Now that the so-called "elections" are over
with, any aliens monitoring our broadcasts would probably assume an increase
of 100 points has occurred in our collective IQ. There is a very specific
reason why I chose that number instead of, say 50. See if you can figure
that out as you read the rest of this. Have you
ever wondered why stupidity dominates election messages? The explanation for
this bizarre ritual is actually quite simple, and it sheds light on how we
can use our brains better in all circumstances.
The human brain (such that it is) provides prima facie
evidence of evolution in its very structure. It clearly consists of a
collection of brains, one on top of the other. These follow a natural
progression that matches the progression of groups of species.
For example, consider the brain of a reptile (e.g.,
snake, crocodile, politician). It is pretty much just a brain stem--like the
one we humans have. As you move up the evolutionary scale, you see more
brain structures present. The human brain is not a monolithic organ of
single design. It's much like a collection of different models of computers.
This makes for some interesting interactions and outcomes.
Politicians have used this fact, knowingly or
otherwise, for thousands of years. Instead of providing solutions to
important real issues and discussing the facts, they create red herring
emotional issues and use those to gain support for their agenda. In case you
haven't noticed, the agenda of those running for federal office in the USA
is to spend your money without regard to good public policy or even the
remotest concept of financial responsibility. This is how they reward the
power brokers who put them in office by funding their campaigns. They get by
with this because they use emotion rather than reason to actually brag
about what any reasonable analysis would show to be criminal actions.
Consider my own Congressman. He believes that
criminals should be protected from citizens, instead of the other way
around. Disconnect your brain, and his arguments actually sound good. He
also believes that the less money you have the better off you are. So, he
devotes much of his time to coming up with ways to part you from your
money--the same way any common street thug would. Yet, he makes people
actually agree that this is good!
His positions sound insane because they are insane.
And, they are about as anti-citizen as you can get. Yet, he consistently get
re-elected. Why?
Because he sidesteps reason and goes for emotion. I
knew he would win in this election, simply because his campaign used all
emotional rhetoric while his opponent used reason.
In fact, despite his horrendous track record, he won
this election slightly better than 60/40. Our governor, who has shown a near
visceral hostility toward citizens, fared even better!
Our incumbent AG was defeated by false emotional
arguments, despite working very hard to protect the citizens and stringing
up an impressive record of accomplishments. He lost, 35 to 65.
And despite the constant complaining over our
atrociously high taxes, "we" (in my county) voted in yet another pork
program that will raise our taxes. Why? Because we are "doing it for the
children." Tug a heart string, and it's like pulling on one of those light
bulb strings. Only instead of shutting off a light, we shut off the brain.
It doesn't matter that this program will, in fact, harm the children in a
multitude of ways. What mattered was that its backers (who stand to profit
from it) said it will benefit them.
People who are seduced by emotion are blind to the
facts.
This fact is why "elections" actually disenfranchise
the citizens. People simply refuse to think, thus making the "elections" a
farce. While we can't correct this injustice, there is a useful lesson in it
for us.
The brainpower tip in this issue is this. Be alert for
emotional "arguments." They are the tools of manipulation and deceit. When
you give into these arguments, you are thinking at no higher level than a
reptile. This is, in effect, a self-imposed frontal lobotomy. And it's one
that is easy to fall into. If you doubt that, just think of some arguments
you've had with your spouse (or sibling, or....) and think of the dumb and
hurtful things each of you said. And how truly pointless those things were.
Had you been engaging your higher brain instead of the emotional stem,
things would have proceeded much differently.
When you feel a strong emotional response to a message, that's your first
indication the message is probably false. If the sender of that message had
a factual basis for the message, the sender would not need to resort to
emotional methods of convincing you.
None of this is to say that an emotional element in a message makes it
wrong. But it does raise red flags. When such a flag goes up, look for
substantiation of the claim. During elections, the "proof" is nearly always
something taken out of context or not even relevant to the question. Look
very hard at any "evidence" given, and try to get both sides of the story.
Only then can you make an accurate assessment that makes use of more than
just your brain stem.
This is how you can avoid the election time drop of 100 IQ points, and
you can enjoy the resultant brain power all year long. |