On TDS
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TDS gets eyerolled all over the internet, so maybe it merits a short explanation that gets to the roots of the human psychology behind it.
TDS is foremost a disgust reaction. Like our sense of taste has primary components like sweet and sour and bitter, our emotions have primary components as well, one of which is known as the disgust reaction. Disgust reactions are well understood to be culturally absorbed. What one human finds disgusting has little to do with what another human finds disgusting, unless they were raised in the same culture. (Remember that video with the asian woman eating a huge live spider whole?) Disgust reactions are non-negotiable. Humans are not wired to question their own disgust reactions. They are wired to proudly embrace them, not because <reasons>, but because <disgusting thing>. As culturally received reactions, they are also communicable, and they can turn into pre-requisite reactions for the maintenance of social status.
Sam Harris is among the most talented thinkers in America, and when he attempts to substantiate his TDS with <reasons>, he says blatant absurdities like that you could walk a thousand miles in any direction anywhere on planet Earth and not come across a worse human than Donald Trump. The closest that gets to anything resembling truth, is that, from Sam's perspective, he could walk those miles and never meet someone who could affect him, Sam, so negatively in the thoughts and feels, as Donald Trump does. That doesn't make Trump the worst human being on the planet. It only makes him the most psychologically destructive, to a person with certain disgust reactions, who must countenance that disgusting thing being elected by those who don't share that reaction.
Recommended reading: The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt.
Education is extremely important.
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I've often wondered whether white people who are so completely convinced of the pervasiveness of racism, are captive to their own disgust reaction at people with black skin. I can imagine that overcoming that reaction would be one of the more difficult things such a person ever does, and to the extent they ever do, they might feel like few others would have the strength and virtue to do the same. They might not be able to imagine the absence of that disgust reaction.
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Good points - and I agree with you that there is a strong disgust reaction to Trump that clouds rational thought.
That said - Trump's supporters understand this all too well, and they love seeing the disgust. When the disgusting thing gets more disgusting they cheer it on because it makes the "TDS" even more intense. It's fun.
The problem is that we shouldn't have a dope like Trump in the Presidency. We have real shit to tackle as a society and he ain't helping.
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Good points - and I agree with you that there is a strong disgust reaction to Trump that clouds rational thought.
That said - Trump's supporters understand this all too well, and they love seeing the disgust. When the disgusting thing gets more disgusting they cheer it on because it makes the "TDS" even more intense. It's fun.
The problem is that we shouldn't have a dope like Trump in the Presidency. We have real shit to tackle as a society and he ain't helping.
Good points - and I agree with you that there is a strong disgust reaction to Trump that clouds rational thought.
That said - Trump's supporters understand this all too well, and they love seeing the disgust. When the disgusting thing gets more disgusting they cheer it on because it makes the "TDS" even more intense. It's fun.
The problem is that we shouldn't have a dope like Trump in the Presidency. We have real shit to tackle as a society and he ain't helping.
You know what? I don’t think we have real shit to tackle. I think we have stupid shit to tackle that isn’t really all that hard, but we make it hard on ourselves and our leaders make it harder than it needs to be.
The Brad
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Good points - and I agree with you that there is a strong disgust reaction to Trump that clouds rational thought.
That said - Trump's supporters understand this all too well, and they love seeing the disgust. When the disgusting thing gets more disgusting they cheer it on because it makes the "TDS" even more intense. It's fun.
The problem is that we shouldn't have a dope like Trump in the Presidency. We have real shit to tackle as a society and he ain't helping.
You know what? I don’t think we have real shit to tackle. I think we have stupid shit to tackle that isn’t really all that hard, but we make it hard on ourselves and our leaders make it harder than it needs to be.
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TDS gets eyerolled all over the internet, so maybe it merits a short explanation that gets to the roots of the human psychology behind it.
TDS is foremost a disgust reaction. Like our sense of taste has primary components like sweet and sour and bitter, our emotions have primary components as well, one of which is known as the disgust reaction. Disgust reactions are well understood to be culturally absorbed. What one human finds disgusting has little to do with what another human finds disgusting, unless they were raised in the same culture. (Remember that video with the asian woman eating a huge live spider whole?) Disgust reactions are non-negotiable. Humans are not wired to question their own disgust reactions. They are wired to proudly embrace them, not because <reasons>, but because <disgusting thing>. As culturally received reactions, they are also communicable, and they can turn into pre-requisite reactions for the maintenance of social status.
Sam Harris is among the most talented thinkers in America, and when he attempts to substantiate his TDS with <reasons>, he says blatant absurdities like that you could walk a thousand miles in any direction anywhere on planet Earth and not come across a worse human than Donald Trump. The closest that gets to anything resembling truth, is that, from Sam's perspective, he could walk those miles and never meet someone who could affect him, Sam, so negatively in the thoughts and feels, as Donald Trump does. That doesn't make Trump the worst human being on the planet. It only makes him the most psychologically destructive, to a person with certain disgust reactions, who must countenance that disgusting thing being elected by those who don't share that reaction.
Recommended reading: The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt.
TDS is foremost a disgust reaction.
That doesn't explain all the people that think he's genuinely awesome.
If you believe what you read there are apparently millions of people that think he's the best thing to ever happen to this country. How is that not delusional?
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@Doctor-Phibes said in On TDS:
there are apparently millions of people that think he's the best thing to ever happen to this country. How is that not delusional?
OK, maybe second or third best thing ever.
But at a minimum he is in the top 10.
Hold on, I almost forgot, he stopped Hillary.
He is solidly in the top 5.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in On TDS:
there are apparently millions of people that think he's the best thing to ever happen to this country. How is that not delusional?
OK, maybe second or third best thing ever.
But at a minimum he is in the top 10.
Hold on, I almost forgot, he stopped Hillary.
He is solidly in the top 5.
