The Origin Of Fear and Antagonism in Politics

Why was the Tea Party called such bad names, and why are the Ron Paul folks called “dangerous”?

It’s not just political hyperbole. It is because ideologies come from shared personal values. Those values, deep within us, so deep we really don’t know just how we got them, form the fabric of our lives. When those values are challenged, the very fabric of our lives is challenged. It makes us uncomfortable, creates anxiety.

Now, what usually causes anxiety and fear in us are dangerous things, like oncoming cars, or bullies at school, or muggers in the street. Once again, emotions don’t follow logic. They are not reasonable–they are emotions. For people with little in the way of intellectualized defenses, i.e. those who can disagree on ideas without feeling much anxiety, the emotions control.

So, if the emotion is anxiety or fear, we assume those who do it are like incoming cars, or bullies at school, or muggers in the street.

Thus, the Tea Party and the Ron Paul folks are dangerous.