Love and value your posts as always. One point of contention:
They talk about this later on, saying that conservatives need to have their autonomy respected. People aren’t stupid. Either something is optional, and they have a choice, or it isn’t and they don’t. You can try to send both messages but you’ll fail.
Doesn’t this basically deny the entire phenomenon of persuasion? “Pure persuasion”, let’s call it, where you don’t improve the material incentives at all, but nevertheless you get the person to do the thing. I believe this is a skill that exists.
Is the red tribe legitimately afraid of the vaccine, or are they just pissed off at being told where to go and what to do every day for a year? Definitely both, but the latter group will be amenable to persuasion. They have a psychological need that isn’t being met, but can be met through a simple message.
Another angle is that a lot of people are motivated by little heroic thoughts, but you need to grant autonomy in order for heroism to exist. If you were masking and distancing and vaccinating only because you were told to by CNN’s version of an expert, then you’re not really any kind of hero, you’re just agreeable, and this distinction is blindingly clear to the red tribe.
So I say tell them it’s up to them. Tell them this is America and they can reject the vaccine for the rest of their lives if they want to, but we happen to believe that actual lives will be saved, in expectation, if they get it.
Love and value your posts as always. One point of contention:
Doesn’t this basically deny the entire phenomenon of persuasion? “Pure persuasion”, let’s call it, where you don’t improve the material incentives at all, but nevertheless you get the person to do the thing. I believe this is a skill that exists.
Is the red tribe legitimately afraid of the vaccine, or are they just pissed off at being told where to go and what to do every day for a year? Definitely both, but the latter group will be amenable to persuasion. They have a psychological need that isn’t being met, but can be met through a simple message.
Another angle is that a lot of people are motivated by little heroic thoughts, but you need to grant autonomy in order for heroism to exist. If you were masking and distancing and vaccinating only because you were told to by CNN’s version of an expert, then you’re not really any kind of hero, you’re just agreeable, and this distinction is blindingly clear to the red tribe.
So I say tell them it’s up to them. Tell them this is America and they can reject the vaccine for the rest of their lives if they want to, but we happen to believe that actual lives will be saved, in expectation, if they get it.