Comments on Mature Landscaping: The Anti-Dysrationalia Movement

Hello Nance. Thank you for visiting my journal an...

2010-03-07T11:19:20.353-05:00

Hello Nance. Thank you for visiting my journal and for your comments. I think there are many irrational reasons for people to choose candidates. I don't know if it was anger or fear that caused people to say that they weren't going to vote for Dewey because of his mustache, way back then.

If fear or anger are the reasons then folks are voting against not for, most likely.

The Coffee Party sounds interesting although a bit reactionary. I will check it out. Thank you.

Our political system doesn't run smoothly. I think it was Churchill who said "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest." (Correct me if I have the wrong source.) But it does run if people will only participate in a rational, unemotional manner. Is that too much to ask?

DB

Wow - a voice of reason! That's encouraging to...

2010-03-05T13:37:31.666-05:00

Wow - a voice of reason! That's encouraging to read, I'll definitely follow them on Twitter as well. I really get that whole voter anger thing, we just elected the "guy with the pickup" in Massachusetts.

What killed me is he ran around hoisting a beer and saying "can you believe we are taxing your booze?" Well yeah, when you were in the MA legislature Scott, you voted for that. And PS, it's state tax, not a federal one, so you can't do anything about it as a Senator. But he is viewed as someone who can cut taxes. Not unless a miracle occurs and he becomes Jesus brokering deals across the Senate aisles!

Sarcasm is a sign of great wit. Just ask Shakespe...

2010-03-05T12:45:10.288-05:00

Sarcasm is a sign of great wit. Just ask Shakespeare. I love witty, sarcastic people who show me other sides of a subject through humor. P.S. Humor is also the ultimate path to knowledge. Just ask any well-read educator. My politics:
Reality Therapy. Actually it works with almost every aspect of life. Love your posts.
Mary

Please don't stop being snarky, Nance - I love...

2010-03-04T15:15:41.141-05:00

Please don't stop being snarky, Nance - I love dysrationalia as a concept - it's shorthand for "he doesn't agree with me even though I've proven it to him 1000 times."

As a wise woman wrote in a slightly different context, the Tea Parties seem to be "comfort food for the complacent"
a/b

Barry, I used the dysrationalia concept in a tongu...

2010-03-04T15:05:15.226-05:00

Barry, I used the dysrationalia concept in a tongue-in-cheek fashion; it's not a real learning or thinking disability, in the DSM-IV sense. I often use,misuse, and even abuse real diagnoses (or in this case, diagnosis wannabes) playfully, with a little disdain for the seriousness with which we take our as-yet paltry grasp of the intricacies of the human mind. For example, I might diagnose Sarah Palin as Borderline or Dick Cheney as Severe NOS with Strong B Traits...basically ill-defined, and therefore essentially meaningless, or controversial diagnoses that I don't have to substantiate. I do it because I can, because it's mean and fun and irresponsible. I'm really most-sincerely ashamed of myself. Really.

The authors of the research Herbert references are not the same folks as the guy who thought up dysrationalia.

Dear Reader, Lakoff has some excellent work on cognitive framing of social and political issues. For a good summary, go to http://www.wwcd.org/issues/Lakoff.html. Good thing he's on our side.

I will join the anti-dysrationalia coffee klatsch,...

2010-03-04T12:12:04.107-05:00

I will join the anti-dysrationalia coffee klatsch, but only if its goal is to throw eggs at any psychologist who abuses Latin by dreaming up a concept like dysrationalia. Instead, I urge everyone to seek out the online writings of George Lakoff, a cognitive scientist and linguist at UC Berkeley. Lakoff seems to have the clearest answers for why Republicans are wiping up the floor with Democrats: Republicans have learned how to "frame" issues in emotional terms. Reason is great for generating ideas, lousy for trying to sell them.

Realizing Sheria, your comments are in reference t...

2010-03-04T11:25:27.988-05:00

Realizing Sheria, your comments are in reference to the Tea Party Movement, my comments reference every day type anger, if you will. Anger is effective and rational for me. If I didn't get angry when a child is molested, as an example, or another, angry if someone were to mug and rob me, what would drive me to stop the harm or correct the wrong? I can usually find a fear behind the anger - a fear of another molestation, a fear of being violated again; the fear a road raged driver has put my life and others in jeopardy. It would be rational to avoid that driver; remove the perpetrator from the public. In other words, the actions we take based on that anger are the important part - will they protect us from further harm, prevent harm to another victim, allow us to diffuse poor or offensive behavior?

Drinking coffee was considered patriotic after the Boston Tea Party - no surprise there.

Herbert's analysis of the angry voter and the ...

2010-03-03T23:15:39.839-05:00

Herbert's analysis of the angry voter and the anxious voter makes perfect sense to me. I find anger to be a useless emotion; I'm ineffective when I'm angry because anger is irrational. "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Angry peopls also frighten me because they are unpredictable and will go to any means to achieve the ends that they irrationally believe to be desireable. The tea party is a scary group of people.

I think that the Coffee Party is a useful counterbalance although I think that they place too much empahsis on engaging in civil discourse with the tea party movement. Civil discourse and irrational beliefs just aren't a good match. However, I like the mission of the Coffee Party and I love the symbolism inherent in the name, Coffee Party. Coffee is the American morning beverage, not tea. I also like that the Coffee Party embraces diversity and that it has the vibrancy of youth. I think that it is a much needed voice to drown out the clamor of the tea party agenda.

I definitely suffer from dysratonalia per the defi...

2010-03-03T20:34:20.681-05:00

I definitely suffer from dysratonalia per the definition you posted. It is a personal affliction that has nothing to do with politics, any movements, culture or the American economy - well, maybe a little bit to do with the economy. Thanks for providing a description that I can identify with.