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1/The GOP, not DEMS, are the ones who use scare tactics @RepDougCollins. This has been well documented by cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists. Two dominant tactics that The GOP tends to use to keep their base loyal: "Terror Management Theory" "Hypersensitivity to Threat." https://twitter.com/RepDougCollins/status/1295336525962645504
2/ "Terror Management Theory" was coined by cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker in 1971 and has been studied since then. "TMT predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality, which happens w/fear-mongering will strongly defend those who share their worldview."
3/"Studies have confirmed this hypothesis, specifically shown that triggering thoughts of death tends to shift people towards the right, death reminders increase nationalism, influence actual voting habits in favor of more conservative candidates." https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201609/the-psychology-behind-donald-trumps-unwavering-support
"In a study with American students, scientists found that making mortality salient increased support for extreme [U.S.] military interventions. The effect was present only in conservatives, which can likely be attributed to their heightened fear response."
5/Hypersensitivity to Threat: "Science has unequivocally shown that the conservative brain has an exaggerated fear response when faced with stimuli that may be perceived as threatening." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18801995/
6/"Fear keeps [Trump's] followers energized and focused on safety. And when you think you’ve found your protector, you become less concerned with remarks that would normally be seen as highly offensive." Dr. Robert Azarian, a cognitive neuroscientist. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-07-28/trumps-racist-behavior-presidential-politics-history
7/Again, not all of Trump's supporters are not motivated by these factors. Dr. Azarian agrees "Of course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some may support Trump to be rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system."
8/It's laughable that Rep. Doug Collins is saying "Democrats are trying to instill fear" to our base when we can clearly see that Fox News and the GOP have consistently relied on fear, division, and bigotry to motivate and turn out their base. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-244652/
