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I love THIS , it's a political blog post by an old college pal who works for a research organization.

Brianna Smith, a political science doctoral student at the University of Minnesota, responded that “Probably both factors are at work.” She explained to me that people like simple solutions and rally behind them. Simple messages resonate with voters. They don’t want to hear that problems are complicated and solutions are messy. But she’s less supportive of attaching the word “demagogue” to some political leaders over others. “Trying to get people scared and angry and ready to get involved, these are tactics used by everyone.”

Philip Fernbach is a cognitive scientist at the University of Colorado. He and Steven Sloman recently published The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone. I asked Fernbach specifically about the problem of political polarization. He explained that polarization may stem from overconfidence in our grasp of the issues. His research shows that people are constrained by the limited amount of information they can store in their brains. But this limitation doesn’t lead to humility; in fact, it’s the opposite. As Fernbach and Sloman write, “We are overconfident, sure we are right about the things we know little about.” This can make us ripe for manipulation.

[Oh so true. I see it in myself and those around me. Ask yourselves...how often do you postulate online or off about something, convinced you know everything about it -- only to discover - frak, I should have fact-checked that first, I totally generalized. Now, I look like a complete nitwit? One of the shows I watched today, a character told another one -- "doubt is your friend". The character was upset he lost his certainity. That was his power, he was certain about everything. And his lover, the other character, told him, "the scariest people in the world don't have doubt and are certain. Doubt is our friend, it makes us question, to see new ways of solving a problem." Then of course there was The Good Place, who had a character who was certain he was right and knew everything about a philosophical approach, until he found himself being tortured with it. Sometimes certainty can create distance or put us in jeopardy.]

And...

Surely there’s a fix here. We aren’t destined to be ruled by our sometimes obstinate, prejudiced, and simplistic natures, easily manipulated by appeals to our emotions, and unwilling to hear others. Right?

Fernbach was not as optimistic as I would have liked (because I, like everyone else, like simple answers). He told me that “We cannot just educate ourselves out of this problem.”

But he did offer some ideas. Along with a call for humility, he suggests we try to explain our positions instead of advocating for them. Advocacy allows us to speak with a very shallow understanding of the issues, but when we try to explain our position we realize how little we really know.

98% of the fights I get into online and off...are because of this. I'm advocating my position, and so is the other guy. Neither of us are listening. We are right, damn it.
We're not explaining why we feel that way or how we derived at this conclusion, but advocating like two trial attorneys. As opposed to being more open, and considering other views..

Next, he suggests we focus on consequences and not values. We tend to demonize others when we focus solely on values. For example, if you believe that healthcare is a basic right, and I disagree, it’s not because I want people to die in the street. Instead, focus on the things that most of us can agree on: affordable, effective healthcare.

Finally, he advises us to approach people with curiosity. Ask them why they believe what they do. Don’t try to convince anyone they’re wrong, just listen. Remember that in most cases you are not an expert. Roberts-Miller would likely agree with this. She writes: “. . . we try to solve the problem of demagoguery in ways that worsen it: We call for purifying our public sphere of their demagogues, often in very demagogic ways.”

Both very good points. When you focus on values...it's hard to budge. Because that's a feeling. Something important to a person. But if you focus on consequences...it opens things up a bit.

What are the consequences of not having affordable healthcare? How can we change that?
What are the possible solutions.

Also, the point about being curious. Not just interested in pushing one's own point of few. But listening and understanding the opposing view. I think sometimes people are afraid to do this.

Brianna Smith told me that it’s possible to train ourselves out of the in-group/out-group mindset, but it has to start from birth. She told me that infants start to show a preference for one race over another at three months. However, children raised in racially diverse environments show much less preference for their own race.

[I don't agree that it has to start from birth, since I'm currently working with various people to train myself as well as others out of that mindset. And have been fighting to get out of it most of my life. Because the "in-group/out-group mindset" -- I've discovered is toxic to my well-being. It is the reason I've suffered from social anxiety, and depression at various points, is the cause of the bullying I've suffered, and the root cause of the bullying, hazing, and violence that I've seen others suffer. But it is not easy to change the behavior pattern, or pull out of it. And for some, it may well have to start from birth, but I choose not to believe that.]

Some of us are better at raising our dogs to be social than our children. She explained:

“If you have an aggressive dog, you socialize it. You don’t raise a dog around women only, for instance – it will be aggressive toward men. If you raise a kid around white people, they probably won’t grow up to be violent, but they’ll have a moment of uncertainty around people they see as different.”

Here’s a summary of what I heard, along with a few of my own suggestions for preventing yourself from being manipulated by populists or creating an atmosphere of intolerance that allows empowers them:

1. Embrace the boring and complicated, and be skeptical of the bold and simple.
2. Reject appeals to fear.
3. Reject appeals to utopia. Keep in mind the adage “If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.”
4. Listen and ask questions; i.e., stop talking so much.
5. Seek out people you disagree with.

I like the point about rejecting appeals to fear. Fear of losing your home, employment, safety, etc. When a political platform is preaching fear -- it's time to do some extensive fact-checking, and questioning. Same for the opposite. They are right -- politicians appeal to basic emotions -- fear, hate, hope, love...

I remember talking to a bunch of friends at lunch once upon a time, it was several years back. I was upset because they weren't agreeing with me. And stated in frustration, it would be nice to be surrounded by people who did, all the time. They said, "no, that would be horrible and boring. Also how would you know if you were wrong? It's far better to be with people who don't entirely agree on things. It forces you to question yourself. And that's a good thing." I thought about it and had to agree that they were right.

I know I don't always listen, and I talk far too much, also that I have a tendency to advocate or think I'm right...but I'm trying to do better and change that behavior. One of the things I love about the show "The Good Place" is it demonstrates that it is never to late to change one's behavior.

[ETA: My lovely friend stated that the one thing she didn't like about her essay is she is getting on a soapbox to tell people to get off their's. I've decided it is very hard not to get up on a soap box when posting essays. Because we are taught to write this way -- with active voice, and assertive words. From a place of certainity. In law school, I was taught to use qualifiers, and less assertive words, so I wouldn't be held accountable and there would be wiggle room if necessary. After law school, I spent years ridding myself of the qualifiers -- basically. I also had to get rid of therefore, thereof, whereof, thus...While in law school, I had to get rid of academic words and grammatical choices. Then when I entered business - I had to learn how to right clearly, succinctly, to the point, and without any qualifiers. Yes, I got confused. Who wouldn't?
Every field has it's own bloody way of writing. Anyhow, off-topic. My point is that we are sort of taught to keep up on a soapbox when we write essays or to advocate a position. So it's really hard to shift the tone of the words so that we aren't doing that. And I think it can be done, it's just...you have to shift the tone and change the words used. Less formal, more conversational, and less active, more passive, perhaps.]

Kevin Probably Saves the World ( and other shows)

1. Just finished watching the first three episodes of Kevin Probably Saves the World. Has anyone seen this? It's, well, it is just weird. I'm amazed it got picked up. I can just see the elevator pitch...

So here's a show about a guy who after a failed suicide attempt moves back to his small town and in with his sister and niece. He has lost his job and his girlfriend. Anyhow, one day a meteor crashes to earth, and he touches it. Which results in him connecting with a celestial entity in the form of a large black woman. She's one of God's Warriors or the Universe's helpers and she's here to help Kevin to save the world. Kevin is one of 36 righteous souls that each of these celestial beings is sent to help. Kevin saves the world by helping others find happiness. Each time he connects with another being, the universe sends him a message or clue -- showing him how to connect to the other 35 souls.
Only one problem the other souls have disappeared, and the beings guarding them have stopped caring.
Meanwhile everyone in Kevin's life thinks he's a wee bit unstable, albeit harmless, as he meanders about talking to an invisible black lady. And somehow manages to help people in his town along the way.

I think they picked it up because it wasn't like anything else on television. I'm stumped for a comparison.

Is it any good?

Eh. Yes and no?

Jason Ritter is quite likeable as Kevin, he has his father, John Ritter's affable personality and sense of comic timing. The woman playing his sister, Amy, looks a lot like Rachel McAdams and/or the gal playing April on Grey's Anatomy. J. August is playing the cop interested in Amy.

The story is also rather quirky and comforting. It's sort of a male version of the Gilmore Girls meets Touched By An Angel, although that's not quite right. For one thing these aren't angels, and they don't refer to God, so much as the Universe. Also the people in the town aren't that quirky, Kevin is, they aren't.

Each week Kevin helps someone. One week he helps a man tell his father that he no longer wants to work in the family brewery, the father has a heart-attack -- which alerts the hospital and doctors to the fact that he has a chronic heart condition, and Dad decides to sell the brewery to a corporation.
The next week, he helps a woman tell her best friend and spouse that she doesn't want to be married to him any longer. Basically the universe wanted him to break them up?

It's weird, and sort of a clever satire on...well Touched by an Angel trope. I'm not really sure what to make of it, to be honest.

2. Good Behavior

Still good. This stars Michelle Dockery as an American thief/con-artist, from Georgia. Who got into high end burgulary due to a drug addiction. A recovering alcoholic she manages to reconnect with her son and obtain custody. Not easy to do, since her son is black, and she's white, and the father's black -- with a better job. The father was the drug dealer who got her hooked.

Anyhow, finally out of prison, she meets up with and falls hard for an Argentine hitman, Javier. Whose family ran a cartel in Argentina. The hitman falls for Letty, Dockery's character. She manages to get custody of Jacob, her son, by sort of betraying Javier to the FBI -- but redeems herself in Javier's eyes when she goes out of her way to save him.

It's rather funny in some respects. Black absurdist comedy. Which comments heavily on various soci-economic themes. And adapted from a series of noir novels by the same author who wrote the novels, entitled "Good Behavior".

This season, Letty and Javier and Jacob are sort of on the run from the FBI. And trying to go legit at the same time, but Letty and Javier are failing miserably at it -- in part because both like an upscale lifestyle. And can't get it without being criminals.

3. The Inhumans

I'm finding this more entertaining and less annoying than Once Upon a Time and The Gifted.
Also, it has some interesting side characters. Quarto is by far my favorite, he's asian, has tats on his face and body, and his ability is seeing trajectories, consequences, and cause and effect. It's a sort of interesting and rather unique talent. All of the characters talents are unique and for the most part, the human characters are interesting. I rather like the nerdy scientist who is fangurling over the Inhumans.

Not sure why everyone hated it. (shrugs)

Also having a character who communicates completely through sign language and with his eyes is rather interesting.

Too bad it only has two episodes left and flopped. Ah well, on the other hand, it's not like I don't have other things to watch.

4. Riverdale

Liking the tone of the season and the cinematography quite a bit. The focus or pov is the kids, with the adults looking shadowy and guilty. There's a deep noir undertone here.

Jughead continues to be the narrator. And we now have the introduction of Veronica's dad, Hiriam Lodge, who is a bit dark, and shadowy. Although it is admittedly hard to envision Kelly Ripa's hubby, who used to play Mateo on All My Children as a villain or even disreputable. But he is. The casting is rather entertaining. Also having him as the father of a 15 year old girl seems odd to me. Mainly because I remember when he was playing a 16 year old. That's part of the fun of this series -- we have all these former 1980s/1990s teen television show and movie stars in the parent roles.

( spoilers )

I'm watching too many tv shows...I still have 20 hours on DVR. I need to kick a few to the curb.
Thinking Dynasty, OUAT, and possibly Kevin Probably Saves the World, but on the fence on that one.
Inhumans will be over soon. So there's that.