I suspect there’s also an aspect of chauvinism here at play. If people already have a predisposition to see themselves as superior, then these kinds of stories feed into what they already want to believe.
Yep! The western exceptionalist mindset comes first, then they license themselves to believe that that which supports them is “good,” and then absorb “other thing bad” through osmosis. They all are required, which is why breaking any of these legs tends to radicalize people.
I suspect there’s also an aspect of chauvinism here at play. If people already have a predisposition to see themselves as superior, then these kinds of stories feed into what they already want to believe.
Yep! The western exceptionalist mindset comes first, then they license themselves to believe that that which supports them is “good,” and then absorb “other thing bad” through osmosis. They all are required, which is why breaking any of these legs tends to radicalize people.
Incidentally, I can’t recommend this book enough, it lays out how this whole mindset was cultivated since the end of WW2.
Interesting, thank you! Yet another to add to the reading pile…
this one’s pretty short at least :)