Americans fall for hoax after hoax primarily because they falsely believe America is not a very good place.
He asserts,
a unique aspect of the current American moment, a deep self-loathing that has convinced many people in our country that we are irredeemably bad and that, of course, these racist incidents are going on all around us, even if we have never witnessed one. Put simply, we believe because we want to believe.Read more here.
...And this self-defeating attitude extends well beyond racist hoaxes. The absolute hysteria we have seen in recent weeks regarding climate change is also directly out of this playbook. Not only are we frightening our children with absurd apocalyptic predictions of imminent doom, we are teaching them the United States is a major force for this destruction, even though our own contributions to climate change and ocean pollution are minimal in comparison to other nations.
But ultimately, self-loathing is as bad for nations as it is for individuals. It is a crippling affliction that steals away any sense of pride or promise. It leads to hopelessness and anger, and it makes us believe things about ourselves and our country that simply are not true. At the end of the day, this, more than anything else, is why so many people fall for these hoaxes. Like a battered wife who is convinced it is her fault, we blame ourselves for fictions, and don a hair shirt we do not deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment