Hot button words trigger emotional — rather than rational — responses. Which results in the the Monkey smacking the rational human in the back of the head and saying “Bitch! Get into the kitchen and make me a rationalization”
(Free tip, I just used a bunch of hot button words in the last sentence.)
In a conversation about an incident that happened on a subway, I warned people about the cognitive process that judges — then rationalizes. Someone said “the guy abused the woman“
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While that’s the short hand version… and an explanation ‘that satisfies’* … there are other interpretations. Interpretations that don’t satisfy other people. And that is where you’re going to find other ‘opinions.’
See when you’re talking about the Monkey (sticking with ConCom terms) The Monkey makes a snap decision, and then — if everyone agrees — it’s a done deal. It’s the TRUTH. There’s nothing left but to crow about how smart and right you are about finding the truth (a’la Kipling’s Jungle Book, dancing around and chanting — misquoted as — ‘It is true because we say so”
There is, in such a tribal dance — a flat out dismissal, if not denial, of other factors. Then there are the addition of hotbutton words, to trigger other people’s Monkey to join the dance. She’s the sweet innocent victim who didn’t deserve to be brutalized and abused.
That’s the story they’re going to try to sell. If others disagree, that’s when the post hoc rationalizations, excuses and spindoctoring kicks in.
For example, she wasn’t verbally abusing him, she was standing up for herself. She wasn’t the aggressor, he obviously did something to disrespect her. She didn’t attack the cameraman, she was just defending her right not to be filmed. She didn’t attack the big guy, she responded to his threat against him (he was big and looming doncha know?). And most of all, HE abused her — while we’re at it he also violated her rights, by interfering with he free speech.
Now if you hadn’t seen the video, that story would make sense. Still to certain perspectives it still does. The reason why is I threw in hotbutton words. The word ‘abuse’ is just one of many hotbutton words. It sways you to a desired conclusion that I want you to make.
Hot button words trigger emotional — rather than rational — responses. Which results in the the Monkey smacking the rational human in the back of the head and saying “Bitch! Get into the kitchen and make me a rationalization”
(Free tip, I just used a bunch of hot button words in the last sentence.)
In some cases hot button words can be used like a squid spurts out ink, so the person can pull an “Elvis has left the building.” You see this in online — and I use the term loosely — debates, where someone calls someone a racist and storms off. (The new version of Godwin’s law. Or as the joke goes “What’s the new definition of racist? How you tell a white person to shut up).
In some cases, hot button words are simple attempts to control the conversation (it’s all about power and control doncha know?) If you trigger an emotional response you remove the emphasis of solving the problem, but turning it into a Monkey problem. (I’m right, good, pure and just and you’re stupid, evil, wrong. mean and a lesser being.)
In other cases hot button words are flat out attack words. They are aggressively used and are thrown like war-darts to hurt, confuse and intimate your ‘enemy.’ Apparently the term ‘enemy’ translates into anyone who doesn’t agree with your Monkey’s judgmental and often hateful and irrational ‘Truth”
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GT2zI8lVA