Good Day World!
I'm plugging a new book today because I think it's very important, and very timely.
Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us
The authors, Sara E. Gorman, a public-health expert, and her father, Jack M. Gorman, a psychiatrist and CEO of Franklin Behavioral Health Consultants, examine how fear, uncertainty, and group psychology lead people to believe leaders who say false things.
The book is timely because it describes how Donald Trump manages to use his biggest rhetorical weapon... fear, to gathering followers.
Fear is one of the most primitive, most basic parts of the brain. It takes a lot of energy to engage the prefrontal cortex, and Trump has tapped that part of the brain of his followers.
If the first thing you hear about a topic is something that's associated with fear, that will often suppress the rational part of the brain, according to the authors.
It's no easy task to dislodge that fear once it has settled into your thinking process. Charismatic leaders like Trump know this, and instinctively guide their flock towards an object of fear.
Fear of Muslims. Fear of Mexicans. Fear of Blacks.
Jack Gorman explained that, "...it requires a lot more effort to use the reasoning part of the brain." This is a key observation.
If someone is stressed out, and someone starts hitting you with a lot of facts, it may be too much information and the listener goes into a default mode.
I hope you get the opportunity to read Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us.
It may help you understand how Trump has gotten as far as he has in this election.
Time for me to walk on down the road...
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