“Explaining is Losing”
October 15, 2020
By NZB3
The phrase ‘If you’re explaining, you’re losing’ or ‘Explaining is Losing’ has become the conventional wisdom in the last few years. Especially, in politics. It’s true in a certain context and in our times but why is that?
We’ve been in a Concrete Culture (Slave Culture era followed by a Honour Culture) time period for a while now and we will be for years to come. The Concrete Cultures are marked by their lack of scope for abstract ideas, their short time horizons or low time preference. The people who solve life’s problems from a Concrete cognitive point of view have adapted the the world as they see it which is a world where there isn’t much time. They grab what they can now because if they wait it will be snatched away. Short sentences, quick ideas, pragmatic and basic thoughts are valued. Trying to talk to these sorts of people about complexity and explanations is no good, they lose interest and you lose their attention and support.
In concert with this, our elections are now directed at the low time horizon human. It’s easy to observe that politicians don’t offer thought out policy or intellectual ideas. Nor do they deliver on their electoral promises. Sentiments such as “Be Kind” are enough. Aspirations to reduce poverty or waiting lists for housing or health matter because they’re fast and feelings-based whereas a proven record of achievement in these areas….well that’s over-thinking it!
Election campaigns have been extended to over-lap with the voting period. In fact, by ‘election day’ over 1/3 of voters will already have cast their vote during the thick of the campaigning. The circus is virtually inside the voting booth now with you. The emphasis is on quantity of votes, The State wants everyone voting, rather than quality. People don’t need to be informed, they just need to show up. People don’t need time to think or ideas to process, they just need to transfer how they feel into a mark on paper. After all, feelings are all there are to the Concrete Cultures. If they had more information, explanations, and time to think about it what use would they have for such things?
It’s the amygdala that gets to vote now and politician’s campaigns are pitched accordingly. Nobody’s talking to your intellectual, adult, brain these days so why should a voter require such a thing? May as well have children voting because all you need is an amygdala. Cats, dogs, cows, and horses who are permanent residents may as well be enrolled too; Or why not?
” ..thanks for airing your views. My post is aimed at the pre frontal cortex, not the amygdala, which is why I posted links to our policies.”- David Bennett – Green Party candidate for the Ilam electorate; Facebook
Doesn’t that just prove my point? ‘Explaining is losing’.
We don’t talk about policies. The closest we come are some links to an appendix at the back of the website somewhere for the thinking people to get lost in. A hole. The forum is for quick answers, sound bites.
Given the power, the next Government certainly will do something with it. We’ll find out when it happens, not before. Our opportunity to learn about what they’re going to do or for them to provide an explanation is surrendered. When it’s time to think and know and judge, we don’t wnt to know. We just want to hear sentimental aspirations. When the time passes for them to be an open book we will have learned nothing. After they’re elected they will say they can do as the please because the votes are in, they have the mandate now.
At this point, in this environment, it doesn’t matter who you vote for at all. It’s all cosmetic. Who are they really? What hand is under the sock puppet? We don’t know and don’t want to know and they’re not telling. You may as well vote for a Muppet: YOU’RE GOING TO GET ONE ANYWAY.
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