A key issue is how completely, absolutely, HISTORICALLY self absorbed some Americans have become.
People want to believe what they want to believe. They will ignore someone more educated than them in a subject, they will ignore someone more experienced in a subject... they will literally ignore another person saying "This is literally my experience." If it isn't happening to THEM, they don't believe it, and if it doesn't jibe with what THEY want to believe, they will literally disbelieve it. If a doctor says something they don't like about a pandemic, they will simply decide for themselves that they know better. If the news reports something they don't like, they write it off as "fake news." If a black person says something they don't like about their experiences with law enforcement, they will simply decide for themselves that they know what actually happens. If countless people sound warnings about the man in charge... and not just traditional political opponents, but traditional political ALLIES and people who have directly worked for him... they will simply decide that every one of these people is wrong, and that they know better. And if someone is angry, they will steal other peoples' stuff, destroy other peoples' stuff, burn down their business, without thinking about it at all.
They will even attack someone they disagree with in the most personal ways they can imagine, because the idea of other ideas that they may not share being true gets them that worked up.
And you can see it in the disgusting coarsening of our society... there is a complete lack of empathy... there is only "*I* want to lash out, *I* want to feel good, and if it costs someone else, I don't care." People SO want to believe what THEY want to believe that it's gotten to the point that they will refuse new information, they will refuse to educate themselves. This "ME ME ME" desire literally goes so far as to have people turn their backs on what THEY THEMSELVES used to be, what THEY THEMSELVES used to believe, so they can feel good about themselves RIGHT NOW. It causes people to accept the most ridiculous cognitive dissonance that we've ever seen in my lifetime.
"Your candidate is a socialist commie... but I will ignore my candidate's lifetime and campaign connections to, and endorsements of, Russia and their dictator-for-life."
"Your candidate doesn't support the military... but I will ignore that his son served and that my candidate dodged service and has attacked veterans and our generals, many of whom have spoken out against him in historical ways."
"Your candidate is getting dementia... but I will ignore my candidate's unplanned hospital visits and shuffling and mumbling and slurring and rambling and inability to lift a glass of water with one hand."
"Your candidate is a pedophile... but I will ignore my candidate being accused of 20 something sexual assaults and even discussing it on tape."
"Your candidate will allow violence and destruction if they are elected... but I will ignore that my candidate is the literal president under whose watch it is *actually* happening."
And all of this... this searing selfishness, this lack of respect for experience or education or intelligence, this jaw-dropping cognitive dissonance... it starts at the very top.
Just disgusted by everything I see online nowadays. The only hope I get is that most of the people I know, most of the people I trust, most of the people who I have learned, through years of experience, are capable, smart, good people who care about others... they see it, too, and are fighting it.
