What do cults and the U.S. administration have in common? A near-fanatical sense of faith amidst a sea of proof against their beliefs.
“We are familiar with the variety of ingenious defenses with which people protect their convictions, managing to keep them unscathed through the most devastating attacks,” Festinger wrote in 1956. “Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has a commitment to this belief, that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it; finally, suppose that he is presented with…unequivocal and undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: what will happen? The individual will frequently emerge, not only unshaken, but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than before.”
Last summer’s war in Lebanon was a glaring example of cognitive dissonance at work within the current US administration. The war in Lebanon was shocking for the monstrous scale of the destruction, for American complicity in what has been described as a proxy war with Iran and Syria, and for the awkward silence – or shameless assent – of prominent international and Arab leaders (one could almost see them shrugging their shoulders) as Israel committed what both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called war crimes. Most noteworthy, however, was the conflict’s unexpected conclusion, and the way it revealed an alarming estrangement from reality.
COMMENTS / 4 COMMENTS
Dr. Poopenpants Jun 08 07 at 10:37 amIt’s unraveling. While most people are effectively retarded, many of them still have a firm enough grasp on reality to know that they’ve (willingly?) had the wool pulled over their eyes. Two questions: 1. Who is going to swoop in and clean up the mess come 2008? and 2. What is their agenda going to be? I’d like to say that it can’t get worse than the last 7 years, but I’ve learned to never underestimate the ability of the American people to absolute, mindless cattle. Also, I certainly don’t trust anyone that high on the political ladder to have my best interests at heart. Which is why I pray for a zombie invasion. You at least know where they stand. They want to eat you. That’s it.
Scott H. Pickles Jun 08 07 at 11:06 am“Which is why I pray for a zombie invasion. You at least know where they stand. They want to eat you. That’s it.”
Is someone working on a zombification serum? If not, we need to evaluate our priorities.
Dr. Poopenpants Jun 08 07 at 2:09 pmOf course someone’s working on a zombification serum. But it’s ultra-tip-top secret. However, I have a reliable source that assures me the laboratory is located in a very densely populated area. He also mentioned that the guards and hot female scientists regularly engage in distracting sexual intercourse after smoking big, fat doobies and that the electrical system is kind of shoddy and goes out (along with the warning alarm) during especially bad thunderstorms.
I figure it’s only a matter of time. Get you some ammo, boy!
phill Jun 12 07 at 12:30 pmim moving to canada, and i dont care what you think about socialized medicine
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