Seattle Plastic Surgeon recommends reading this book and getting through the election season without losing friends or your sanity.
While on vacation last week, I read a book that I highly recommend during this political season, preferably before the GOP and Democratic conventions: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt, an accademic moral psychologist does a great job of explaining why and how individuals can have such differing opinions on really important issues. He focuses mainly on the conflicts between liberals and conservatives and explains the different value systems that make some think cleaning your bathroom floor with an old American flag isa little weird but no big deal and others think it is an abomination. He also explains why just about everyone thinks it wrong to have sex with a dead chicken prior to roasting it. Now I’ve got your attention.
So get the book and read it. Some of it is a bit of a slog through the various ways psychological research is done but the slog is well worth the effort. I learned a lot about why some of my dearest friends are such commie pinkos when it comes to political debate. And I’ve recommended the book to them so they can understand why I’m such a fascist.
Thanks for reading and did I tell you to read this book? Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder