The Advantages of Extremism

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Tuxan, Mar 27, 2025.

  1. Tuxan

    Tuxan



    As historians say, history repeats or at least it rhymes.

    I think it's OK if you just have a limited dance card of enemies but of course don't fall into that "moderate" category as both extremes will kill you.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2025
  2. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    Despite this being put on YouTube by GBnews which is basically a new Fox News in the UK, I think it's worth a look and hasn't really damaged by good image of Cleese in his older years.

     
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  3. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    John Cleese "Looking forward to a KGB trained Donald Trump" from eight years ago.

     
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  4. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    When I worked for Richard Branson I was disgusted to learn I'd just missed him when he was visiting Neckar. At the time he spent a lot of time in the British Virgin islands. Moved to Nevis I think.

    A nice interview bit:



    How humour modulates extreme behavior.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2025
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  5. Good point about humor. That and we obviously move in different circles.
     
  6. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    I don't move anymore :) I feel like a switch got flipped a few years back taking care of my wife's illness, my world shrank dramatically and that didn't bother me. Though I'm beginning to wonder if my new brain medicine for ADHD isn't talking being happy doing nothing to an extreme. I still care about people in my life but I find it hard to give a damn about humanity and the world generally.

    My daughter said I'm turning into a meh-odist.
     
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  7. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    They actually sell this in a local store

    IMG-20250201-WA0001.jpg

    Growing up mostly in Ireland I used to feel morbidly fascinated by those who could maintain an extremist position on Northern Ireland. Even if you swayed them one day and left them thinking, the next day they just reset like the movie Memento. We see this on ET all the time.

    Research has found that areas of the brain involved in higher-order thinking, such as the prefrontal cortex, are crucial for cognitive flexibility, the ability to weigh different viewpoints, reconsider beliefs, and process information that contradicts one's worldview. If these areas are underdeveloped or not functioning as well, people may be more inclined to embrace rigid, black-and-white thinking, which aligns with extremist ideologies. This kind of thinking can also be reinforced in environments where critical thinking is not encouraged or where there is constant ideological reinforcement.

    So, it's not just about the "nurture" of a particular environment, but how the brain develops to process complexity. If certain cognitive functions are impaired or underdeveloped, whether due to genetics, early trauma, or other factors, it could make it more difficult for someone to entertain complex ideas, thus making them more vulnerable to extreme and simplified ideologies.

    In cases like the bullshit in Northern Ireland, social identity and group loyalty often overshadow individual reasoning. The need for belonging and the protection of a group's worldview can sometimes overshadow the individual's capacity to critically assess the situation. This, in turn, causes a person to "reset" and return to their ideological position, not necessarily because they forgot the new information, but because the internal pressures of group identity and self-concept are so powerful that they override cognitive flexibility.
     
  8. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    On Rupert Murdock and the puppet masters of pervasive extremism.

     
    #10     Mar 28, 2025
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