Politically Correct Authoritarians: Studies, Principles, and Differences with Dr. Emily Bashah

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson is joined by his co-author of the upcoming book Addictive Ideologies: Dr. Emily Bashah.

They talk about the key principles and differences between the Alt-Right and Politically Correct Authoritarians, as well as studies that have covered human psychology in such areas. Paul Johnson sets the stage for the episode by discussing the fact that the alternative right and the politically correct authoritarians represent a minority of people, but have a loud voice because of social media and the news focusing on them.

Paul and Dr. Emily Bashah discuss the fact that what happens on college campuses is affecting the agency, and go over the potential repercussions of the term value. Dr. Bashah discusses a study that had been done on a couple of hundred students, which identified a link between cognitive distortion and the need for safety. Moreover, she touches upon cognitive distortions, emotional reasoning, and the mental trap they represent.

People in the so-called “dark triad” fall into one of these categories: Machiavellian, narcissist, and psychopath. Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson break down each one and go over similarities and differences. Paul brings Dr. Ballinger’s study on Obsessive Ideologies into the conversation. He and Dr. Bashah shares the four key aspects of the study. Paul has a very clear opinion in regard to Stuart Rhodes, Donald Trump, and the January 6th Capitol Hill attacks: to Rhodes, Trump was just a tool.

Dr. Bashah and Paul also share their thoughts on political correctness, cancel culture, and why some people may decide to remain quiet even when they witness something they don’t like. In their book Addictive Ideologies, Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah talk about seven ideals people should focus on.

During their conversation in today’s episode, Paul talks about those that fall into three categories: rationality, finding meaning in life, and the sense of belonging.

We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism.

This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead.

You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s

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