Juvenescence for the Brain

Amidst all of the conservative attacks and equally energetic liberal exultations of Barack Obama, it seems to me that he remains largely misunderstood by the general population. Both extremes of the political spectrum vilify and/or praise him, when in reality his policies don’t really jibe with either of their positions. This is due largely to an increasingly dichotomic American worldview, which places more weight on “ideals” and “beliefs” rather than continuous critical and rational thought.

Seeing the world in black-and-white terms is not a new phenomenon. In all likelihood, it’s actually a relic from our early evolutionary days when it paid to quickly and decisively interpret a situation. Back then, our survival depended on our ability to jump to conclusions and act accordingly. We didn’t have the luxury of sitting around to think critically about a situation before forming our opinions. We’ve come very far from those primitive times, yet our tendency to pass judgement on a situation based on first impressions remains as strong as ever. It keeps things simple, and for all intensive purposes, it’s effective.

Many of our beliefs (yours and mine included) were formed in this manner. We saw the facts (however fragmented and/or incorrect) and our brains immediately processed them, forming a set of reactions and opinions. These initial impressions linger on for much, much longer than the time it took to create them. Any self-respecting, rational human is guilty of this. It’s our nature!

Unfortunately, this manner of thinking causes problems in a 21st-century society. The issues we face are more complex than whether to “fight or flee”, and cannot be adequately interpreted in the heat of the moment. Yet this is exactly what we do, every day.

Case in point: Barack Obama.

Liberals love him. Conservatives hate him. But why?

The Obama fever experienced by many hopeful left-wingers seems to stem from their initial impressions of what they wanted him to be, rather than what he actually was (or is). Now that we’re over a year into the Obama administration, some have become disillusioned with the President – possibly because he’s proving to be the person he actually is, rather than the person they thought we was.

Likewise, conservatives began to hate him early on, even before he’d won the election. Right-wing pundits like Hannity and Limbaugh plastered him with all sorts of disparaging titles which have somehow stuck in the minds of conservatives everywhere, regardless of their truthfulness. As time goes on, they continue to focus on the tiny handful of issues that validate their views toward him.

Are we to love him? Hate him? Hold disdain for his seeming inability to stick to his guns on anything?

The fact is, Obama is a centrist. And a frustratingly calculating one at that.

Take, for example, his recently released Nuclear Posture Review. In what amounts to the first tangible benchmark for Obama on nuclear policy, he’s taken a stance right down the middle, in contrast to his earlier commitment toward rabid nonproliferation. His policy outlines some details for reducing the number of deployed warheads (although, theoretically the reduction could be moot if the extra warheads were transferred from subs onto bombers). It also states that we will not nuke a non-nuclear state that complies with the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a notable change from previous, intentionally vague nuclear policies. However, it fails to dictate long-term plans for reducing nuclear arms to zero (as if that could ever happen), and generally seems bent on satisfying both left- and right-wingers rather than really sticking to any ideology. This type of politics has defined Obama’s career to this point (with the glaring exception of healthcare reform).

What is a country full of reactionary, opinionated citizens to do when their President is, in fact, the type to sit down and consider issues critically rather than acting in accord with any single ideology? Are we to love him? Hate him? Hold disdain for his seeming inability to stick to his guns on anything?

That decision is up to you. However I, for one, have great respect for a President that finally seems to contemplate the issues at hand rather than following a rule book they drew up during their political campaign. Life is complicated. Oftentimes, you must change your mind in order to accommodate new information.

Just try telling that to Glenn Beck…