[Paleopsych] politics and identity

[Michael Christopher]

>>The hypothesis that loud public advertisements of
one's political ideology function as some sort of
courtship display designed to attract sexual mates,
analogous to the peacock's tail or the nightingale's
song, seems dangerous.<<

--There may be a risk that all political positions
will be "deconstructed" and viewed as courtship
displays. But it's difficult to dismiss the
psychological overtones in politics, especially when
political language often contains blatant references
to sexuality and family dynamics. It's easy to find
instances where a political declaration happens to
work very well as a statement about what kind of
family a person wants to have, what one values in a
mate, and so on. 

The psychological aspects of politics do not, of
course, override any objective value in one's
worldview. Liberals and conservatives are both right
some of the time. What's interesting is how reluctant
they are to admit it, almost as if one is "tainted" by
agreement with the other party. It reminds me of
heterosexual males who "overact" in order to avoid
being associated too closely with gay acquaintances.
The fear is not that one's position will be misread,
but that one's identity will be.

Michael

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