea, China, Venezuela – see how their standard of living outclasses the USA and the rotten capitalists!
I Promise, I’ll stop thinking for myself and just go along with my self interests, here is all my Money, feed me and take care of me. You are all so much smarter that the dumb sheeple I had thrown my hat in with! Why would I want liberty when you can take care of it all for me?
#30
1. They play at a higher level operationally. Their candidates and pundits look better. Their commercials are more inventive, even if the production values are sometimes low. They are unified in message and are always on the attack.
Obviously an opinion. I don’t know that I remember any political commercial by either side as being “inventive.” If anything, Hollywood has the market on biased political material and its hard not to argue that they are inventive.
2. Echoes of Nixon’s “Southern Strategy.” Whenever a Dem suggests helping a poor person the GOP opines it will be a poor black person.
The simple reason is that no believes a politician, Democrat or Republican when they say that want to help a poor person. How’s that 10% unemployment helping the poor?
3. Constant use of an enemy “them.” Has a dual functionality of letting the prospective voter feel threatened and superior because they are included as in-group.
Frankly, the Democrats are equally to blame in the use of this tactic. Obama is President and the Democrats have a majority in Congress largely because of hatred of Bush and the branding of the Republicans as “them”.
A silly idea for health insurance reform. Health insurance could be set up like vehicle insurance. Each individual or family shop various companies for their health insurance. This would provide competition across state lines. This keeps employers out of it. No more switching plans when switching jobs. People can choose how much they want to spend on insurance.
If it works for cars, why can’t it work for bodies?