Hi Peter,
My post was originally a personal message to you thanking you for your balanced and humane thoughts. I loved your FDR quote. To me that was real leadership with courage. As I wrote you I decided to make it my one post on this subject. I wouldn't have done it had you not provided the balance to the thread.
I enjoyed the article on cognitive dissonance. I started as a psych major before switching to architecture. My wife is a phycologist so it has always been one of my loves. A friend of mine likes to tell the story of a cult that believed that they would all be taken up to heaven by aliens. They sold all their belongings, prepared themselves and met at the designated location to be taken to the new realm. When the appointed time came and nothing happened, that was when they became real converts for life. Easier than admitting you are a complete fool. This mechanism is used in many ways. Fraternity initiations will produce real long term loyalty if they require you to do difficult, unpleasent and foolish things. Better to place real value on belonging than face what you did for something without lasting meaning.
I am wondering where the current situation will end. During the Nixon administration I saw how people supported him right up until the end. When the dissonance finally became to shrill they hated his guts and wouldn't credit him for his successes either.
