Monday, March 28, 2011

The Authoritarians

I have just finished reading this book by Bob Altemeyer. And it explains a lot about what is happening with our politics at the moment. If you ever wondered why the conservatives behave like they do - then you must read this book.

Bob Altemeyer is a retired psychology professor from Canada who has spent most of his life studying authoritarianism. This is a serious book about serious issues - and you may find it confronting.

The important thing is that the conclusions are based on a lifetime of research. Not opinions - but "facts built upon real research".

And the conclusions are terrifying.

Bob provides some reasons why you would want to read this book - below.

"So if you set up a fair and square experiment in which people can act nobly fairly and with integrity and you find that most of one group does (something) and most of another group does not that’s a fact not an opinion. And if you keep finding the same thing experiment after experiment and other people do too then that’s a body of facts that demands attention."

"Some people we have seen to our dismay don’t care a hoot what scientific investigation reveals - but most people do. If the data were fairly gathered and we let them do the talking then we should be on a higher plane than opinion based argument."

"You might want more than just facts about authoritarians - but understanding and insight into why they act the way they do. Which is often mind-boggling. How can they revere those who gave their lives defending freedom and then support moves to take that freedom away? How can they go on believing things that have been disproved over and over again and disbelieve things that are well established? How can they think they are the best people in the world when so much of what they do ought to show them they are not? Why do their leaders so often turn out to be crooks and hypocrites? Why are both the followers and the leaders so aggressive that hostility is practically their trademark?"

As Bob says.

"By the time you have finished this book, I think you will understand the reasons. All of this and much more fit into place once you see what research has uncovered going on in authoritarian minds."

PS. Sure beats watching and listening to them and their BS on QandA.

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