In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson sits down with Dr. Emily Bashah to talk about the right way to engage in politics. They explain how being obsessed with civic duties can make you a target for radicalization and impact your ability to find meaning in life.
- Paul and Emily start the conversation by describing how people can be involved in politics without harming their ability to think independently.
- The goal of people who run political parties is to use fear to radicalize you.
- Emily describes how winning an argument releases adrenaline and dopamine. This creates an addiction to both arguing and the need to always be right.
- Paul said the right and the left are both necessary, but the extreme right and the extreme left don’t like America - they both reject the idea of an individualistic society.
- Politics is the place we go to resolve our problems; it will always be controversial. Compromise is essential if the union is to survive, but unfortunately, many people have a negative view of compromise.
- Paul shares why gerrymandering allows politicians to win without ever having to face half the voters who are in the other party. He feels elected officials should face every voter every time they run for office.
- When we allow politicians, political Party’s or the nightly talk shows to terrify us, it drives us towards more extreme ideologies, giving these very groups more control over you.
- According to Emily, it’s 100% possible to be involved in politics without jeopardizing your ability to lead a normal life, but you have to maintain your sense of objectivity and agency.
- Politics becomes an addiction when the obsessive components of the ideology are no longer in your control. You lose control when issues begin to scare, frighten or terrorize you.
- The people who often become radicalized are not those who have a lot and want more or those who have nothing and want something. They are the people who once had something and lost a piece of it.
- Paul uncovers the connection between genocide, terrorism, and extremist groups: ideology.
- The most dangerous ideological groups are the ones that separate people into the oppressed and the oppressor.
- Paul points out that in his experience, small radicalized groups can dramatically impact society with radical and harmful ideas (unless rational people say no).
- Once you believe a person is fundamentally evil, you objectify them and then you can begin to justify your atrocious acts against them.
- Radicalized leaders have the ability to take good people and make them do bad things.
- Paul and Emily agree that the easiest way to avoid radicalization is to stop consuming hateful TV and social media content, to find other things in life other than politics.
- People need to focus more on meaning and less on happiness. If we focus on happiness, we’re never going to find it. If we focus on meaning, we have a chance of finding happiness.
- Paul shares how struggle can help you find meaning and happiness in life.
Mentioned in This Episode:
optamerican.com
Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer
