I've noticed humans tend to follow Group Thinking in order to 'join in'. Have you ever stood with a group of people on the edge of a sidewalk waiting for the crosswalk signal to change so you can cross the street? Watch what happens when only one person decides to go against the light and cross anyway. You'll notice the others waiting, begin moving forward as if trying to follow! In many cases you'll see several actually follow the one guy who crossed. This happens because the people waiting begin thinking, 'well, the guy made it, therefore it must be OK to cross against this red light'.
Another example was the sudden, very odd frantic need to buy the Salman Rushdie book, "The Satanic Verses" several years ago. Wow! every one on my block bought the book, I've just gotta get one myself before they run out! I just gotta!
This is like saying, well my best friend and his wife dislike Bush - so it must be right to agree with them. As more and more people see things one way, that way of thinking spreads more easily.
Eventually, everyone you know thinks that same way.
Before long you say to yourself:
"Whenever, I talk about Bush, I'll focus only on the negative; on any tiny errors he makes even if it means blowing it all out of proportion. From his stuttering to a lump on his back". I'll scrutinize *everything* he says and does.
I'll create websites against him and spread my pathological hatred on Newsgroups, Yahoo! Groups and message boards. I'll hang out on such forums with those of my beliefs and keep everyone who disagrees out, Or, I'll stump on them and call them stupid. I may even spread my rhetoric on radio talk shows that support my way of thinking.
If he ever changes his mind on anything I'll call him a LIAR.
And if someone asks me what I think I'll most often find something negative to say. Like a cat scratching a marble floor, I'll try very hard to dig up something, *anything* to discredit him. I'll even dig deep into his past and bring up irrelevant information. I'll blame all my bad hair days on him.
I have to do this. If I don't, I must at least *never* say anything good about him and what he does, otherwise I'll be labelled an outcast and stand out like an 'ugly duckling'.
I'll even avoid facts that make him look good for the upcoming election. I'll avoid listening or watching (Fox News) programs and news that's in favour of what Bush is doing. Why, I may even make a film myself, an attackumentary, and try to pass it off as a documentary!"
This Bush bashing has gotten out of hand! Spreading rumours about a person can be damaging and have tragic consequence. Everyone must help stop the spread of bad rumours before they damage someone personally or professionally or both. If they still persist, confront the rumour spreaders and ask them to stop. And finally, if a nasty rumour is being spread about a specific person, do NOT pass it on without credible evidence!
The ferocious amount of disrespect being shown towards the current sitting president at times of world strife is absolutely horrifying and dangerous! I'm starting to believe the vast majority of people are sheep following the whims of current trends without ever thinking about their actions and the impact they have on society.
According to this article, the spreading of hatred for Bush may be more psychological than political: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20041019.shtml
This way of thinking reminds me of cults that have lead of lot of people to their deaths who really believed a certain comet was bringing something I forget what. They truly believed it, did what they thought was right, and it cost them their lives. It probably took only a few people to get it started and to believe it. It didn't matter how outrageous their claims were - they truly believed what they were thinking!
We need more people to spread the other side (in this case, the truth). As more and more begin to believe the other side, more and more will think before crossing that street.
Ben, here's a clue for free. Learn to spell before you post a Vanity and Welcome.
I don't buy that. Jefferson was hated. Lincoln was hated. and Reagan was hated. Great men that do great things are always hated!
There's no reason to hate Bush. He's a good man. It's a sport to some, this illogical hate.
Good piece Ben. Welcome to Free Republic.
Start with <a href=
followed by your link in quotes ...
Close with a > and pick a click phrase like 'click here' ...
Finally, wrap things up with </a> to close the command. The whole thing looks like this:
<a href="http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20041019.shtml>click here</a>
Again, welcome to FR. You'll love it here.
The Bush haters are people of small minds, low self-esteem, and severe guilt complexes because of their "amoral" morality. They trash Bush because they think they're "better" than he is -- he's a Texas rube, they're "sophisticated"; he's a dupe for capitalism, they think the government creates "opportunities"; he's a sincere Christian, they're radical secularists. Bush is different than the average Bush Hater, and for that reason alone -- his "difference" -- they hate him. Considering this, is Bush-hatred really any different than ignorance racism?
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/bommer/Live%20What%20I%20Believe.html
Listen to the words.This was done by our own Lawgirl and bommer
Gore did a lot of damage along these lines in 2000. We had the ads saying Republicans would burn black churches, bring back slavery, inact a 3/5ths of a person value for blacks, disenfranchise them by the millions and even that Bush was responsible for a black man's dragging death. All untrue but somehow they'll believe these awful things rather than their own experience. And there's not only the Florida mess but the media war the Democrat Party waged during the recount focusing on "disenfranchised" voters and claiming they want to "count every vote" which make Republicans seem evil, craft and unfair even though there was a real disconnect from the facts. This "Media Warfare," honed to a fine art under Clinton, is how the Democrat Party does so well and how the Republicans, and Bush, are on the verge of losing his re-election. Bush should've learned from Clinton's "America's Mayor" media tactics and done more to build opinion in his favor, that he was doing the hard work for America.
The Gore invective campaign built upon the Gingrich Congress' demonization with claims Republicans are poisoning water, starving children, trying to kill old people and so on. Some of those tricks were tried in the 80's, where they continued the age-old saw that Republicans are the tool of big business interests like oil and tobacco, as well but it didn't really turn into a white-hot assault until the Democrats lost Congress for the first time in sixty-two years. And, as I said, it was made into a fine art under Clinton.
I think Bush is most helped by his efforts to hit on positive plans for the future (acknowledging there's more work ahead) and by John Kerry's unconvincing and uncharismatic facade. Bush is helped by pointing out his desire to continue the strides made on ownership (esp. highlighting minority's increase) so more people have a stake in America. Notice these things fall flat with single people because they haven't "gotten serious" yet, haven't begun building families. And, of course, the Democrat Party has done so well with their racially divisive politics to control the thinking and world-view of minorities, it's very hard for Bush and Republicans to reach them.
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger got only 18% of blacks and 31% of Latinos in the CA recall and by the thinking of some, because he's not lock-step with Christian fundamentalist family values, he's not even a Republican. I wish he was able and willing to do a bit more campaigning with Bush in Ohio and even Florida.
Think about it... we have pop stars, film stars, tv stars, rap stars, producers, celebrities, news persons, union leaders, teachers, professors all highlighting the Democrat side. There's no balance. It makes sense there's no appeal to the vulnerable, made vulnerable by failed and failing Democrat policies. The vulnerable like our illiterate high school seniors who Democrats threaten with the spector of a draft if they don't vote Kerry. They *want* to keep you down to keep themselves in power and, sadly, you're kept down because they've robbed you of the tools necessary to evaluate the truth vs the rhetoric. The Democrat Party is almost a cult.
I want to apologize for my post to you above. Upon re-reading my previous post to you just now, it sounds a lot more hostile than I intended when I first wrote and posted it.
I am sorry. Best wishes and again, welcome.
I used to be a liberal, until I began to think for myself.
When I talk to my liberal friends from way back, they can't understand why I changed my thinking. They treat me as if I've had a brain injury or join a bizarre religious cult.