Thank you so much for something you shouldn’t be charging us for anyway.
Rabbits have a deep, inherent assumption that everything should be free, because to contemplate otherwise is to strain their amygdala. They were literally designed for a world of free resource availability.
Every bullshit detector in me went off when I read that passage.
If a fact causes cognitive dissonance in a rabbit, they will instinctively tell themselves the fact is wrong. This psychological coping strategy can only work in an environment where failure is impossible.
Bi-County is a small business run by Jeffrey, Richard, and Mitch Hirsch. Their business deals largely in small amounts of cash and in May 2012, their account held $446,651.11, when it was confiscated entirely by Eastern District prosecutors. Bi-County sells candy and snack food items to small retailers on Long Island, but, disfavored as such things may be by the Washington elite, that business is entirely legal. There has never been any allegation of any wrongdoing by the company or its owners, but they were under suspicion because of many cash deposits of less than $10,000. Under IRS regulations, banks must report cash deposits of $10,000 or more, but the feds look at substantial deposits of smaller amounts as grounds for suspicion, thinking that the depositor must be trying to avoid detection.
Again, facts, morals, and common decency have no sway over the rabbit amygdala. They do what feels good, ie. minimizes amygdala strain. That is the foundation of a strategy to rapidly seize pleasure in a low-threat environment of freely available pleasure, as opposed to a strategy to assiduously avoid threat in an environment where threats are dangerous, and avoidance of them must be the primary concern.
George Stephanopoulos asked Obama in an interview airing on This Week about an analogy that many of the president’s critics have drawn: “How do you respond to the argument, a future president comes in, wants lower taxes. Doesn’t happen. Congress won’t do it — he says I’m not going to prosecute those who don’t pay capital gains tax.”
Obama didn’t respond to the question and continued with his talking points, prompting Stephanopoulos to press him again: “So you don’t think it’d be legitimate for a future president to make that argument?
“With respect to taxes? Absolutely not,” the president replied.
We’ve always thought what motivates the rabbit is emotion. More precisely it is aversive stimulus produced by the amygdala, which guides the rabbit away from anything stressful or discomfiting. Understand the amygdala, and you understand the rabbit.
You wrote: “If a fact causes cognitive dissonance in a rabbit, they will instinctively tell themselves the fact is wrong. This psychological coping strategy can only work in an environment where failure is impossible.”
Weirdly this made me think of all the times when watching a game show and someone either loses or is eliminated from the game. Most contestants as they exit will give some silly speech saying that they are not losers and are proud of their losing effort. Every time I see this, I just shake my head. The show producer actually uses expensive time in a show to promote the loser! We are being conditioned to be r’s by the media.