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Mike Hind's avatar

'A huge part of what motivates people is being opposite from people they regard as vile.'

This acute observation is insufficiently recognised. When everyone accounts for polarisation as the tendency toward groupishness they conveniently overlook the role of the story we construct about ourselves.

Groupishness is downstream of self-narrative.

This is a very good essay - thanks.

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Bentham's Bulldog's avatar

Thank you!

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Nicholas Decker's avatar

You overlook a genetic component to political beliefs.

Didn’t MADD win? Have they not achieved their goals?

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Bentham's Bulldog's avatar

MADD won, but few are like MADD.

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Mark Neyer's avatar

Is it worth considering that trying to build a political movement by motivating hate and contempt towards an outgroup might undo or at least mitigate some of the benefits of said political movement?

One of the most destructive forces in human history has been large groups of people convinced they are doing good or the world and then doing a awful things which they justify because it is in service or a greater good?

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Bentham's Bulldog's avatar

I am not in favor of building a political movement by motivating hate and contempt towards an outgroup. My proposal was to avoid being hated and contempted.

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Mark Neyer's avatar

Interesting! I had to go back and re-read your piece and to be honest I interpreted that last part somehow backwards. I think I saw “hated by few” and interpreted that as being a desirable mechanism for spreading the ideology, rather than accepting an unpleasant reality that it’s probably hard to be effective and avoid having people hate you.

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