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Resisting the drums of war: Countering appeals to our five core concerns

By Bill Larson | April 5, 2007 |

The Bush administration promoted the misguided and destructive war in Iraq by targeting our concerns about vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, and helplessness. The continued occupation of Iraq—or an attack on Iran—will likely be sold to us in much the same way. This video examines these warmongering appeals and describes how to counter them.

This video is by Roy J. Eidelson Ph.D who is a psychologist who studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is also an Executive Director of the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania.

The five core conerns are according to his blog, Dangerous Ideas are:

1. Vulnerability. There are few things more important to us than the safety and well-being of those we care about.

2. Injustice. When we witness wrongdoing, we are often quick to anger and eager to see justice restored.

3. Distrust. We make many important decisions based upon who we think can be trusted and who we think cannot; significant betrayals of trust therefore shatter key foundations in our lives.

4. Superiority. Individually and collectively, we take pride in what makes us feel special and we strive to defend these badges of honor from assault.

5. and Helplessness. Finally, we strongly resist the idea that we have no control over what happens to us; helplessness is a plight we desperately wish to avoid.

This goes along with another video he did, How Conservatives Exploit Our Five Core Concerns.

About Bill Larson

Bill Larson is the Creator and Publisher of Clarksville Online, and works as a network administrator for Compu-Net Enterprises. He is politically and socially active in the community. Bill is a member of the Friends of Dunbar Cave, and an associate of the Clarksville Free Thinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties. You can reach him via telephone at 931-920-0043 or via the email address below.

Email: clarksville@clarksvilleonline.com

Sections: Opinion
Topics: Bush, Conservatives, Emotion, Politics

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