Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance

Why is it so common in a certain demographic?

I was having a discussion and the topic of Christian conservatives in the U.S. came up in regards to their undying belief in “American Exceptionalism”.

This concept has been rocked recently for many Americans because of their migration over to RedNote from TikTok, for this brief time they’ve been exposed to what a country that has traditionally been seen as one of the U.S.’s adversaries is like for the citizens there.

What they’ve seen by far is a very welcoming friendly people who were excited to communicate with Westerners and try out their English, but also help Americans willing to attempt learning Mandarin. They also saw citizens who had extremely affordable food, nice affordable living conditions, as well as free access to healthcare and education. In addition to that they have seen advanced affordable EVs, and incredibly advanced infrastructure including high-speed rail that is extremely cheap.

This has left many Americans wondering what else they’ve been lied to about. Isn’t America supposed to be the most wealthy and advanced country on Earth? The beacon of hope, prosperity, and freedom that the rest of the world just aspires to become and that all other citizens of the world wish they were lucky enough to be a citizen of this great nation?

Anyone who wasn’t born into wealth but has been able to travel likely knows this is a fantasy that we were brought up to believe, for a reason mind you. If you believe you’re already in the greatest nation on Earth then you’re not as likely to bother traveling to those other “dangerous”, “primitive” countries. Or if you do you’re likely to focus on the negatives you witness, the preconceived assumptions you already have about them will be confirmed, and you’ll quickly return to your “safe” nation.

You’ll be thanking God for your central air, ability to buy an unlimited number of guns, horribly unhealthy fast food, and other “necessities” that Americans enjoy while ignoring the fact that citizens in that nation enjoy socialized (free at the point of care) healthcare as well as socialized (free at the point of use) education that allows their country to thrive.