I have been reminding my associates and friends who are Democrats to be kind to Republicans around them. Some responded positively, some negatively, and some with the opinion that they need not worry about people who have brought the current state of Republican party politics upon themselves. There are personal reasons for my plea, but there are ones based on my professional expertise as well. Although there is not much depth to some research on the role of relationships and party identification, there is some. In addition, there is a deeper body of research into linguistics and even neuroscience that might suggest that it is in the best interest of Democrats to be nice.
First, the cognitive science research, since it is probably the most widely respected and best known of the work I am thinking of as I write this. George Lakoff has the most notable and deeply nuanced study of language and how it affects people based upon the perceptual screen we tend to use. Republicans tend to embrace the "strict father" metaphor for understanding politics while Democrats tend to embrace the "nurturing mother" metaphor. For a great summary from Lakoff, go here. Although Republicans tend to take the hierarchical position on authority, politics, and life in general, they are not monolithic, and there are significant numbers of pragmatic and Laissez-faire Republicans who can be coaxed to abandon this narrative this year. So, being nice to these Republicans while taking deep breaths to cope with the Trumpstinstas (my term, purposely chosen because it is an ironic depiction of authoritarian types) is a good tactical approach to trying to persuade people of sound thought and Republican identification to come over to the Dark Side for just this one moment.
The more controversial reason for the self-interest motives of Democrats relates to both survey and experimental research done by political psychologist Michael Milburn. this research is less famous and more controversial, but it suggests that the authoritarian tendencies of people (mainly men) are often connected to the way they were raised (authoritarian minded people tended to have punitive parents, especially fathers), and that one becomes less authoritarian in his political values when he has a venue to vent and heal the wounds often caused by punitive parenting. Thus, Milburn argues in one study, men who go through counseling and therapy become less authoritarian in the viewpoints.
My point here is not to contend that being a Republican is a mental illness; clearly it is not. But, for those who feel aggrieved by a world that has mistreated him or her, it is possible that kindness and compassion can provide a counter-narrative to the hierarchical. There clearly are many Republicans looking for a way out of their dilemma of having Donald Trump be their party's standard bearer; what better way than to provide a positive model for them as they try to cope with the dissonance that comes with being a Republican with a punitive father at the top of the ticket?
First, the cognitive science research, since it is probably the most widely respected and best known of the work I am thinking of as I write this. George Lakoff has the most notable and deeply nuanced study of language and how it affects people based upon the perceptual screen we tend to use. Republicans tend to embrace the "strict father" metaphor for understanding politics while Democrats tend to embrace the "nurturing mother" metaphor. For a great summary from Lakoff, go here. Although Republicans tend to take the hierarchical position on authority, politics, and life in general, they are not monolithic, and there are significant numbers of pragmatic and Laissez-faire Republicans who can be coaxed to abandon this narrative this year. So, being nice to these Republicans while taking deep breaths to cope with the Trumpstinstas (my term, purposely chosen because it is an ironic depiction of authoritarian types) is a good tactical approach to trying to persuade people of sound thought and Republican identification to come over to the Dark Side for just this one moment.
The more controversial reason for the self-interest motives of Democrats relates to both survey and experimental research done by political psychologist Michael Milburn. this research is less famous and more controversial, but it suggests that the authoritarian tendencies of people (mainly men) are often connected to the way they were raised (authoritarian minded people tended to have punitive parents, especially fathers), and that one becomes less authoritarian in his political values when he has a venue to vent and heal the wounds often caused by punitive parenting. Thus, Milburn argues in one study, men who go through counseling and therapy become less authoritarian in the viewpoints.
My point here is not to contend that being a Republican is a mental illness; clearly it is not. But, for those who feel aggrieved by a world that has mistreated him or her, it is possible that kindness and compassion can provide a counter-narrative to the hierarchical. There clearly are many Republicans looking for a way out of their dilemma of having Donald Trump be their party's standard bearer; what better way than to provide a positive model for them as they try to cope with the dissonance that comes with being a Republican with a punitive father at the top of the ticket?
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