I was researching why people hate Obama today and I found
this post on Quora (response 3) that really put everything into perspective, I feel enlightened.
Americans are more unintelligent than we think they are. Not all, but if we were to call random people in the US asking 2 + 2, we'd be surprised by the amount of people who don't answer 4.
It basically says 5% of Americans admit to hating Obama because of his race but then at least 10% are subconsciously against Obama because of a more subtle racism. This has probably only gotten worse because of the media and election season stimulating a new racial charge.
It is near impossible for us to be content. Americans are constantly uncontent because our expectations are relative – we're surrounded by people who are the same as us so we're never really satisfied because we model our lives based on the people around us. This is why so many are dissatisfied and place the blame on their opposing party.
Quote:
"If you ask people whether they are happy with their standard of living, people in first world countries who have running water, televisions, computers, cars, and savings will say "no" because they are comparing themselves to those around them. In that sense, then, being part of the "in" crowd, or the group that is on top is by definition a zero-sum game"
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And in the internet age we've created these things called echo chambers based on our partisan identity, where information is all around us so we pick and choose what we want to hear based on what we already think we know...our partisan identity. So we never really grow. We just like to be reinforced. Our opinions are already picked out at an early age. ATRL could be considered an echo chamber.
Quote:
"There is this psychological effect called "lens vision." People CRAVE stability in their lives, and especially in their perspective of the world. Then, later, when they are confronted with a statistic or an argument that undermines the supremacy of their choice, they subconsciously look for a way to justify retention of their partisan ideology. people begin to experience an amplified "echo chamber" effect: The people around you, the news, and your own gut all tell you the same thing, and they all reflect and amplify eachother, reinforcing your partisan identity and your lens vision, and generating increasingly strong sentiments about political issues
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This is actively occurring in both the democratic and republican political party. So basically, our mentality places us in a cycle of doom. We're ****ed.