Managing Poppycock

Our world seems to be drowning in poppycock.

Public figures (ministers, politicians, pundits) pontificate.

Followers accept what they say without critically examining the sources.

Gullible people need a authoritarian figure (very different from authoritative) telling them what to do. Which reminds me of the infantile song,

“I need someone older and wiser telling me what to do”

What’s happened to “question authority?”

Why are we so gullible in the face of conspiracy theories?

It is imperative that we get to the root of what is really going. This prevents us from getting bent out of shape in response to some perceived idiocy.

What’s going on with our unnecessary gullibility?

The Problem

Denial

I once had a friend who stuck a Band-Aid on the instrument panel of his automobile when the red warning light would be triggered by some mechanical malfunction.

Like many he made unfounded assumptions the situation by thinking, “This is going to cost a bundle”.

There are better ways to manage reactivity.

Pet bias (confirmation bias)

I sometimes overrate my objectivity. I forget that I have an Achilles Heel. I hate waiting in line for long periods. My wife kids me “This is not the great race!”

We really don’t need to race everywhere.

What’s behind this impatience?

It has slowly dawned on me that my sense of white male entitlement conditions me to expect special and prompt treatment. I have had more than one person tell me to calm down when I get restless while I’m held up in a line.

The Cure

There are some tried and true antidotes for the poppycock syndrome

Find a devil’s advocate

My wife is the ultimate truth teller. With her refusal to suffer fools gladly (including myself) she sees to the heart of an issue or person right away.

Often when we are in a social gathering I turn to her for a read on the emotional climate in the group. We all need such folks to kick us under the table when we start to freak out or revert to our false self

Hit the brakes.

Many a time the proponent of pure poppycock solicits a defensive response on my part. One time I exploded in a meeting and chided the ‘difficult’ committee member “You need to get your shit together!”

It would have been far better if I had first asked myself, “What’s really going in me?”

One of the first lessons I learned in my training as a psychologist was to monitor and regulate my feeling responses towards any patient. When I reflect “Why am I feeling so defensive?” I became a better therapist. In the end many of the extreme emotions I felt towards a patient said more about me than about them.

The poppycock world could be better managed if our awareness increased and our reactivity was dampened.

Envision the ideal

What would “No drama Obama” (or any other figure that you admire) do in this situation? Often the role model we need is found in the wise folks that we choose to have in our inner circle.

Not that the “ideal” is perfect. But he/she has the capacity to engage in a reality testing exercise when we become overly reactive.

Broaden our Horizons

When we learn how to distinguish the “shit from the shinola” we are on our way to wisdom. We get so locked into our familiar peer group that we neglect to see wisdom of diversity.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” — Mark Twain

How do you develop your bs detectors?