Friday, March 12, 2010

Why People Like Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann, Sean Hannity and Other Wingnuts

I recently heard the term "wingnut" in this interview with the author of a similarly named book. It describes right and left wing demagogues who use fear to convince audiences that the other side has sinister motives. It then struck me, why do people allow themselves to be controlled like this? Like many of our problems, I think it has to do with control:
According to one school of thought, this tendency to exaggerate the strength of our adversaries serves a specific psychological function. It is less scary to place all our fears on a single, strong enemy than to accept the fact our well-being is largely based on factors beyond our control. An enemy, after all, can be defined, analyzed and perhaps even defeated.
Whether it's about the Soviets, Chinese, or the Democrats, it's all about controlling our fear.

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