perseus
Active member
I have just read an interesting article about how elections are won my manipulating brains (what a surprise!) and Republicans have got this off to a fine art. Here are a few extracts:
Politics….is not about changing minds through arguments and evidence. It is about configuring and reconfiguring neural pathways. Repetitive, comforting, emotionally attractive and morally appealing narratives, metaphors, motto's and mantras are most likely to gain neural traction. Politicians who control brains win elections.
Republicans are the ones who understand "how brains and minds work". They apparently know that the constant repetition of phrases like "war on terror" strengthens neural connections. After hearing those words again and again, ordinary people literally get stuck thinking that way. It's noise to neurons. Bush, recall, "had been an alcoholic, had a DUI violation, avoided service in Vietnam, had a shadow experience in his Air National Guard unit, failed repeatedly in business". Bush's team brilliantly deployed cog-sci know-how … to suppress and/or spin these stories about alcoholism, cocaine use and business incompetence.
The moral of the story is that successful politicians know how to use words to get people to vote against their own interests and values. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19826586.300-review-ithe-political-mindi-by-george-lakoff.html?DCMP=ILC-rhts&nsref=ts12_pic
Is this a bit simplistic and are not elections also won by appealing to 'genuine' self interest?
Is this just a version on Dawkins more general meme theory of thought and idea propagation?
Politics….is not about changing minds through arguments and evidence. It is about configuring and reconfiguring neural pathways. Repetitive, comforting, emotionally attractive and morally appealing narratives, metaphors, motto's and mantras are most likely to gain neural traction. Politicians who control brains win elections.
Republicans are the ones who understand "how brains and minds work". They apparently know that the constant repetition of phrases like "war on terror" strengthens neural connections. After hearing those words again and again, ordinary people literally get stuck thinking that way. It's noise to neurons. Bush, recall, "had been an alcoholic, had a DUI violation, avoided service in Vietnam, had a shadow experience in his Air National Guard unit, failed repeatedly in business". Bush's team brilliantly deployed cog-sci know-how … to suppress and/or spin these stories about alcoholism, cocaine use and business incompetence.
The moral of the story is that successful politicians know how to use words to get people to vote against their own interests and values. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19826586.300-review-ithe-political-mindi-by-george-lakoff.html?DCMP=ILC-rhts&nsref=ts12_pic
Is this a bit simplistic and are not elections also won by appealing to 'genuine' self interest?
Is this just a version on Dawkins more general meme theory of thought and idea propagation?