Tag: emotion

Fear and anger related to the 2016 presidential election and climate change had different effects on the way conservatives and liberals processed information, according to research published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. “This topic caught our attention because the 2016 presidential election was highly contentious and divisive, which has a lot of commonality with the challenges we experience when communicating about climate change. The researchers used the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model, a comprehensive model that seeks to understand what contributes to information seeking and information processing related to risk topics. The model’s premise is that risk perception is both cognitive and emotional. “The highlight of this research is that conservatives and liberals have very different perceptions about potential risks from the election and climate change. Liberals reported much higher risk perception, anger, and fear related to climate change than conservatives overall. Conservatives fearful about the upcoming election reported a greater need for more information. The association between being fearful of climate change and reporting greater need for more information was strong among conservative respondents, while liberals who were angry when thinking about climate change reported higher perceived knowledge. There may be meaningful differences in other emotions, such as hope, that also influenced information processing among these two groups.” “Our study offers important insights on how risk perception, emotion, and perceived social norms influence information processing behaviors among liberals and conservatives. The study, “Fearful Conservatives, Angry Liberals: Information Processing Related to the 2016 Presidential Election and Climate Change“, was authored by Janet Z. Yang, Haoran Chu, and LeeAnn Kahlor.

Americans’ heightened emotions are necessary to restore political stability. The line between politics and self-identity has long been blurred in America, and this past midterm election has highlighted this. As such, the American political system has become intertwined with many citizens’ personal identities. This personal stake correlates with a higher level of ownership that I believe is good news for the future of American politics. Is it wise that anxiety, a physical response to a fight-or-flight scenario, is associated with the country’s political fate? When the president is favorably regarded by the majority of the American public, it is easy to take a back seat and let politics do its thing. Time and time again, citizens have been left wondering, “What impact can I possibly make?” The personal ownership and emotional investment displayed during this midterm election season represents a shift from the complacent mindset that overwhelmed American politics in the Obama era. The truth is that there should never be a gaping hole between those who hold office and those who they govern. However, I see the emotional response during this midterm election season as a necessary step to steer the country in the right direction. This past Tuesday midterm voter turnout was the highest it has been since 1966.

I think I speak for all women when I say that we just need leaders with the right temperament. I’m not sexist, I have a father, I just think men should accept that maybe they’re innately not suited to politics. Look, I’m just saying, I’m sure Brett Kavanaugh could be great in a bit more of a behind-the-scenes role – maybe something with a bit more structure and less pressure, he does love his calendars after all. He’s just a bit shrill, that’s the word. There he was getting in on the act, shouting and jabbing his finger around – again, way too emotional. Men, right? Imagine a women crying at a job interview. Imagine a woman shouting over others and talking about how much she loved Chardonnay and yoga with the girls. The whole thing is just madness. I’m not sexist, as I said, I have a father and lots of friends who are men, I’m just saying, maybe the jig is up with the whole men in politics thing.

Good Friday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. [Read the story] • The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing was part trial, part theater, part therapy. [Read an analysis of their testimonies] • “I’ve had to relive this trauma in front of the world.” Surrounded by her lawyers, publicists and a sisterhood of friends, Dr. Blasey said her piece. [Read the story] • “What you want to do is destroy this guy’s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020.” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina let loose on the Democrats. [Read the story] • “He does not to me sound like he’s lying, and neither did she.” In Maine, whose senator Susan Collins will cast a crucial vote, women watched the testimony and came away torn. [Read the story] • A GoFundMe campaign set up on behalf of Dr. Blasey drew hundreds of thousands in donations after she mentioned it during her testimony. [Read the story] • Echoes of the Anita Hill hearings in 1991, which ended with Clarence Thomas on the high court, were unmistakable. [Read the comparison] • Mr. Trump’s meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whose future at the Justice Department is in doubt, was pushed back to next week because of the Kavanaugh hearing. Check back later for On Politics With Lisa Lerer, a nightly newsletter exploring the people, issues and ideas reshaping the political world.

Alexander, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Pittsburgh, identifies as a Democrat but said he began watching Thursday's proceedings as neither a supporter nor a detractor of the nominee. That changed with Kavanaugh's testimony. Alexander found Ford's account of Kavanaugh and a friend laughing after the alleged attack the hearing's most moving moment, and he wondered if that detail might sway Republicans. Both seemed believable, Jacobs said, but she felt convinced toward the end that Kavanaugh was not guilty. "When you're a true victim, you remember where it happened, you know who was in the room, you also remember every single detail," she said. Almeida said she doesn't doubt Ford was victimized, but believes Democrats convinced her to wrongly blame Kavanaugh for what happened. "I remember one of the questions asked of Anita Hill was something like 'Are you a woman scorned?'" "You aren't going to hear that in this hearing. Jacobson, a first-year law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law who identifies as a Democrat, watched the hearing with colleagues in a classroom. One of Jacobson's close friends was sexually assaulted in high school, an experience the friend said would scar her for life.