I’m not sure what moved me to write this post but right now I’m seeing an enormous disconnect among what people think, what they have reasonable grounds to think, and their policy preferences. When we say that “somebody believes something”, we mean that he or she is convinced of something whether or not she or he has evidence to that effect or even possibly despite evidence to the contrary. For example, I believe we should only engage in just wars. I think that’s not only an ethical position but also one that’s grounded in realpolitik but I probably couldn’t prove that to you.
When we say that “somebody has concluded something” we mean that he or she has looked at evidence and reached that conclusion. The evidence could be authoritative testimony, experience, or other kinds of evidence. It’s possible to draw different conclusions about things, even different conclusions from the same evidence. For example, I don’t think it’s technically impossible for the United States to have hyperinflation but I know that others do.
If you think that hyperiflation is technically impossible in the United States, the debate over the budget is meaningless noise to you and must be incredibly frustrating since, if hyperinflation is technically impossible, we shouldn’t have taxes at all (unless there’s some need to remove money from circulation). The federal government should simply issue credit to itself and spend the money.
One last observation on policies. When you choose among the available alternatives and you categorically and unfailingly reject policy X, we should conclude that you don’t support policy X other than rhetorically. For example, if you say you’re opposed to agricultural subsidies but always reject cuts in agricultural subsidies, you’re just kidding yourself.
Politicians lie all of the time. The truth frequently hurts and they know that hurting people doesn’t get you elected or re-elected. I don’t judge what politicians believe by what they say but by what they do.
. . .the debate over the budget is meaningless noise to you and must be incredibly frustrating. . .
It certainly is. Feels like the USA would be more accurately named Dumbfuckistan. Feels like we never left the world of sprites and devils and fairie tricksters lurcking behind every tree but will take our myths and superstitions to a collective grave.
I’m not sure what moved me to write this post but right now I’m seeing an enormous disconnect among what people think, what they have reasonable grounds to think, and their policy preferences.
If by “policy preferences” you mean “which politicians they support”, then I’ll agree with you. Else you need to add an additional layer.
I can’t tell you how many conservative deficit hawks and anti-immigration people I know personally that think Paul Ryan should be Speaker. It’s depressing.
And then there are the anti-immigration folks I know that are hardcore Libertarian Party voters. They don’t even know what the fuck their own party stands for.
The good news is that I’m slowly giving up on politics. It’ll take a while, as it requires breaking decades of habit, but I’ve already had the emotional epiphany that this isn’t my country any more. I had known that intellectually for a while, but it didn’t really hit me until I went to a movie a couple of months back.
Just getting around to seeing ‘Mars Invades,’ ice?
It was a Japanese movie.
In more of a zen explanation, I see one’s belief system as being a big component to their own experiences. IOW, one tends to create what one believes in. That would explain the huge disconnect between liberal and conservative orthodoxy, as one’s attention is riveted on what they see as “the way,” giving little attention or merit to what others may see as “the way.”
I think people are extremely perceptive and at the same time, very much want to BELONG. For instance, if they make a comment and are met by uncomfortable silence, this much more persuasive to their beliefs and opinions than any argument could ever be. It is social shunning and will Quickly steer almost all people back to the currently prevailing attitudes.
Gray,
While I agree that people very much want to belong to consensus attitudes. Those whose opinions and beliefs are constantly shaped and morphed into templates of the consensus don’t really grow, individuate and become comfortable with truer and perhaps more substantial beliefs.