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Current Events » in reply to Why the people on this board can't see that is beyond me.

robert, please comment on this. i'm sure you've given it some thought.
gothgirl — (archived)

"Why the people on this board can't see that is beyond me."

that seems to be a common sentiment from conservatives on this board. when i engage in conversation with people who have different beliefs or interests, different agendas, i sort of expect them to not see things my way. it's perfectly natural for people with different ways of looking at the world to see things differently, to believe different things, and to interpret the same facts in different ways. it makes sense to me, i may disagree with them, but i'm not surprised. it's only human for honest judgment to be coloured by prior belief and by self-interest.

please, please don't confuse this with who's right or wrong. this goes deeper.
i think it has a lot to do with how conservatives look at the world, not only do they see what others don't, or don't see things others do, they find it inconceivable that anyone else can possibly see the world differently. they really do confuse a different opinion with either sheer stupidity, or deliberate evil.

it's almost as if conservatives find it difficult to put themselves in someone else's head, or to see themselves as others see them. they appear to lack the ability to empathize. of course, this has nothing to do with politics, i am sure there are empathetic conservatives and non-empathetic liberals, i'm just trying to describe this mindset psychosocially, the way robert did with his theory of authoritarian conservatives (believe me, i know some authoritarian lefties, too).

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