Use of a Simple Narrative for Explaining the World

 

¡       Have a simplistic word view focusing on a very few issues to the exclusion of all other complexity in the world. This “ideology” is trusted to explain the world better than science (such as economics), observation or history. Evidence that contradict the ideology is discounted. Ideologues do not change their minds on the bases of evidence. They have an stubbornness in subscribing to the ideology that goes beyond all reason

¡       Having grasped the “truth” of the ideology one can offer “expert” opinions on many subjects, such as climate change or the Middle East, with the only qualifications considered necessary being “common sense” and “experience working.” Joe the plumber is a good example.

¡       Backing for these “expert” opinions is sough from fringe experts and scientists with little regard for how much they may contradict mainstream science. These “experts” are frequently “manufactured” in think tanks affiliated with the ideology that use the language of science but not its methods since they start with an ideological position and then select and distort facts to justify it. Real science starts with a comprehensive understanding of the facts and studies and go where they lead to arrive at a position

¡       Real experts and scholars are discounted - a word they frequently write as “experts”

¡       Distrust for the mainstream press or scientific literature if it contradicts their world view in the slightest or even if it simply does not reaffirm it.

¡       The ideologue thinks he is wise and morally superior

¡       Those that have not grasped the “profundity”  of the ideology are dismissed as naive and lacking in common sense and experience

¡       When reality contradicts the ideology reality is reinterpreted to fit it

¡       When the ideology is rejected by the public in elections the blame is placed on not having been faithful enough to the ideology, e.g. “we forgot the lessons of Reagan.”

¡       Consider ideological purity above competency, e.g. Palin

 

Ideological Jargon or Semantic Frame

 

¡       Use of a jargon - or more accurately a semantic frame - so strong that they cease to be able to think outside of it. It shoehorns reality into the ideology. When this has happen ideologues are said to have been indoctrinated.

 

Bogeymen

 

¡       Create bogeymen (e.g. liberals)

¡       Everything that is going wrong according to their world view is blamed on the bogeyman

 

Justification of the Immoral as Being Necessary

 

¡       The ends justify the means. For example they justify lying and cheating as necessary to defeat the bogeymen and protect the “values” of their world view.

¡       Obvious inhumanity that are consequences of their world view go unperceived or are ignored or are even reframed to appear as acts of kindness and goodness