A Surviving Facts Blog
I sometimes gravitate to Reddit to hear what folks are saying. I sneak into far right groups to see their thoughts and then visit a group posting Republicans who now regret voting for Trump. The group is called, LeopardsAteMyFace. If you need hope that some Republicans are being deprogrammed, visit this Reddit.
The phrase of leopards eat my face came from a 2015 tweet from Andrew Bott on voters regretting their choice. The tweet went viral and the phrase has become common usage for political regret.
Most of the posts to the feed go something like this:
- I’m a staunch Trump reporter
- I am Republican and voted for Trump
- I thought I wouldn’t be affected by any changes…but
- I/my spouse/child, etc. lost my job, lost contracts, can’t pay for eggs, can’t pay for my insulin, etc.
- I wasn’t supposed to be affected because I voted for you, I’m white, I wasn’t a DEI filler hire
- Please, Mr. Trump, please give me back my job
Screen shots of Tweets, letters, emails usually accompany these plaints as well as videos. These screen shots show the descent from Trump obsession to disillusionment. These are regular Americans- government workers, building contractors, teachers, moms with impacted children, newlyweds who have just bought a house and are now laid off.
They are like you and me. They get up in the morning, go to work, work hard, spend time exercising, having dinner with family or friends, traveling dreaming. Where they differ from me is in their support of authoritarian rule and their impenetrable loyalty to a leader who they believe will protect and take care of them. I see it as the “I look up to Daddy” belief. You don’t question the authority of the head of the family- and by extension, the nation- because the head will do right by and for me.
Research supports this belief system. In a 2020 Scientific American article, “ Conservative and Liberal Brains Might Have Some Real Differences,” research shows:
On the whole, the research shows, conservatives desire security, predictability and authority more than liberals do, and liberals are more comfortable with novelty, nuance and complexity.
When the brains of Conservatives and Liberals are scanned, different areas light up. In Conservatives, the amygdala is larger. The amygdala is one of the oldest parts of the brain. Part of the lambic system, it manages emotions and threats. It’s the part of the brain responsible for fight, flight or freeze.
In liberals, the anterior cingulate cortex is larger. This area of the brain sits more toward the front of the brain and helps us make decisions, maintain attention, learn, detect errors, resolve conflicts and regulate emotion. It also supports motivation.
In scientific terms then, the amygdala is a reactive area of the brain while the anterior cingulate cortex is more focused on processing. That the sizes of these brain areas are dissimilar in people with different beliefs is fascinating. The size does relate to which area of the brain we use more.
A Stand Together video details this difference. Our amygdala, from the beginning of our species, was necessary for evolution. It protected us from harm-and back then everything was essentially harmful. On the other hand, the anterior cingulate cortex assesses and rates danger and risks. The amygdala sees all people as being potentially harmful. The cortex assesses who is most dangerous or at risk and then focuses on sorting so that solutions are developed for the most needed areas.
Does this mean that we are hardwired in our political beliefs? I don’t think so. Our brains are malleable- neuroplasticity in scientific terms. This is why people can heal from devastating brain injuries. The brain never stops evolving. If people can be taught to speak again, then certainly we can teach ourselves to think in different ways.
I’m trying to avoid a fake dichotomy of the amygdala being inferior to the cortex. We need both parts of our brains. We can decide how we want to process danger, threat, risk and conflict. We can manage our emotions.
For example, you are walking to your car in a poorly lit parking lot. Your amygdala is on fire. You look in all directions as you walk, you hold keys in a certain way, you may have a can of mace. To stay safe, you also need to focus on getting to your car. The anterior cingulate cortex is on the job. It prevents you from having a panic attack. It also helps you filter out risks and focus on the most significant. As a problem solving area, it helps you decide on safety options- your can of mace, which you had to have gotten before walking into the dark lot. When you get to your car safely, your amygdala down regulates. You needed that part of your brain to keep you alert. Your anterior cingulate cortex will continue to help with the amygdala down regulation and get you home. You need both.
But let’s say you only had your amygdala. In that case, you’d have 3 choices: fight, flee or freeze. You would likely have run screaming to your car. Without the amygdala, on the other hand, you may not have had the impetus to pull out that can of mace. You needed some of the stress that part of the brain produces to incite your preservation.
Applying this to politics, those with larger amygdalas- usually conservatives- will focus on all-prevalent risk. The liberal, however, is going to use its ac cortex to prioritize and solution.
This is why FAFO bothers me. Yes, Republicans voted for what we are all getting these days. They see Trump as key to preservation and safety. Those who didn’t view Trump that way had gone through a process of assessment deciding which problems need to be solved first and who can do them. In simple terms, it’s similar to black & white versus gray thinking.
I’m not meaning to oversimplify. I’m saying that as our political landscape unfolds, both belief systems will use the larger part of their brains to manage the situation and decide how to move forward.
Pretty fascinating.
FAFO seems to me to be more about ridicule rather than solution. It fails to understand the level of fear that led to Trump’s election and that is getting ignited again by job loss, high prices, conflict and Elon Musk. There goes the amygdala.
So yes, the leopards are eating, but let’s remember we can help our Republican friends as we move forward as a country. Perhaps understanding how our respective brains work can inspire empathy and connection. Then, we can have meaningful dialogue.
I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition era of debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website to peruse the full collection of articles and updates. You can email me from the Walk the Moon website as well.
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