Letters to the Editor
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deprogrammers wanted
The same thing happened with me and my best friend. Once an open-minded, free spirit; now a bigoted, condescending, hate-mongering beast. We've known each other more than two decades, but can no longer have a conversation.
Here's what I think happens: A big difference between liberal thinkers and hard-core conservatives seems to be in having the ego-strength to do two things: First, to ask the question, "wait, what if *I'm* wrong about (issue x)?" and second, to sustain one's (possibly unpopular) opinions in the absence of validation by one's peers.
I think screamers like O'Reilly have observed this, and exploit those otherwise admirable traits by repeatedly appealing to primal emotions like fear, envy, and the need for belonging, which then induces some otherwise rational thinkers (perhaps in an unguarded moment) to begin the self-questioning process. Rather like brainwashing -- the talkers wear down listeners' defenses by repeating the same arguments over and over, while simultaneously undermining listeners' self-confidence and sense of safety.
So, go around yelling about terrorists and crime and feminists and immigrants threatening our way of life long enough, some of us will start to wonder if we're part of the problem. Because we, too, love our country and our families and our personal safety, and we, too, have much to lose. We too, want tribal belonging and approval. Under duress, we want it that much more.
I've had any number of moments when I've heard an almost-rational argument from the right and -- because I like to consider myself intellectually flexible -- thought, "well, s/he's got a point..." only to shake myself out of it a moment later, slightly horrified.
So I imagine it just takes a moment of emotional/intellectual weakness for some people to buckle. The intellectual validation offered by these people toward those who adopt their attitudes is frequent, generous and loud. It feels good to go from intellectual tension and occasional self-doubt to a sense of good and righteous certainty (not to mention the satisfaction of indulging one's darker, maybe unacknowledged prejudices under cover of pristine ideology).
And because of the all-or-nothing, nuance-free nature of the fringe right's arguments, a small sip of ideological Kool-Aid quickly leads to the intravenous delivery system. Could be a booming business for deprogrammers in the coming decade, no?