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Is there such a thing as politically triggered insanity?

Do you think there's such a thing as political insanity?

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 71.4%

  • No

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • Total voters
    7
Smeagol

Smeagol

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I've been pondering whether or not to even post this question out of fear that it could cause unintended offense however, I decided to put it out there just to see if anyone else agrees with me.

It seems every election cycle otherwise normal people go off the deep end a month or so before election day especially if polls show their candidate is behind in the polls. This election year wasn't so bad because supporters on both sides had polling data that showed they were ahead and conveniently ignored polls showing they were losing. In hindsight, this was probably one of the best things to happen this election year. But 2008, OMG! Who left the doors unlocked at the insane asylum? I remember being at lunch with a co-worker. Somebody made the tragic mistake of saying even though he wasn't going to vote for him, one of the candidates would at least be a positive role model if elected. The guy came within moments of a likely police involved breakdown ready to start throwing dishes across a crowded restaurant. Most manifestations are less volatile but still might include:

-Sadness and depression
-Outrage and fits of anger
-Directing hatred toward family members and lifelong friends
-Donating unreasonably huge amounts of money to campaigns and/or PACs to try to get a candidate elected jeopardizing one's own or one's children's financial security

all motivated by politics.
 
Yes, there is, but it's probably just a response to high levels of stress hormone utilization and release. When you become too obsessed about anything, including politics, it screws up your stress responses.
 
Yes it is called politcal extremism. its when you can no longer see beyond your own nose as to any virtue of an alternate point of view. This is not limited to poltics but extend into most philosophises or ways of thinking. Keeping in mind that insanity is a legal term the psychological term is Bizarre Delusion only in this case is broaches on psychotic .,
 
All you need is to go through the various threads and posts though out this forum to answer the OP's question.
 
wolfman24 said:
Yes it is called politcal extremism. its when you can no longer see beyond your own nose as to any virtue of an alternate point of view. This is not limited to poltics but extend into most philosophises or ways of thinking. Keeping in mind that insanity is a legal term the psychological term is Bizarre Delusion only in this case is broaches on psychotic .,
Click to expand...

:lamo

I for one think some people do in fact go a little crazy during election season. It doesn't mean they need to be locked away necessarily but I do think some of the political culture qualifies as emotionally/mentally imbalanced. We all accept the fact that part of the human condition is susceptibility to physical illness; anything for a mild cold or headache on one end to serious conditions on the other. All of us come down with something physical every now and then. Likewise, I think mental illness from mild to severe is also a part of the human condition and politics can bring it out in some people.

Most of which I think I see is mild but I do get concerned when I think people are suffering from dangerous levels of politically motivated imbalance. One of the big advertisers on political talk shows are doomsday prepper services:

-Storing seeds so that when the world comes to an end you can grow your own vegetables
-Pondwater filtration products
-Food dehydration products
-Buy gold at record high prices when the conventional wisdom is to sell it when its high and buy it when its cheap, etc.

What REALLY concerns me is the stockpiling of weapons and ammunition that is going on right now.
 
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Unfortunately from what i have seen on this site since the elecction it is not limited to just that it is much more pervasive. Most bizarre delusions are limted to one subject or idea, but some people on this site have let it prevade thier entire outlook. That is not healthy from a psychological standpoint.
 
Smeagol said:
I've been pondering whether or not to even post this question out of fear that it could cause unintended offense however, I decided to put it out there just to see if anyone else agrees with me.

It seems every election cycle otherwise normal people go off the deep end a month or so before election day especially if polls show their candidate is behind in the polls. This election year wasn't so bad because supporters on both sides had polling data that showed they were ahead and conveniently ignored polls showing they were losing. In hindsight, this was probably one of the best things to happen this election year. But 2008, OMG! Who left the doors unlocked at the insane asylum? I remember being at lunch with a co-worker. Somebody made the tragic mistake of saying even though he wasn't going to vote for him, one of the candidates would at least be a positive role model if elected. The guy came within moments of a likely police involved breakdown ready to start throwing dishes across a crowded restaurant. Most manifestations are less volatile but still might include:

-Sadness and depression
-Outrage and fits of anger
-Directing hatred toward family members and lifelong friends
-Donating unreasonably huge amounts of money to campaigns and/or PACs to try to get a candidate elected jeopardizing one's own or one's children's financial security

all motivated by politics.
Click to expand...

Politics invokes extreme emotion in all people some of the time, and some people most of the time. Based on many of the threads and posts in this forum and my personal experience, it appears to be twofold.

1. The very strong beliefs of the person’s political religion: conservative, liberal etc. There are probably a very few that are really neutral.

2. The very personal way people take opposing positions. It's as though there is a personal attack on them every time someone disagrees with them.

I personally was sad, angry and very disappointed election night, but found out the next day that I would survive. And since I'm getting bored with movies, I might start watching the news tonight.:)
 
wolfman24 said:
Unfortunately from what i have seen on this site since the elecction it is not limited to just that it is much more pervasive. Most bizarre delusions are limted to one subject or idea, but some people on this site have let it prevade thier entire outlook. That is not healthy from a psychological standpoint.
Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking about anybody on this site but people I see and know.
 


A woman was arrested after she allegedly ran over her husband with their car during an argument about the presidential election Saturday night, Gilbert police said.

Holly Solomon, 28, was arguing with her 36-year-old husband, about his lack of political participation in a parking lot in the 300 block of Gilbert Road near Vaughn Avenue, police said.

According to her husband, Solomon believes that her family will face hardship under another term under President Barack Obama, police said.

Police: Gilbert wife runs over husband with SUV after fighting about Obama's re-election - East Valley Tribune: Cop Shop

Most politically mentally unstable people stop at verbal expressions or maybe destruction of inanimate objects but the emotions are the same is what I'm getting at and its not uncommon and in some cases instigated in some political circles I think.
 
I've been visiting political forums for a lot of years, seen a lot of elections. I can categorically state that normally sane, rational humans that I have "known" and interacted with for years have all too often turned into rabid, spitting lunatics, unable to string together a cohesive, rational thought, let alone express one.

Yeah, baby. Politically-induced insanity. It's real, and it's eating our country alive. :(
 
MSNBC and Fox News. There ya' go.
 
jwzg said:
MSNBC and Fox News. There ya' go.
Click to expand...

I think you're safer if you want to be politically aware of the issues that you study all perspectives, not just one side letting them serve as each others truth detectors. I think if you only watch one, especially if its agenda driven, you're setting yourself up for manipulation. I watch all of them trying to see myself as a sort of impartial juror fairly considering all the evidence before I vote every 2 years; Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, the broadcast network newscasts, a little talk radio, online radio to catch shows not available in my city and my fave is SNL Weekend update with Seth Meyer to end each week's news on a happy note. If someone gets called to jury duty and all they bother to listen to is the prosecution's side or the defense's side then go into the jury room to render a verdict, they have deliberately committed a miscarriage of justice by purposefully not allowing themselves to even hear arguments for the other side. I think the same is true to an extent when someone only exposes themselves to one side's political arguments then votes. Just my opinion.
 
Turn on your sarcasm detector ;)
 
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