Group Identity and Corruption

I used to tell my students that labeling themselves was the quickest way to develop a knee-jerk belief system. Identifying with a group, any group, creates psychological pressure to adopt that group's belief system. This pressure, coupled with our inherent laziness, leads us to adopt beliefs that we have not investigated, scrutinized, or critically assessed. I'm a liberal. Liberals oppose the death penalty. I oppose the death penalty. Jeez, that was easy.

The reason I mention this is that group devotion may be destroying our ability to govern ourselves while maintaining our moral bearings. Today I read that a new Pew Research poll found that 47% of Americans believe that it is acceptable to torture suspected terrorists in order to keep the country safe.

FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT! SUSPECTED TERRORISTS!

I know, I know. We shouldn't torture anyone - ever. But I am slightly more sympathetic, just slightly, to the idea of torturing confirmed terrorists in contrast to suspected terrorists. Is that wrong?

Anyway, I've also noted recently that most of Obama's supporters are making excuses for his reversals on key civil liberty issues, despite the fact that both THEY AND HE repeatedly and categorically denounced these policies during the Bush administration and during Obama's campaign.

What's happening is clear. Identity is trumping moral appraisal. Bush and Cheeny set up a torture regime. They're my guys - they're on my team - my team needs to win - I guess I support torture (or at least am willing to overlook it). Indefinite detention without due process - or even after due process acquits one of wrongdoing -is unconstitutional and tyrannical - wait . . . say what? . . . Obama now wants to implement a system of indefinite detention - oh well, he's on my team - my team needs to win - I guess I'm down for indefinite detention after all.

That's why I find these kinds of statements so refreshing - we need more public rejections of this sort.

Joe H.