Do you think that people have a rational set of thoughts that they would express publicly if asked but that...

Question

it isn't the same set of thoughts that they actually use in action?

Sometimes it seems like you get more honest answers from people if you get them emotionally riled up or steamed.

Answer 1

there are social norms, a persons' thoughts may or may not be the same, depending on the situation....

Answer 2

You are exactly right. I have learned that you sometimes need to provoke people to get an honest response. (that same strategy worked against Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men".)

I have tried a little trick on a lot of smug liberals I know. They'll be telling me with a straight face how liberals firmly believe in the equality of people. Here's how I prove that conservatives are actually the ones who truly believe in equality. I'll start praising the war in Iraq, and when I bring up the obvious point that millions of people have now been given the opportunity to live in freedom rather than tyranny, they mindlessly object with silly, irrelevant arguments.

If I chide them enough, and make them hot under the collar, they will finally lose all control and exclaim, "Oh come on, you don't really expect that a bunch of volatile, irrational Arabs can handle democracy, do you?"

Whoa......! That's what liberals really think. They don't have confidence in Middle Easterners. They belive Arabs and Persians are ignorant and backward, incapable of ruling themselves without a strong dictator like Saddam keeping them in line.

President Bush does not denigrate the people of the Middle East with the "soft bigotry of low expectations" (a term he once used). Unlike the Democrats, he believes in their potential. He does not arrogantly belive that they can't handle democracy.

Conservatives don't even think twice about the capacity of people anywhere on earth, whether they have brown, black, or yellow skin...... we firmly believe they are fully capable of handling the complexities of self rule under democracy.

Liberals only see a bunch of scary, fist pumping ragheads.

Answer 3

This is a common practice used by many agencies with regard to social research . . . the police, any good investigator or interigator, even Scientology teaches this method to their voluteer staff members.

Answer 4

there is a social norm,nobody likes to be labelled strange and I think annonimity allows a certain freedom of expression.