Earlier this morning, I was musing on why it is that people seem to prefer to believe a lie, rather than reject it. I suspect it's because, if they don't know something is a lie to begin with and believe what they're told, finding out later that they were deceived is very upsetting. It means they've been disrespected.

The natural reaction, if we're given a choice between having made a mistake or accepting the disrespect, is to opt for the former. Every self-respecting person can make a mistake; being fooled challenges our self-confidence. So, we resist it.

It isn't that we can't take the truth; it's that having been lied to is perceived as a threat and intimidating. Which, of course, is the point.

John McCain lies to intimidate. In a sense, his intimidator is constantly on. And, it seems, he doesn't rely just on lies.

I don't know how credible Doug Thompson is. But, even if his recitation is not entirely credible, it's a good example of the point I want to make about the essential purpose of racist, sexist and homophobic utterances (sometimes disguised as jokes).

McCain: racist, bigot & homophobe

By DOUG THOMPSON

August 1, 2008 - 7:14am

John McCain, a member of the House of Representatives in the mid-1980s, often held court at a table near the bar at Bullfeathers, a popular Capitol Hill watering hole, telling jokes and matching hangers-on drink by drink.

As a Capitol Hill chief of staff, I often drank at Bullfeathers and was invited to join the throng at McCain's table one evening. A few minutes listening to the racism, bigotry and homophobia of the Arizona Congressman told me all I needed to know.

McCain loved to tell jokes about lesbians, blacks, Hispanics and the Vietnamese community that occupied a large section of Arlington County, Virginia, just south of the District of Columbia.

Of course, McCain didn't use polite language in the jokes: He used names like "fags" or "queers" or "dykes" or "niggers" or "spics" or "wetbacks" or "gooks."

Thompson provides examples, but I won't post them for the simple reason that it's not necessary to make my point. Which is that the reason someone like McCain expresses antagonism towards certain targetable groups and makes off-color jokes isn't to entertain, but to enmesh his audience in a "shared antagonism" and an association by guilt when they fail to object to his offensive behavior.

If they don't "call him out," then they're immediately as guilty as he. That he not be called out is, of course, the goal. Doing it in a group makes it doubly effective because anyone who would object has to take into account how the others are likely to react and take the risk of being outnumbered.

If the offense is such that it can't be stomached, then, in addition to absenting oneself and keeping one's distance in future, the sensible thing seems to be to come up with some excuse to explain away the misbehavior (he's a drunk; it's the stress of the job; some major life crisis) one doesn't want to be responsible for. In McCain's case, it's his POW experience which people have relied on to deny the reality that he's really out to intimidate and dominate everyone within his orbit.

And that he'll use whatever it takes to "connect" with his opponents. That's what's so off-putting. There are no boundaries keeping him in check.

What makes a man ruthless? Very likely, it's a lust for power which, to our misfortune, can never be satisfied. Because, at base, it springs from a deep sense of insecurity that's been gnawing at his innards since he was a child.

On a lighter note, let me just briefly refer you to TBRNews for an example of a "reasonable" explanation for McCain's behavior.

.... There exists, and has been circulated, a military medical examination report on McCain. I have a copy as do many others but I cannot have it put up on the internet because it is a personal medical record and as such, secure from exposure. However, it is not illegal to discuss the thrust of the report. There is a discussion of McCain’s earlier melanoma which appears to in remission but not gone. His mental state is also covered.

There are some interesting passages that speak of “a sharp drop in function....deficits in global cognitive ability, episodic memory...deficits in verbal ability....words do not come as quickly as they once did....and under executive function...his decision making has become more challenging....recent recall is diminished...recent events quickly forgotten (McCain will make a flat statement of policy on television and three days later, when asked about it by a media reporter, will flatly, and angrily, deny ever having said it) .....forgets common words while speaking or will substitute unusual words...has been forgetting recently learned information

....

This is all very interesting but I have something that might be of some interest to my readers and show several things I have been speaking of here. People suffering with pre-Alzheimer’s have motor problems. In McCain’s case, it has been observed that he has problems with learned habits. McCain is left-handed but was taught to shake hands with his right hand. Now, we see him approaching people and then when it comes time to shake a hand, he hesitates, his face twitches and his head jerks to one side and you can see him try to put out his left hand. Usually, an aide will whisper to him and he will stop, make a foolish grin and put out his right hand. ....

Excuses, excuses. We all make excuses. Why do we do it? Because we're kind hearted people. Unfortunately, that makes us patsies for the McNasties of the world.