Article by WN.Com Correspondent Dallas Darling
After learning from Fox News drug addicts had died because of fake pot laced with rat poison, some of Donald Trump’s supporters said: “At least they were put out of their misery.”1 What would consequently cause such comments that appear to lack empathy?
Or why has there been so many close associates arrested and charged with lying before Congress, obstructing justice, threatening witnesses, money laundering and committing conspiracy against the U.S.?
Worse yet, why would his administration want to overthrow a democratically elected leader at the expense of killing thousands of innocent civilians?
Too Many Incentives For Bad Behavior
In “Aeon,” cognitive neuroscientist Christian Jarrett doesn’t have very good news. In fact, he claims deep down most of us are wired to be bad, selfish, vain, even vengeful. Given Trump’s rhetoric, his actions, and the many arrests surrounding those in his orbit, it seems bad behavior must have somehow been rewarded for many years. This includes his most recent plans to overthrow Venezuela’s elected leader. It also seems the end result of positively reinforcing bad behavior is you not only get more of it, but it mirrors a collapsing society. The main culprit being a lack of integrity and morals.
Two of Jarrett’s findings consisted of how many people viewed minorities and the vulnerable as less than human and got pleasure from their distress. The lack of outcry over the dehumanization that occurred at the border is just one example. Not only were children separated from their immigrant and refugee parents who’d fled violence and war zones, but they were kept in isolation and punished. Despite all of this, many still blamed the parents. Although it seems cruel to blame the victim, it’s a defense mechanism that justifies inaction. It also makes the person doing the blaming feel superior.
But then some think our society may be filled with so many incentives for bad behavior we’re conditioned to lack empathy and compassion. For example, Trump’s references to immigrants as rapists and murderers, his talk of “bombing the shit out of them” and his promises to deregulate the market, were rewarded with the presidency. Never mind his claims about immigrants weren’t based on facts, or “bombing the shit out of them” violates international laws. History has moreover shown an unregulated market economy rewards selfishness and bad behavior.
Rewarding “Dirty Wars” With More “Dirty Wars”
Another thing that causes bad behavior if left unchecked are dogmatic views. “If people were rational and open-minded,” writes Jarrett, “then the straightforward way to correct someone’s false beliefs would be to present them with some relevant facts.” But a 1979 classic study showed the futility of this approach. Mainly because dogmatism gives people a sense of identity. It also rewards them with a simplistic view, of not having to think too hard about complex issues. This, then, may explain why Trump’s base is so ideologically driven. Or why it ignores any facts that undermine its position?
One narrow dogmatic view that’s been rewarded over the years – and has led to a lot of bad behavior – is “might makes right.” The most recent case Venezuela. Condemned by much of the world, Trump and his newly appointed US special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, has named a successor for Venezuela’s leader. They’re also sending weapons and military personnel to instigate an armed revolt. And yet, Abrams worked as the “Assistant Secretary of Dirty Wars,” a title he earned during his stints with the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations for crushing democracies.
He earned the title because a 1993 UN Truth Commission in El Salvador found the Reagan-assisted right-wing military committed 85 percent of the 22,000 atrocities during a 12-year civil war. Despite this, Abrams said: “The administration’s record on El Salvador is one of fabulous achievement.”2 He later organized the illegal, covert financing of Contra rebels in Nicaragua behind the back of Congress. It entailed pleading guilty after lying to Congress twice about his role. In 2006, he got away with more bad behavior by overturning Palestinian elections, complete with murder and torture.
There Go I, But Not By The Grace Of God
Another thing that’s rewarded in our society is thinking the downtrodden deserve their fate. Wilbur Ross, one of Trump’s many billionaire Cabinet members, revealed this when he seemed deaf to the impact of the government shutdown. He couldn’t grasp why some federal workers were turning to food banks, or why others couldn’t afford mortgages, medical bills and groceries.3 Both he and Trump encouraged them to either work at the store or take out a loan. What’s so ironic about this is they caused the government shutdown and the hardship it caused 800,000 federal employees.
The government might’ve been shut down but not (Robert) Mueller’s Special Counsel. That became clear when pro bono FBI agents arrested Roger Stone in connection to Mueller’s Trump-Russian investigation. Charged with a number of federal crimes, and an alleged criminal conspiracy to find out what documents WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 had so he and “Individual 1” could harm Clinton’s campaign, he’s the latest of more than 30 others who’ve been arrested and a part of Trump’s world.4 But then as Jarrett noted, we are all vain and moral hypocrites. Nor do we think we’ll ever get caught.
As if overconfidence and the charade of having admirable principles and feelings isn’t bad enough, studies showed we would rather electrocute ourselves than spend time with our thoughts. But if we go blindly without reflection, as Margaret Wheatley observed, one has to wonder if our society doesn’t reward moral hypocrisy instead of reflection or inward thinking. After all, everyone talks about changing others and the world but not themselves. This would explain why so many people in Trump’s world appear to be bad. Or why we collectively allow our leaders to overthrow foreign leaders.
Not All Psychopaths Are In Prison
Actually, Jarrett found people favored ineffective leaders with psychopathic traits. Dan McAdams, a personality psychologist, concluded this too when he saw how many enjoyed Trump’s overt aggression and insults. Along with having a tribal and “primal appeal,” many wished they could also Tweet “incendiary Tweets” like the “charging displays” of an alpha male chimp “designed to intimidate.” Meanwhile, a wider pattern of psychopathic traits among leaders emerged – like those on Wall Street and in the Pentagon. This is important since psychopathy correlates with poorer leadership.
Because compassion asks us to go where it hurts, and empathy to understand another’s hardship, they are just two of many possible solutions in preventing bad behavior. So is encouraging the importance of admitting mistakes that makes one humble, instead of hiding dishonest or illegal successes that makes one arrogant. Developing a world view without reflection or inward thinking is also a waste of time. It can even be dangerous. And then there’s the need to guard against those who are the quickest and loudest in condemning the moral failures of others. Chances are, they are just as guilty.
Whether a society can regain a sense of ethical decency and moral sensibility depends on if it continues to reward bad behavior. Bad behavior that not only does harm to others, but allows some to rule so much so that by legal decree, the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. And suffer they do.
Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)
(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.WN.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and www.WN.com/dallasdarling.)
Photo:
AP / Andrew Harnik
