Episode Details

If facts worked, this would be over already.

They don’t and there’s a reason.

Most people think some supporters ignore facts because they’re uninformed.

That’s not what’s happening.

The mechanism is identity fusion.

Identity fusion is when a person’s sense of self merges with a group or a leader.

At that point, criticism doesn’t feel like disagreement.

It feels like a personal threat.

So judgment changes.

Standards apply to everyone else but us

Behavior they wouldn’t accept from anyone else gets excused, minimized, or reframed as necessary.

Not because their values disappearedbut because defending the group feels like defending themselves.

That’s why evidence doesn’t work.

You’re not debating facts.

You’re triggering a threat response.

And once identity is on the line,truth stops being the priority.Belonging is.

That’s not ignorance.That’s fear overriding judgment.