media – Therapist Speaks

On January 6, 2021, prior to the U.S. Congress confirmation of president-elect Biden, a large group of protestors stormed the capitol building. Images of the event were hauntingly reminiscent of violent elections and coups in third-world countries.

Considering increasing polarization of people’s attitudes along party lines over the last four years and recent events surround the 2020 election results, an exploration of factors which likely contributed to these events is justified.

This post will summarize the findings of a relevant article published in 2020 citing data gathered from the prior election cycle. Data on this subject for current election cycle is not yet available. Due to similar levels of contention between candidates for the 2016 election, an examination of data from this period is appropriate.

Shwalbe, Cohen, and Ross (2020) published a paper on “objectivity illusion” as it pertained to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Objectivity Illusion is an individual’s belief that their views are rooted in the objective (i.e., fact, reality), and an opposing individual’s views are rooted in subjective (i.e., falsehoods, opinion).

Prior to the 2016 election, these authors enlisted (n= 870) participants who either self-identified as Clinton Supporters, Trump Supporters, or No Political Affiliation.

These authors reported the extent to which individuals displayed objectivity illusion was predictive of how polarized their attitudes toward supporting their candidate became. Supporters of each candidate rated their opposition as being detached from reality and not having the best interest of America at heart. Each group was more likely to label the opposite groups as extremists or even terrorists.

Supporters of each candidate who immersed themselves in biased media coverage on their respective side had beliefs that were more extreme. This is to say that democrats who viewed/ listened to predominantly liberal media tended to become more polarized toward supporting Clinton while Republicans who viewed/ listened to predominantly conservative media tended to become more polarized toward supporting Trump.

Finally, these authors reported that the extent to which participants’ beliefs were polarized along party lines was predictive of their denial of an offer to read a pamphlet about the opposing party’s candidate.

Despite participants’ beliefs that a candidate and political affiliation stands for objectivity or what is rooted in reality, true objectivity, it seems, is lost.

Of a survey of attributes valued by each party, Trump supporters were more likely to identify with patriotism compared to Clinton supporters who were more likely to identify with compassion.

This post is intended to be non-partisan in nature. It serves instead as an attempt to use the findings of one evidence-based study to identify factors which may have contributed to the events surrounding and including the protests in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.

Schwalbe, M.C., Cohen, G. L. and Ross, L.D. (2020). The objectivity illusion and voter polarization in the 2016 presidential election. PNAS 117 (35) 21218-21229 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912301117

I am stupid. I am awkward. I am a middle-aged, middle class, straight white man. I have been told I know nothing about prejudice and that I shouldn’t even try to pretend like I do. I have had my nose broken by a black kid while he was pranking me. I have been robbed (twice) by two black men. I have been assaulted by two black men while in basic training in the Navy. I have been called a racist when, in my best estimation, I wasn’t

I have been profiled and rejected. The one time I spoke out for equality of a minority group I was met with intense resistance and hatred from both the minority population and people who fit my demographic. I frequently have felt defeated. In my estimation, there is nothing I can do to overcome the differences between myself and people of color- especially those who have suffered at the hands of people that look like me or their ancestors. I hate the behaviors of people who happen to look like me have cast long shadows over our current daily experiences between people of different skin colors.

During my graduate training, I was encouraged to discuss the racial or ethnic differences between my clients and me. This has not gone well. The first time I attempted it caused the client to angrily state “I’m not afraid of you because you’re white.” I was wrong, once again.

I have had potential clients elect to work with other therapists less experienced than myself solely based upon the color of the counselor’s skin. I feel powerless.

As my car was being broken into and one thousand dollars of contents removed, I contemplated walking out with my pistol and killing the two young black men. When the police arrived, the officer indicated that if I had fired a shot I would go to prison. He said if, however, I had disabled one of them with a baseball bat and detained him that the officer would arrest him and take him without question. When I told this story at work, the radical feminist said that was an example of White Privilege- without even acknowledging the fact that I had been robbed. Again, it’s my fault and I’m stupid and entitled.

I teach a course titled Culture and Psychology in a local university. I teach about racism and the continued experiences of minority persons in America. I have had lived and worked with people of color. I have friends currently who are also people of color. I hear stories that break my heart. And still, I know nothing.

I understand the argument for White Privilege and do firmly support that it exists, at least on a micro level- that is on an everyday, interpersonal level. I have seen people be discriminated against at restaurants; I have heard people yell racist terms at someone walking down the street; I have heard people compliment a black man on how white he was. These things don’t happen to whites (except in perhaps small enclaves of urban areas). I am frustrated by this and do my best to not only not perpetuate it, but to address it when I see. Still, I am frustrated and saddened.

At the end of it, I am unsure of what to do. I have been encouraged by a close friend (a counselor of color) to not discuss differences of race or ethnicity between the client and I it unless the client brings it up. I can deal with that. I am aware of some different cultural norms and try to incorporate my knowledge into how clients present themselves and how they identify their issues.

I am frustrated by the divide that still exists and wish it didn’t.

I don’t like my deviated septum. I wish I had my stuff back. I wish I hadn’t had to fight two men early in my military career. I wish I hadn’t been openly called a racist when, in my best estimation, I am not. I am tired of being awkward and stupid. I hope that at some point, the differences between us (i.e., members of the majority and minority) will be smaller and less of a deciding factor on how we treat one another.

Until whenever that happens, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing until something else happens to change my course a little- hopefully for the better.