- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze again Wednesday, this time during a gaggle with reporters in Covington, Kentucky, stopping for more than 30 seconds after he was asked if he would run for re-election.
The Kentucky Republican froze in July at a news conference on Capitol Hill, going silent for 19 seconds before being escorted away from the cameras. McConnell, 81, returned shortly afterward and continued his news conference, telling reporters, “I’m fine.”
When it became apparent that McConnell had frozen again on Wednesday, an aide came up to him and asked, “Did you hear the question, senator?” McConnell continued to be unresponsive.
Saying and reading those kinds of things gives your brain a bit of the experience of those things happening, without them actually happening, and that can be both personally cathartic and generally popular for the same reason. And it’s easy to fall into the trap of coming to believe that you actually would want those things if the opportunity were presented to you, when the opportunity has not been presented to you.
There’s a bit of selection bias, too. It’s far less likely that someone is going to stand up and publicly say that they wouldn’t want vengeance against a child murderer, because the general public has a hard time separating the notions of “not wanting to torture people” and “wanting a just and safe society.” Human societies, to some degree, embrace violence. That’s why prison rape is “funny.” I would like to do better than that; I think that a just and safe society can be achieved without also embracing violence as a measure to accomplish it.
I’m also willing to bet that a significant portion of the people who are doing the “what I’d do if they did this to MY kid” thing are not parents. A different significant portion are doing it as a kind of virtue signalling.
Edit: Finally, imagine a scenario where Someone On The Internet says “I’d cut his dick off and shove it in his mouth.” Okay, the court determines that the appropriate punishment is for the person to have his dick cut off and shoved in his mouth by that Someone On The Internet. Go ahead now, actually do it. I think the number of Someones On The Internet who would actually follow through with that is vanishingly small.
I appreciate your thoughts out response, but I still think the descriptions I have read and heard aloud come from a place of bloodlust. And no not all of us have that.
Surely some of them do, and I didn’t intend to cast aspersions on your position. It is correct to take note and be wary of expressions of bloodlust, with disregard to why that bloodlust is being expressed. I personally think that there are elements of human psychology and cultural momentum also at play, and I tend towards being a very skeptical and “I’m gonna call your bluff” kind of person. That may well backfire on me someday.
I understand. Thanks for this response as well.
This reminds me of conversations I have had with someone specific in my past. When a seemingly crazy person on the street tells me they want to stab me, I don’t care if they probably are just saying stuff. I hustle out of there and maybe call the cops. Someone I once knew did the opposite. Always assume they won’t do anything and pity them. I can still pity them, but I’m not taking any chances there.
I’m not saying you’re like that person, I’m only saying that if someone tries to express ill will, I’m likely to take them at their word, out of caution if nothing else.