I have decided to tackle a new book that delves into the world of
politics- specifically US Politics - and the role of emotion. Why is it that
statistically most Americans agree with Democrats and vote for
Republicans?
Author Drew Westen attempts to answer this
question. The main idea behind this book is that "the states that
determine elections are really the voters' states of mind." The central
thesis behind this book is that "the vision of mind that has captured the
imagination of philosophers, cognitive scientists, economists, and political
scientists...bears no relation to how the mind and brain actually work.”
This first chapter illustrates an example between two political
videos of Bill Clinton and John Kerry. In short, many people (a.k.a. potential
U.S. voters) saw the Kerry video as very effective but just “not relatable
enough.” Bill Clinton later won the election. Why? Well Kerry’s video was about
how great of a leader he was, but he seemed to distance himself from his
potential voters. How could they vote for someone who was so unlike them and
who possibly wouldn’t be able to represent them well? Of course, “them” is an
extremely broad term. Kerry additionally had little to no facial expression in his
campaign video and instead looked “serious and dour.” Clinton, on the other
hand, one of the most intellectual people to ever take office in the West Wing,
did not mention his alma mater and instead appealed to his voters by being more
emotional in his video. This is what eventually won him the presidential
election.
In the rest of this book, I hope to read more examples about this
notion of “emotion” playing a large role in politics (both state and national).
In all, this book would appeal to people who love politics, watch “House of
Cards”, love neuroscience, or are psychologists.
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