Fires can't learn calculus
On the infectiveness of reasoning with someone overrun by emotions.
One of the results of the 2024 US election the various takes.
People are wondering:
What happened?
Why did it happen?
And how can we continue — or if you’re a Democrat, stop it — from happening again?
Coming from a background in marketing, I have a tendency to want to understand situations from multiple perspectives.
Even if I disagree with something, I want to know why you think that way.
It’s becoming clearer to me — now more than ever — that some people don’t share this instinct to want to understand. In fact, even expressing neutrality toward a position can be seen as a personal attack.
When asking someone close to be if they wanted to talk about the election, here’s how they responded.
Do I want to talk about a man who we elected president who hates women, people of color, trans people, immigrants ... And democracy
F*** no Ray.
After some thinking, I came up with an analogy to help me make sense of why this occurs. The analogy is: fires can’t learn calculus.
Let me explain.
The fire represents emotion. Emotions can be dangerous and destructive in addition to a source of warmth and comfort. Humans are driven by emotions. We need them.
On the other hand, calculus represents logic. We need logic, too. It helps us make sense of the world and we use it to advance humanity.
But when it comes to fire, or human nature, you can’t always use reason.
Sure, you can try the rational action, such as dousing a fire with water —but that may not work… and depending on the size of the fire or how close you’re able to get to it, it may get you hurt.
Another comparison —
There’s a building a fire and you have two types of people:
Someone who’s in a panic and screaming “Fire, fire, fire!”
And another who’s calling the ambulance
You could argue both of these individuals are important for putting out a fire. The panicked person could be a warning for others unaware of the fire. And the person calling the ambulance is taking action to put it out.
Bringing this back to practical terms, for someone overwhelmed by their emotions — such having an extreme level of hatred for Trump, the truth becomes less important than their feelings.
Of course the truth can be subjective. I understand things can be taken out of context. But there have been countless situations, such as this one, when what is clearly a hoax is repeating as fact.
The reality is, certain people don’t care if something is true or not. If someone wants to believe in something — and more importantly, their emotionally attached to it, then concepts like logic, reasoning, or rationality don’t matter.
So, what can you do?
My advice is to focus on yourself. Don’t let someone else’s emotions infect you, especially if their emotions are toxic and driven by hatred.
Be the adult in the room.
Toddlers will scream and cry. It’s normal. Unfortunately, some adults do the same. Perhaps it’s a form of therapy to bark like a dog in your car.
Anyway, life goes on.