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Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:33 pm**

TFA managed to stick to the facts until the second to last paragraph:

An evolutionary bias against disgusting things makes a lot of sense -- avoiding rotting corpses and dirty toilets keeps us from getting sick. But it seems that being reminded of this deeply ingrained fear can also make us fear "the other," leading to xenophobia and other more conservative philosophies, studies say.

I know "Remember to be xenophobic!" was right at the top of the latest "Conservative Talking Points" newsletter.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:38 pm**

conservative

I believe it's being used in the classical sense here, with respect to societal change.

Conservatism as a political and social philosophy promotes retaining traditional social institutions in the context of the culture and civilization.
...
Xenophobia is the unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.

Sticking to tradition simply because you don't like or are frightened by new things is a good way to be described as xenophobic.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:39 pm**

What does fear have to do with it?

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:42 pm**

GORDON wrote:What does fear have to do with it?

Fear and disgust prevent change or even proper interaction with objects. You generally shy away from things you label with either of those qualities and your analytical brain never gets to chew on them because of the overwhelming emotional response to avoid it.

I suspect it's the root cause of most phobias in a great many people. Fear generally lives inside disgust.

Edited By Malcolm on 1414690984

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:45 pm**

I dislike the taste of spinach. I think it is disgusting. I have no fear of spinach.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:59 pm**

GORDON wrote:I dislike the taste of spinach. I think it is disgusting. I have no fear of spinach.

You'll go out of your way to avoid it and not consume it because you don't want to deal with the bad taste?

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:21 pm**

Malcolm wrote:
GORDON wrote:I dislike the taste of spinach. I think it is disgusting. I have no fear of spinach.
You'll go out of your way to avoid it and not consume it because you don't want to deal with the bad taste?

Just saying "fear" has nothing to do with it.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:38 pm**

GORDON wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
GORDON wrote:I dislike the taste of spinach. I think it is disgusting. I have no fear of spinach.
You'll go out of your way to avoid it and not consume it because you don't want to deal with the bad taste?
Just saying "fear" has nothing to do with it.

Maybe that's a bit of a strong word. Substitute "entrenched avoidance" if you want. Point being, you're letting your aesthetics (taste) take over the decision process.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:04 pm**

And yet I don't. I know spinach is good for me, so on italian night I eat a serving of it. I don't have any kind of fight or flight response when confronting spinach, I don't get an adrenaline boost, I don't have any kind of anxiety about it, and I don't have nightmares about it. It's a simple taste bud response, or brain interpretation of the taste buds, or whatever.

I submit that one can dislike, or have distaste for, lots of things and ideas without actually fearing them.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:37 pm**

One wonders where the distaste comes from.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:50 pm**

I probably got sexually molested by spinach as a young child and i repressed the memory.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:57 pm**

I don't have any kind of anxiety about it

You don't think about the shitty taste of spinach when you eat it?

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:59 pm**

Malcolm wrote:
I don't have any kind of anxiety about it
You don't think about the shitty taste of spinach when you eat it?

I would have a pretty flat EKG while eating it. I typically just eat the serving in one big bite to get it over with. Or mix it in with the sauce.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:41 pm**

GORDON wrote:TFA managed to stick to the facts until the second to last paragraph:

An evolutionary bias against disgusting things makes a lot of sense -- avoiding rotting corpses and dirty toilets keeps us from getting sick. But it seems that being reminded of this deeply ingrained fear can also make us fear "the other," leading to xenophobia and other more conservative philosophies, studies say.
I know "Remember to be xenophobic!" was right at the top of the latest "Conservative Talking Points" newsletter.

I think nature trains us to be conservative (with a small "c" ) and to some extent xenophobic. How many cultures were wiped out when they made contact and mingled with another culture that brought the some sort of pox?

I'm sure the Jews in the days of the Old Testament had no idea about parasites, but sticking to the old ways about not eating pork and all the rules about washing served them well and kept them in good health compared to many of the tribes around them.

The animals and peoples that are open to trying new things either made some pretty significant observations/discoveries or didn't last too long. I wouldn't guess it's a dominant trait.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:56 pm**

The animals and peoples that are open to trying new things either made some pretty significant observations/discoveries or didn't last too long.

Uh ... no. Many animals have strong exploratory instincts. Nature also equipped them with the means to communicate those explorations to others.

Edited By Malcolm on 1414702640

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:47 pm**

Yeah, I remember that herd of liberal white tail deer that was really curious about the wild coyotes and decided to go play with them and join their pack. It was so sweet and beautiful!

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 6:01 pm**

Deer are bright enough to keep the fuck away from carnivorous things with big teeth. They've been prey long enough. But they're also bright enough to forage for food in locations previously unknown to them and go back with other deer. Things like mice and snakes are genetically predisposed to taking chances exploring new places heretofore uncharted. Which is how they end up in toilets.

Edited By Malcolm on 1414706555

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 7:11 pm**

Deer aren't that bright. In Fairfield Bay where my parents used to live, no hunting was allowed. Where my dad owns his woodland, we do hunt. In Fairfield Bay, the deer are a nuisance. They have no flight reflex. It reached the point where before they moved my mom actually had to bump a doe with her car to get her to move out of the road. She was standing there staring at her for about five minutes even though my mom was blasting the horn and hanging her head out the car window yelling and shooing.

At my dad's place, they're a lot more skittish because the deer without a decent flight response get culled out pretty quick and aren't given the opportunity to spread their seed for many hunting seasons the way the more cautious ones are.

Posted: **Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:22 pm**

Fine. Evolution gave deer a free pass and they've inexplicably survived.

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