Cognitive Dissonance and the Deep South

For the last week or so, I have been running around the southeastern US.
The region strikes me as a hotbed of cognitive dissonance. There is a
disconnect between what the locals will tell you is right and where the
facts actually are. After the recent chemical spills related to coal
mining that affected the drinking water in parts of the south, one would
expect that there would be an outcry condemning coal mining. There are
still residents of Charleston WV who will not drink the water weeks
after they have been told the chemicals have been completely flushed
from the system. And yet, these same people will tell you that coal is
the best thing we have for generating energy, and are still staunchly
opposed to any government regulations that might cost the coal companies
money.

This disconnect is not limited to coal. They consistently vote against
their own interests. The south is one of the poorest regions of the
country, and yet they tend to vote for the Republican agenda of cutting
taxes and cutting programs that help the poor. They are usually opposed
to the Affordable Care Act, though it helps them get the health care
they need. They will call it socialized medicine, not realizing that it
is a big boon to private insurers. They insist that Medicare stays as
it is, even though Medicare is a socialized medicine program.

They are opposed to abortion and birth control. This in states where
teen pregnancy is the highest in the land. This in states where poverty
is rampant, and family planning services would do the most good.
Mississipi has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the US and
one of the highest poverty rates.

The region is also called the Bible Belt. Some of the places seem to
have a church on every other corner. They also have a bar or adult
bookstore on every opposite corner. Don't get me wrong, bars and adult
bookstores are good things to have in a well-adjusted society. However,
having so many of them right by so many churches that preach against
them seems a bit hypocritical, especially when many who patronize one
also attend the other.

Someone needs to reach out and try to educate them so they can learn to
use reason.