Tuesday August 2024
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Howdy y’all!
The more things change, the more they stay the same, amirite? I woke up this morning and couldn’t tell if it were 2024 or 2016. We seem to be doing it all over again. We’ve got our FIRST Black Asian woman running for president — why does it seem like it’s only the Democrats who are making the firsts? And, we have Trump running… AGAIN! We’ve got an electorate that is divided pretty evenly between liberal-progressive, racist redneck, and hunh, what’s new on Netflix?
These were the exact same circumstances into which Ye Olde Blogge was born. In 2016, we started using psychological findings and insights to explain the seemingly irrational decisions being made by politicians, voters, and non-voters. I thought that by understanding the forces driving those choices, we could change some of them, mitigate the damage from the worst of them, and bring about some healing. Boy was I ever naive.
The last time we rode the Trump train, we got a 6-3 conservative majority on SCOTUS, a million unnecessary #COVID19 deaths, a $4.8 billion dollar deficit, and an insurrection. You’d think we might could learn something from that experience.
Maybe we did. Maybe.
While we still have some whinging about how Harris isn’t enough of this or that or Walz is disappointing and x, y, or z would’ve been a better choice and guaranteed a victory, support for Harris is holding together. It’s not as bad as it was in 2016 when we had Bernie Bros and progressives wanting to punish the Democrats for not nominating a better candidate. Turns out Roe v. Wade America was a LOT better than post-Dobbs America.
If folks had just read Ye Olde Blogge in 2016, they woulda known. The funny thing is our numbers in the summer before Election 2024 look exactly like they did in the summer before Election 2016, and the issues are almost EXACTLY the same. There are three main differences: (1) We have a Black Asian woman running for president. (2) Trump is showing evidence of extreme cognitive decline relative to his age (unlike Joe Biden). And (3) a fascist pseudo-democratic, single-party, minority-rule oligarchy is in the cards just like the slave-owning traitorous Confederates always wanted and like the one they have in Russia.
Ye Olde Blogge exists to help us understand the moment we’re living through using psychological findings, bolster a few spirits by using a snarky, sarcasticky, and profaney style, and help us cope with the stress and strain of it all.
I am deeply and profoundly grateful to all who read Ye Olde Blogge, especially those who share, like or rate, or comment on an article. It means the world to me to have such tangible responses to the posts.
Blog on Siblings!
Jack
The Psy of Life 
I am faintly horrified that I had not heard of your blog before, for which I blame the WordPress gods, or perhaps I did not appease them enough?
LikeLiked by 2 people
And that’s why god made WordPress Reader.
Thank you so much. Pop over to our 1000th blog post to get a FREE lifetime subscription to Ye Olde Blogge, and because I like you, Ben, I’ll even count this comment as qualifying paying you our monthly subscription fee every month!
I’m glad you found us, and I’m glad to have found my inner meerkat! You’re right, there was a little meerkat in there. Scared the wife, though. Thought it was a rat. Nearly made me get rid of it. I’m sure my limp will subside in time.
I’m glad to be exploring your site. It looks like great fun. Hopefully, we’ll be hearing more from you soon!
Blog on Sibling!
Jack
LikeLiked by 2 people
Are you still in Phnom Penh? I’ve been living there for nearly a year.
LikeLike
Howdy POP!
Yeah, we’re in Phnom Penh. It is a lovely city and a good place to be. I feel like it combines the best of Viet Nam and Thailand into one laid back underdeveloped country.
Full disclosure, it does have my paranoia tingling to have a reader so close to home other than friends who read Ye Olde Blogge that is.
I look forward to more comments and signs of life!
Huzzah!
Jack
LikeLike
What a coincidence. My wife and I have been spending our “retirement” volunteering around the world. We’ve been in Phnom Penh since last August teaching English, and will be here for about two more months. Then it’s back to India for a while. At some point we’ll return to the States to take care of some business, but hopefully won’t be there for very long before we come back.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Howdy POP!
The old noodle does seem to have a little steam left in it, and now I’m getting that warm damp feeling or recognition.
We’ve enjoyed our international teaching experience. We’ve been doing it for 25 years. It is the only way to see the world in my opinion. I’m looking forward, though, to putting down some roots of some kind and having a little more permanence in my life.
Huzzah!
Jack
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s hard to know how much what we say gets heard. All we can do is keep talking, keep writing. If we don’t, we know that we won’t be heard. It’s a small thing, but it’s doable, and the more people do it, the less small it will be.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Howdy Ellen!
Surely you are right. And, the truth is, I write what I write in the way I write because I like it. That other people read it and enjoy it is a bonus.
But, it is also true that few who do read the blog leave any sign that they were here other that the views on the stat page.
Keep on writing.
Huzzah!
Jack
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yup. I’ve seen that in action.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dear Jack,
I concur with you. The USA has been plagued by ignorance, dogma, falsity, blind faith, spiritual stagnation and epistemological impasse . . . . .
We can be justified for being snide, snarky and facetious in characterizing Trump as the symbolic messiah who is going to lead his misguided supporters to glory on Earth and the promised land!
It is often futile to reason with such misguided folks. Perhaps only when the country truly becomes autocratic or fascist will they wake up, but then it will be too late.
Instead of “Flattening the Curve”, the USA is now “Steepening the Curve”, so much so that the MAGA tagline “Make America Great Again” should be changed to MASA: “Make America Sick Again”!
Regarding the POTUS’ Twitter and Facebook accounts, some would even argue that they should have been suspended or terminated a long time ago for continually unleashing falsehood, misinformation and mass distrust. Fortunately, he has not (yet) been given free access to software or button(s) with which to launch weapon(s) of mass destruction.
In any case, those who are fair-minded and discerning are not easily swayed by his constant thrashing around and beating in the bush. Speaking of whether “the president really is a very stable genius”, SoundEagle’s adage is that Trump is a fool’s idea of a genius. In addition, the POTUS has long slid from being a “Law and Order” President to a “Flaw and Border” President.
2020, the Year of the Rat, has brought us not the plague (black death) but Covid-19. And 2020 also brought out the worst of divisive politics and demagogic incitement. I wonder whether it could get even worse in 2021. What a day it was to unfold with sedition, insurrection and coup d’état on the 6th!
Whilst some of us may take some comfort in our living somewhere else, there is the danger that oppressive politics may spread elsewhere or be mirrored by other corrupt politicians outside their origins.
Democracy is not a given. It can be quite fragile, can fail rather badly, and often is approximately as good and benevolent (or bad and malevolent) as the members who practise, control and/or legislate it. We all need to do our parts in contributing to the smooth and equitable functioning of a civil country and democratic society. I have done mine in highlighting many of the most fundamental causes through my writings, and I hope that you will find more answers and solutions to these thorny issues in my latest post entitled “Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity”.
I would be delighted if you could kindly submit your comment to my said article, as I am very keen and curious to know what you think or make of it.
I would like to wish you a very happy New Year. May you find 2021 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your writing, reading, thinking and blogging!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Howdy Sound!
I agree with most of your assessment here. Democracy is quite fragile and is easily destroyed. As we are fond of saying at Ye Olde Blogge, compromise is the heart of democracy. If you eliminate the voice of the minority, you will eventually get revolution. Many on the conservative side of the equation have given up on democracy and think they can suppress any revolution that comes from the left. They’ve given up on it because, philosophically, they believer they are right, and, practically, they are greedy. They believe that they can string just enough of the population along with the emotionally loaded issues to remain in office and stave off any real conflict until after they have made theirs and are gone from the scene. Everything else, deaths from #COVID19 and climate change can be damned as long as they are getting theirs.
It is interesting to see that many of the Republicans who were indeed frightened for their lives on 6 January are now singing a different tune. They have decided that they can ride this out and if it comes to another insurrection, it will only be the “bad” Republicans and the Democrats who are summarily executed by the mob. It is such a cynical stance to take that it boggles the mind.
There are a number of psychological tendencies that account for it though. Not the least of which are the many cognitive biases that you discuss in your post, cognitive dissonance, diffusion of responsibility, and motivated reasoning. All of which, we’ve discussed at length here at Ye Olde Blogge during the past four years.
Huzzah!
Jack
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Jack,
I am delighted to read your comment here. Thank you for your feedback and insight, and for clarifying further issues. At this point in time, I am not very optimistic about the US. Moreover, social and economic polarizations can further exacerbate the issues of wealth and power distribution.
Given that your comment also pertains to my post entitled “Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity”, I would really appreciate it if you could kindly submit your comment to the comment section in my said post too.
You can simply copy and paste your previous comment and perhaps add more if you have something extra to say. Thank you in anticipation.
LikeLiked by 1 person