Myopic Dissonance

The Problem of the Masses

Myopic Dissonance - (n.ph.) state of discomfort with or understanding of a situation due to limited or narrow focus and being unable/unwilling to rectify the issue(s) and seek change (e.g. unwilling to see a forest for the trees)

Perhaps an imagining of something akin to our current political situation in the United States is where Alan Moore and David Lloyd began when creating their graphic novel V for Vendetta.

In the Wachowski's 2005 cult classic based on their work, Hugo Weaving's V memorably pronounces: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Given the dire straits of their dystopian England, V's sentiment is hard to disagree with in the story. However, a nuance exists to adopting this statement at face value. The nuance involves the nature of fear.

When not controlled or understood, fear persists as perhaps the most dangerous of emotions. In the throes of this fear, panic is almost a foregone conclusion. This type of fear leads to overcorrections, half measures, or no measures at all. This type of fear sabotages the self and, at-scale, entire systems.

To some degree, every human being of every stripe has experienced this type of fear. Right now, many citizens of the U.S., and many others around the world, are experiencing this fear due to the machinations of the current executive branch of the United States government.

BUT. Properly controlled, understood, and directed, fear is more than useful. Fear sharpens the senses. Makes one more aware of their surroundings. Fear drives achievement that might otherwise be thought impossible. Because fear is always the stepping stone to true courage.

How do we then understand and control this fear?

Diagnosis

To be clear, I created the phrase and definition of myopic dissonance. (Maybe it exists elsewhere, but I'm not aware of it.) The idea came to me while doomscrolling, or as Chuck Wendig recently called it "hunting for anxiety truffles". I'd been trying to think of some way to explain:

• the increasingly alarming actions of our executive branch, as it seemingly and infuriatingly goes unchecked, (while)

• the checkers, balancers, and/or supporters of the administration appear flabbergasted, frozen, or plain unwilling to intervene

Myopic Dissonance is fairly easy to spot and diagnose. Much like the old mesothelioma commercials say, "You or someone you know is likely affected." Though symptoms may vary in their type and severity, all are contrary to a person's wellbeing.

1. Fear of admitting a wrong in support of a specific party line, policy, or politician.

2. Fear of being rejected by their tribe and not wanting to adopt or not being accepted by another tribe.

3. Believing the advance of personal, theologically-based, economically-based, or socially-based belief on a legal level outweighs any other potential calamities within the government

4. Believing their issue (e.g. farm aid, Medicaid, Veteran Affairs) will get better for them, and they aren't concerned about the other issues or suffer from symptoms 1 / 2

5. Expressions of support for party lines, politicians, or policies which will or have negatively impacted the sufferer's life

Note, myopic dissonance isn't to be considered an excuse for anyone's behavior. This is simply a way to help understand the condition. Being an ass is still being an ass. Being unrepentant and blind to it is worse.

Coping

Cut all ties? Plan their funeral? Move states, countries? All are options, some better than others and number two only as a stress-relieving thought experiment.

If this person only aggravates you on social media, there is any easy solution. It's sometimes in red letters. Usually starts with the prefix un-. Or, it may be the letter X. If you must keep your sibling, mother, or spouse on your social media, muting them works.

If seeing this individual is a must, you won't be able to do very much at work. But with family... you get to decide if you want to ignore Uncle Harry or argue with Aunt Marianne. The best option can only be decided by you. If you must argue, I talk about some ways to approach that in the 'Treatment' area.

On some (RARE) occasions, cutting someone close to you out of your life due to their myopic dissonance might be necessary. This would be an extreme measure and not to be taken out of mere annoyance. Likely yours will not be the only feelings hurt, and the damage done may be hard to undo. Again, there are times when this step is necessary, but it usually involves another element like emotional abuse or dangerous extremism.

Staying mentally healthy does not mean the avoidance of conflict and stress. A mentally healthy person knows how to confront conflict and stress in active and constructive ways. As Marcus Aurelius said:

Our actions may be impeded...but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

In short, the obstacle becomes the way. Recognizing myopic dissonance in ourselves or others requires a confrontation. How we handle that confrontation is the next step.

Treatment

Understand from jump: SOME. PEOPLE. WILL. NOT. CHANGE. They're too...something, but one of those things is not capable of change.

If it's you with the myopic dissonance, and you realize it, Congrats! Recognition is the first step in treating the problem. Though, the next step, admittance, might pose a bit more of a problem. How you do that and to who is a matter of how big and public your circle is. Regardless, until you say or do something different and do it enough to be trusted, everyone will keep on thinking you believe like you always have.

Treating someone else's affliction may be a bit trickier. In the end, the cure is on them, but you can help.

• You need to be on at-least decent speaking terms.

• You need to understand why they believe what they believe.

• You need to understand what may impact them negatively that they aren't aware of or well-informed about.

• You need to know their hot-button issues and work around them.

• Your conversation(s) with them should be a back-and-forth exchange but not an argument.

• You must be willing to meet them where they are and have the conversation multiple times from several angles.

Ever been flat-out told you were wrong? Was it when you were sure of how right you were? Ever realized you were wrong at the same time this was happening?

Ego gets a punch from Pride and a kick from Self-Preservation. If you're a really good person, there might be a grudging admittance of your wrongness. Grudging. Much-less-than 'a really good person', you're just as likely to double-down or clam up and walk away.

Same goes for the individual with myopic dissonance to whom you're speaking.

Come at your statistics and examples without hyperbole and from actual, trustworthy sources. (PRO TIP: Social media ain't it 96.8% of the time.) Tread into the 'what-ifs' of the zones that impact them but aren't directly hot buttons. You can come at a hot-button sideways.

(EX: Hot button is the Dept. of Education. Approach from an angle of education they care about, like technical education or special education, and discuss how defunding public education hurts that. Even better approach it from a job-preparedness angle.)

For you astute observers out there: Yes, I'm suggesting and detailing how to have a civil and engaging dialogue over the course of time as a treatment. Or, bluntly, an adult conversation. So... not what you find on X.

Final Word

Have I just dressed up cognitive dissonance? I hope not. In psychological terms, cognitive dissonance is experienced unknowingly. I believe myopic dissonance rests below cognitive dissonance at a point of knowing but impacted by ableness and willingness yet above the line at which hypocrisy kicks in.

To clarify another point, anyone of any bent can experience myopic dissonance. Further, the idea could be adjusted to apply to more than politics. I've focused on politics and a particular side of it in the U.S. as this provides the most fertile soil for an example right now.

We can all do a better job of taking off our blinders in certain areas. No one is ever going to be without their prejudices and preferences at whatever scale. Yet, where we can become better people we should.

Myopia is only cured with corrective action. No corrective action, we remain nearsighted. Only what's right in front of us can be clearly seen. Everything else becomes a blur. We may not like what we see in the blur, may not believe what we see in the blur. But with trusted help, things become more clear.

We can then confront whatever we may fear in the blur; we can see the obstacle and the way.