PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF WHAT THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND…
Why are so many Americans afraid of socialism but not terrified of fascism?
An off-the-cuff, non-comprehensive, digestible answer.
People are scared of what they don't understand.
Not only that, but they're scared of the sheer magnitude of their ignorance.
By allowing their identity to become tied with their beliefs, they respond with hostility when said identity is threatened by contradictory information.
The deeper the hole, the tougher it is to see the big picture so in an act of desperation, they become hell-bent on imposing their reality onto others.
The alternative is letting their beliefs be challenged.
They are terrified of self-inquiry, because they’d have to confront the possibility that not only were they wrong, but one wrong thing led to another, compounded over time, fueled by fear and anger, until it tainted their capacity to think with clarity and reason.
They are afraid of who they are if they shed their blinders and view themselves and what they support more objectively, which means they'll have to admit they no longer identify with this thing or this ideology or this movement, etc.
They’re scared it’s too late to turn back.
They’re scared of being shamed and ostracized by people saying "I told you so."
We should allow people who change their minds to openly talk about their regrets without ridiculing and shaming them for the behaviours they may be trying to atone for, consciously or not.
Every human on this planet is in a constant process of learning and evolving. We allow ourselves to be imperfect, and to make mistakes.
Now is the time to extend that grace to others.
