Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D) confession conference exemplifies cognitive dissonance resolution. Republicans should learn.
Weiner, whom I admired, did meltdown to try to resolve the dissonance (the disturbing clash) between his honorable, good self and his dishonorable, bad self. Resolution, he hopes, is confessing and repenting. Instructive.
Politicians tend to keep these spheres separate. Such, for example, enables opposing taxation while ignoring that two American wars are fought on borrowed money. Add, opposing raising the national debt to pay for the wars.
Too many politicians avoid dealing with cognitive dissonance. This can be pathological. And dangerous.
Yet we keep electing those who, like the Queen of Hearts, can "believe six impossible things before breakfast"--and don't have to deal with the consequences of these beliefs...until a Weiner moment.
2 comments:
These stories about men in positions of power and admiration acting out speaks to the direction culture is taking. As Mr. Reeves points out, the mindset is creeping toward pathological and just plain dangerous. We need a "spiritual" wake up call big time, and I don't mean being born again or anything religious like that. I mean a manifesto like what is written in your own side bar. In a way, all of us are being cheated, not just the poor wife. And like the poor wife, we will have lasting scars that result in an inability to trust any politician and turn us off to the process entirely.
Well, maybe he reduced or resolved his cognitive dissonance, now he simply needs therapy for problems with impulse control. I mean him no disrespect, but fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. People with problems with impulse control need more help than the cleansing power of a confession, and repentance.
"People don't do what they believe in, they just do what's convenient, and then they repent." B. Dylan
Post a Comment