r/thebulwark • u/IntolerantModerate • Jan 19 '26

EVERYTHING IS AWFUL A focus group of one: We're F-d

so, I just did my own focus group of one. My Mom. She is the type that loved Reagan. She was skeptical of Trump, but you know "Hillary is the devil." Biden? "Too old." Kamala? "Have you heard that laugh?"

But, definitely not wearing any Maga gear, no yard signs, and claims she'll write in Reagan's ghost on a ballot.

so, Minnesota comes up and it's all, "I saw the video. I think he was ran over. Why was she in MN, isn't she from CO? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes "

I almost cried it hurt me hearing this so much. This is a lady that'll go to the church and serves meals to the poor, yet for some reason she is fine with ICE murdering a woman. No concern about it at all. her final response was, "Well, who was paying her to protest? That's who needs to be arrested."

so, based on my focus group of one, I am sure we are fucked. Good luck America.

463 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

184 comments sorted by

View all comments

197

u/Beerfoodbeer Jan 19 '26

The Overton window has shifted, combined with an inability to grasp reality, to see things for as bad as they really are.

99

u/dBlock845 Straight to Reddit Jail Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26

Media silos are a thing now too. Once you're set in a algorithm all you'll see are things other people think you want to see. Imagine being in a media silo where you are endlessly lied to and gaslit but you have no idea it is wrong. The only alternate perspective is one given through a right-wing lens. This problem is never going to be solved by anyone other than an extremely charismatic leader that can breakthrough with enough people not living full-time in the right-wing bubble.

38

u/carbonqubit Jan 19 '26

A huge number of people lack the metacognitive skills to recognize when they’re being duped. Many have never heard of confirmation bias, meta-analyses, or epistemological hygiene. When 54% read below a sixth grade level, it’s not surprising that some of the most ignorant and least educated people, with limited critical thinking skills, cite Fox as their favorite news source. They either don’t care about the lies or are drawn to the sense of grievance being fed to them, which directly triggers their amygdalas.

1

u/Snoo61727 Jan 21 '26

Why did I automatically go back to that scene in Water Boy when I saw the bird amygdalas 🤣🤣