A reader wrote in noting that Romney’s numerous policy shifts appear to be more a case of Orwellian doublespeak than one of cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance is a state where one holds two conflicting beliefs, as in, for example, believing that affordable health care insurance for all is a good thing while at the same time holding on to the belief that health care is an earned privilege as opposed to it being a basic right. Republicans deal with the dissonance by downplaying the importance of the ‘for all’ element of their beliefs while touting the importance of personal responsibility. That is, if people took personal responsibility for their lives, everyone would be able to afford health insurance no matter what the costs. Sounds pretty and nice even though it completely disregards the realities of the human experience.
Another way in which one deals with reducing dissonance is by altering one of the conflicting beliefs. Romney’s statement about everyone having access to hospital emergency rooms proves that the system does provide for people without health insurance, is a classic example. Dissonance is reduced and guilt or embarrassment lessened, by implying that emergency room access is a replacement for health insurance.
Dumb argument, I know, but no one ever said cognitive dissonance was a good thing.
But what if what we’re seeing here is not a case of cognitive dissonance but instead a situation where conservatives like Romney actually accept all of their contradictory beliefs? Doublespeak. Here is how George Orwell explains it in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them… To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.
That sounds like it came right out of the Romney/GOP playbook. Orwell perfectly describes Romney’s debate performance. Eighteen months of conveniently ignoring any fact that did not support whatever story Romney was selling at the time followed by a debate where Romney brought back “from oblivion” any fact required to portray him as a moderate. All the while, objective reality took a fierce beating as Romney made sure that his lies were “always one leap ahead of the truth.”
Cognitive dissonance or doublespeak? Your thoughts…
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GREAT..simply GREAT
I was completely surprised that a mormon would be using such tactics. I was as surprised as Obama that Romney would be shifting like he did after 18 months of policy inventions. How can you have a decent discusssion when anything goes. How can the public attribute strength from a dishonest Pinochio that gets worse every day.
Obama needs to stay positve to the message on domestic and foreign policy and not let the polls dictate or sway the democrats from the truth of conviction.
This makes my head spin!!! It appears to be a grand battle of the “conscience”…the deliberate subjugation of.
It must be REALLY DIFFICULT to be a Republican!
Occupy….in Mormonism, lying for the lord is a well known practice of lying to protect the image of their religion. It is part of their doctrine, and if you researched Mormonism you would know why. They are a cult, like Scientology.
Romney, like the vulture capitalist that he is, “is selling the lie”. The companies that he took over never knew that they would be loaded up with debt, forced to cut jobs and close factories until after the car hit them.
So Romney has been comfortable lying in all aspects of his life, about everything, all the time, until the sale was closed.
Preceding the forclosure crisis, the banks were engaged in “liar loans”. They mortgage application forms were filled in with all kinds of false information regarding the people applying for,the loans. Their actuall income, their credit rating, their jobs were all lies. The banks didn’t care, they made their money and sold the loans. They knew what would happen and didn’t give a shit and they brought the entire ecomemy to its knees, just like a republican in the whitehouse would.
Not too long ago I read an excellent book on cognitive dissonance. It’s by Carol Tavris & Eliot Aronson and the title is Mistakes Were Made (but not by me). I highly recommend it.
People BELIEVE what they say, though…there’s the rub…they are so convincing to the casual observer.
Thanks for the recommendation E A…I’ll look into it on Nov 7…hopefully just out of curiosity and not to distract myself from bewilderment at the country’s poor choice.
My thought yesterday was “only the shadow knows” — anyone remember that?
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The question is will Americans put all the dishonesty Romney has spewed into their collective DoubleThink tank and elect him?
Here’s an interesting site you may want to share with your undecided or GOP family / friends:
Mitt Romney tells 533 lies in 30 weeks, Steve Benen documents them
Carol – we certainly don’t need another one of these.
Polls indicate the race is tightening, the Pew poll even has Romney ahead. I am constantly amazed at how short the memory and attention span of a significant amount of the American electorate actually is.
For me, GOP’s horrible misgovernment during 8 years of Bush which resulted in leaving the Nation in Massive Crisis with trillions of dollars in unpaid debt, was enough to convince me their policies have been extremely mistaken.
To consider that the subsequent action of said party after losing big in 2008 was NOT one of even a slight measure of remorse, in which they could have co-operated with the present administration to focus on fixing the economy, but rather the opposite. “Let’s double-down on our policies” they said, “let us conspire to obstruct this President and Congress at every turn in an effort to make him “fail” and use their enormous propaganda machine to misinform, criticize and outright lie to the American public to achieve their goal of regaining power was the path they chose.
To help with their plan the GOP pandered to the the most radical of extremist’s who would never see the light of day under a normal economy, and added them to their base.
Their fierce, loud, abrasive bullying tactics, seemingly brought fear to the Democratic Party and it’s electorate and many abandoned the newly elected President in 2010, resulting in an enormous wave of Republican election wins. Democrats basically surrendered and allowed the new GOP of far right extremists and fanatics to take over our government.
As is obvious now, this was a huge mistake, one that corrupted our political process, promoted distrust of our institutions of Government and it’s elected officials and pillaged our economy, skimming everything they can straight up to the top 1%.
Now, we have another chance, a chance for Democrats and all Americans concerned for their futures and that of our Country. This time we must stand courageously for our beliefs, this time we must not abandon our President, this time we must stand ready for the onslaught of GOP oppression that will surely come as the days to election time near.
This is the time to be strong, proud and loud of being a LIBERAL and OUR values. I conclude with these words:
“I have often been called a “Liberal”, and it usually was not meant to be a compliment.
But I remember what my brother said about Liberalism shortly before he was elected President.
He said, ‘If by a “Liberal” they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal,” then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal.’”
- Ted Kennedy quoting his brother John F Kennedy
E A… I’m doing everything in my power to avoid just such a catastrophe!
I’ve had some very challenging and powerful conversations with doubting and CONFUSED voters…like the young woman who was raped and otherwise abused, whose Mother is now an alcoholic and had an abortion when she was 19…this young woman fights for the fetus. I hope I gave her plenty to think about when I argued she denies the OTHER causes she cares deeply about, like women’s rights and the environment, when she denies us her vote as a single-issue voter against her own interests.
And the conflicted “Republican”, born into a deeply democratic family, raised Catholic in their private school system and yet, he can’t AFFORD to do the same for his children…by the end, after discussing a great many issues, I told him he has a “democratic heart” and directed him to Nuns on the Bus.
Or the articulate young man who tries hard to LIVE his Christian beliefs and is confounded and ANGRY about the BLATANT HYPOCRISY of the “party of religion”.
Yet I’m only 1….and even though I try for my goal of 100 calls/day, I’ve only reached a teeny tiny portion of the electorate. I’m hoping the others who feel as some of these voters do are reached by osmosis.
Then there’s the felon…caught as an accomplice in his young adulthood, served his time and is regretful…who is an otherwise contributing member of society, who wants to VOTE,dammit. I directed him to the internet to search for advocacy groups and his state rep who is deeply engaged in this very issue…she’s quite articulate in her passion to right this particular wrong.
I’m exhausted yet satisfied that I’ve had the opportunity to reach even this small group.
Back to the list now…time’s a wastin’.