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<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Gerry, of the Alice & Gerry team,
speaks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>I still do not understand Alice's call
for all to select either a liberal or conservative focus. The last time I
checked was pre 2004 election and from what the officers at my polling place
told me, I continued having the option to sign my voting preference as
Independent. It's possible that in less than 3 or so months, policies have
changed but I would find this fairly unusual since I've heard nothing nor have I
been notified by mail. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>My reason for signing up as an
Independent is because I saw very little difference in the platforms of
Kerry vs. Bush, although I cast my ballot, as always, for the Democrats.
By demanding that everyone takes an either, or position is a sure fire way of
again CRACKING our nation into two warring factions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Commitment to marriage, especially when
children are involved, is different from commitment to a particular political
party. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Gerry Reinhart-Waller</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=Thrst4knw@aol.com href="mailto:Thrst4knw@aol.com">Thrst4knw@aol.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=andrewsa@newpaltz.edu
href="mailto:andrewsa@newpaltz.edu">andrewsa@newpaltz.edu</A> ; <A
title=waluk@earthlink.net
href="mailto:waluk@earthlink.net">waluk@earthlink.net</A> ; <A
title=paleopsych@paleopsych.org
href="mailto:paleopsych@paleopsych.org">paleopsych@paleopsych.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A title=ToddStark@aol.com
href="mailto:ToddStark@aol.com">ToddStark@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, March 02, 2005 8:48 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Paleopsych] threat and signals of
commitment</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Some thoughts about Alice and Gerry's email.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm in agreement with Alice's thought, though I think the situation is
greatly exacerbated by fear. Threat shuts down higher planning functions
and the facilties that make measured evaluation possible, and leans us toward
more hard-wired action schema. The need for action draws on our capacity
to find salient patterns in massive amounts of noise very rapidly. Most of
us have a deep revulsion to behavior in people around us who seem to be
vacilating or entering reflective thought when action seems to be called
for. We recognize that we can respond to threat with action or
succomb. Under conditions of fear, it is very difficult to persuade anyone
that what is needed is calm reflection. We pick up mostly on signals that
show people are willing to commit to decisive action. Witness the sudden
popularity of firemen and policemen following 9/11. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The whole point of much political propaganda is to create this sense
of threat so that people will pull toward these quick impressions, with the
assumption that they are then more easily persuaded because this simplifies the
decision process. If you instill fear, some people will become
paralyzed, but many will fall back on instinctive moral realism and their
decisions become much more predictable. This greatly facilitates group
coordination. It happens naturally, but obviously can be exploited
readily. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Under these conditions, "moderates" are viewed with particularly deep
suspicion by everyone else, because they don't seem to be willing or able to
commit to action when needed. Our idealized belief that wisdom lies
somewhere in measured reflection and balancing different viewpoints quickly
dissolves under conditions of perceived threat. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We recognize the need for commitment to action (or signals of the capacity
for commitment) in each other. This is often exploited in politics by
confusing the capacity for commitment with commitment to particular
causes. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Does that make sense? It seems to me to explain a lot of our social
behavior. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>kind regards,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Todd</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 2/23/2005 8:59:35 AM Eastern Standard Time,
andrewsa@newpaltz.edu writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mailto:waluk@earthlink.net href="mailto:waluk@earthlink.net">G.
Reinhart-Waller</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=mailto:paleopsych@paleopsych.org
href="mailto:paleopsych@paleopsych.org">The new improved paleopsych list</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 21, 2005 9:55
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Paleopsych] Re: paleopsych
Digest, Vol 9, Issue 20</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial>>> Someone
beyond the liberal/conservative<BR>dichotomy may be rejected by both sides as
a nuisance,<BR>a threat to shared assumptions that define a group<BR>against
another.<BR><BR>This is absolutely amazing! Why would any audience
<BR>reject someone who cannot plop into either the liberal <BR>or conservative
camp? Please explain the threat you <BR>feel is apparent. This I
need to hear!<BR><BR>Gerry</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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