written after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
I belong to a politically very left-wing synagogue (not in Pittsburgh), and I mostly keep my own views, which tend toward conservative-libertarian, to myself. For example, when President Trump went to Pittsburgh to denounce anti-semitism, I thought that Jewish protests were in bad taste and unwise. After all, don’t we want Mr. Trump’s supporters to hear a message that anti-semitism is bad? Why try to drown out that message with a protest? But I did not want to get into a battle with my fellow congregants, most of whom were sympathetic to the protests.
My fellow congregants are not dogmatic about religion. They would be horrified if someone got up and said that there is no merit to any religion other than ours. No one would ever say that we have nothing to learn from Islam or Christianity or Buddhism or atheism or other branches of Judaism. No one would dismiss the adherents of other faiths as “deplorable.”
But when it comes to politics, it is a different story. Is it possible that conservatives have some good political ideas? My fellow congregants do not think so. To them, conservatism is nothing but a collection of pathologies and hatreds.
In a recent article in The Atlantic, Emma Green highlighted the intense political feelings of secular Democrats.
Secular Democrats were also much more likely to say they’re angry about what’s going on in the country today: Forty-one percent described themselves this way, compared with 28 percent of religious Democrats. Of all the groups highlighted in the data — divided by race, education, geographic region, and more — secular Democrats were the most likely to say they’re feeling this rage.
Green’s article concludes,
Many liberals are feeling anger, and finding ways to express that. The elite part of the party, especially those who are well educated, is most engaged. And for these people, progressive politics may offer a form of meaning making, especially if they are disconnected from other forms of ethnic or religious identity.
This describes the progressives at my synagogue. Although they have a Jewish identity, they approach religion with an open mind and an even temper. It is politics where they are committed and angry.
Several years ago, I made the sad observation that most political commentary does not try to engage with the other side or to question the beliefs of one’s own side. Instead, Internet posts, cable news commentaries, and op-eds typically involve preaching to the choir, with the other side denounced as the devil. I wrote a book, The Three Languages of Politics, that described this process. I ended up delving into political psychology, especially motivated reasoning and tribal behavior.
When your tribal mindset takes over, you demonize the other side and never question your own beliefs. I think we need to do the opposite. We need to take the most charitable view of those with whom we disagree. And we need to examine our own views critically, as if we were trying to knock them down.
I am afraid that this is not a message that my fellow congregants wish to hear. I am afraid to even say it out loud in my synagogue. I wish that people could treat their political beliefs the way that they treat their religious beliefs: as ideas and values that they find appealing, but which are by no means the one true way.
It’s unfortunate that the negative aspects of tribalism come out this way. We all people who are taking it one day at a time who want to the best for our country.
I live in a very liberal and affluent suburb of Boston. My neighbors are almost exclusively progressive democrats. I am conservative verging on libertarian but do not discuss politics though my neighbors have no qualms about demonizing and ridiculing conservative politicians and policies. Once, I risked advancing an economic position in support of free trade and was met with, “you don’t believe that right-wing economic crap do you -it’s all a “construct” to support the corporations and rich capitalists!” Now I talk only about the Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox.
College educated folk have all been indoctrinated to hate Republicans, and pro-life Christians, and look down those (with lower SAT scores, usually also IQs) who didn’t go to college and don’t hate the folk the PC despots hate.
I’m glad you’re honest about the NEED to censor yourself, in order to stay in your synagogue. It’s not easy, nor fun, to be a martyr.
It also shows that the Democrats have replaced religion with PC politics as “what they believe in”. And for those who believe in politics, the State is where the Power is. Easier to just leave.
Are they really your friends if they think you’re deplorable because of some of your political beliefs?
My tribe? The agnostics, maybe, even the autistics, or anarchists is the better term. Tribes are hats to wear, tr one on for a while until it no longer fits.
If freedom of thought was easy, everyone would be doing it.
I shared your post with a friend. He responded:
Mr. (Dr.?) Kling has stumbled upon wise old Benjamin Franklin’s basic political tactic. Franklin avoided fruitless one on one debates and, if challenged, usually just listen and smiled. Then he’d go home and set type. His political essays and satires reached two continents. Kinda like Mr. Kling’s blog.
I would disagree that the internet allows for a lot more changing of one’s political and religious views. It is easy to find a story of how much your tribe is mistreated but there is a wealth of different positions out there and yes loads of contradictions.
1) I have long held that most church goers are closer to The Simpsons and not the Flanders. And in reality more people go to church today than they did in the 19th century. (Yes it was a simple as transportation of 3 hours one way back then.)
2) I seem remember there was tribalism in the 1980s.
3) And how much of this political debate is just loud internet comments? Mass shooters are higher than before but crime is way down. (Note serial killers are no longer a thing.)
4) One aspect that is forgotten about Trump is he is complete cultural warrior but ran like 2004 Democrat. I do find it a contradiction that Trump won with the Democratic base of 1960 (WWC in Rust Belt).
“(Note serial killers are no longer a thing.)”
Serial killers are much more likely to be serving life sentences than before and serial killings are much less common but serial killers are still a thing with an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 unidentified ones in the U.S.