Here Nobe warns against spontaneous pessimism. While everyday events may seem overwhelming or even infuriating, the future is constantly being shaped. Knobe emphasizes that humans have made enormous advances throughout history, but often over decades. The Trump administration may simply be an inflammatory presidential administration that is ultimately a weak slip in timing. It points to revolutionary changes in the way we think about issues such as racism, sexual harassment and slavery. Although these feelings are constantly under attack, they have proven to be enduring values that are not easily erased.
“If you were alive in 1850 and saw someone with a slave, you might think, 'How terrible!' “Now we would be horrified.”
He warns that emphasizing the polarization and negativity of the current political landscape could backfire, just as Trump's repeated reminders of the impending apocalypse could actually lead to the violence he warns about, given the way the human mind works. Knobe points to research showing colleges are campaigning to reduce student drinking, highlighting the problem. this may have triggered an increase in alcohol consumption. It's better, he said, to highlight the number of students who don't drink, or, in politics, what large numbers of Republicans have traditionally believed in the past, to make them appear more recognizable and less oppositional.
