Sadistic barbarism comes out of some people when they get caught up in political discourse. They probably get obnoxious and crude when it comes to sports, religion, science, and tastes in music or films. But it's politics that really turns dummies into raging lunatics.
The political party extremists are doing a good job on immature, irrational people. They've got them whipped up into a frenzy, got them making hysterical statements and undignified remarks. F bombs, filthy talk, hate speech, nothing is too low for them.
The underlying psychology is an inferiority complex falsely bolstered by inflammatory rhetoric. As I repeatedly state, it's just preaching to the choir or political troll baiting. These ideological freaks can think only in very simplistic ways.
It's all or nothing. If you question their candidate, that automatically means you support the opposing party. They're locked into a black or white world. Party X is wicked. Party Z is pure. Party X is insane. Party Z is intelligent. Party X is to blame for everything. Party Z does no wrong.
This is the tired, old "God (or The Universe, or Progress, or Decency) is on our side" argument. This is how people are pushed into wars. We are the Good Guys, perfect, angelic, loaded with nothing but pure intentions. They are the Bad Guys, malicious, demonic, full of horribly stupid ideas.
They are obsessed with politics. All they can do is hate the other party's candidate and supporters. They are literally insane with rage. They want to pick a fight. They love to argue. They want to bully others into agreeing with them. They will call you an idiot if you express any dissent. They go crazy with hostility at the mere idea that someone could have a different point of view.
It is totalitarianism of the left or the right. Force everyone to stick to the party line, with no deviations or critique. We can't handle probing questions or blunt assertions. Don't look at our performance record, just listen to our speeches. Love what we say and how we look.
Support the candidate that you would like to have a beer with. This is the dumbing down of the electorate.
Be impressed with oratory. Succumb to the campaign slogans. Let the party do your thinking for you. Let the government be your husband, your god, your protector and provider. Put all your faith in a politician. Trust in the system.
It's a circus of ignorance.
Totalitarianism begins with believing your party is totally right all the time and the opposing party is totally wrong all the time. You blame everything bad on the other guys. Your party's farts smell like roses. Your party is pure, angelic, perfect, loaded with good intentions and brilliant minds. The opposing party is crazy, demonic, horrible, full of lies and stupidity.
The lunatic logic: "We are all good. They are all bad."
To suggest cooperation and finding common ground, will trigger accusations of being a "false centrist", "bipartisan compromiser", or "appeaser".
"If you disagree with me, you're an idiot," the idiot screamed.
ideology (n.)
1796, "science of ideas," originally "philosophy of the mind which derives knowledge from the senses" (as opposed to metaphysics), from Fr. idéologie "study or science of ideas," coined by French philosopher Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) from idéo- "of ideas," from Gk. idea (see idea) + -logy.
Later used in a sense "impractical theorizing" (1813). Meaning "systematic set of ideas, doctrines" first recorded 1909.
Ideology ... is usually taken to mean, a prescriptive doctrine that is not supported by rational argument. [D.D. Raphael, "Problems of Political Philosophy," 1970]
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