In Their Defense

A scotoma is a visual defect or blind spot. People with this condition cannot see objects that fall within the affected area in their visual field. It’s as though the objects are just not there. Fortunately, in most cases, slightly shifting one’s point of view brings the objects into view.

The term scotoma is also used in psychology to refer to an individual’s inability to perceive, often bothersome, personality traits in themselves that may be obvious to others. They are blind to these; they do not exist.

I believe that there is yet another condition; a powerful ideological scotoma that presents its victims with a distorted view of the world. Facts and truths that fall outside the bounds of their ideology do not exist and are not processed as part of their reasoning and logical thinking. This condition, suffered by many Right-Wing and Tea-Party Conservatives, is a kind of mental illness giving rise to their illogical behavior and the creation of elaborate campaigns filled with fabrications and sometimes cleverly stated misinformation.

It’s not their fault; we have to be tolerant they just can’t see what is right before them. Confronting them with credible facts furthers their disillusionment resulting in more bizarre fabrications.

I do not know of an effective treatment for this condition; for friends and family; perhaps time and achieving a higher degree of personal maturity will alleviate some of the symptoms. Asking questions is risky but in a private forum sometimes allows them to get a glimpse at how out of touch they are and lead to a shift in point of view. Searching for common ground is hazardous but sometimes an effective strategy. Otherwise it is always best to keep your mouth shut, hide your pain and pray.

I wonder and worry about our world often – but then sometimes I just wonder what’s for supper; these are the best times. –CP

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”  – Flannery O’Connor

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