2020 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Parent politely.
(snip)
According to the report, the woman told police her child found the firearm in a concealed compartment of her purse, deactivated the gun safety and fired the pistol when she turned towards her husband and away from the shopping cart.
Reactionaries’ Mind Games 0
Psychologist Roy Eidelson explores of “status quo bias” (which is, as far as I can tell, a fancy phrasing of “fear of change”) deters persons and society from making change, even when the evidence for the need of change is blindingly overwhelming. Here’s a bit from the introduction to his piece:
Follow the link for his five examples.
Merchants of Hate 0
Psychologist Darcia Narvaez looks at the inimical effects of right-wing talk radio in mainstreaming hate, bigotry, and political paranoia.
I can’t excerpt or summarize her article in any way and do it justice. Follow the link to read it for yourself.
Republican Family Values 0
Sam briefly discusses the “family separation”–he suggests kidnapping would be a better term–policy at the southern border.
A Downward Arc? 0
John Ketwig is less than optimistic.
The Case of the Base 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Vinita Mehta points out that the conventional wisdom as to the roots of Donald Trump’s support are not born out by facts (emphasis added).
So, why did Trump amass a larger following than expected?
She goes on to cite an article by Professor Thomas Pettigrew and to explore the five factors that he identifies as characterizing Trump’s core supporters, which include
1. Social Dominance Orientation
2. Authoritarianism
3. Relative (i. e., perceived–ed.) deprivation
4. Prejudice
5. Intergroup contact (or lack thereof–ed.)
I commend the entire piece to your attention.
Originalist Sin, One More Time 0
Afterthought:
Had the Founders intended the Constitution to be immutable, they’d have not provide for amending it.