Why are so many people today turning to extreme beliefs? Whether it’s political, religious, or cultural, the appeal of fundamentalism seems stronger than ever. We dig into the surprising reasons why, and it all starts with…the Cheesecake Factory?
Transcript:
"If American civilization collapses into conflict and chaos, historians will look back and know exactly who to blame—The Cheesecake Factory. Let me explain...
The Cheesecake Factory menu is legendary. 23 pages long with over 250 items. There are so many options, diners are often overwhelmed. This menu epitomizes what Psychologist Barry Schwartz calls "the tyranny of choice." We usually consider having choices to be a good thing; it's how modern people usually define what it means to be free. But in a 2004 article, Schwartz found that having too many options actually makes people feel anxious and ultimately
dissatisfied with their decision.
Think about it. No one second-guesses their order at Chipotle because there's only five things on the menu. But at the Cheesecake Factory you're always left wondering if you really made the best choice. That's why Schwartz's research found having more choices actually increases anxiety and decreases satisfaction. Being more "free" makes people less happy.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to restaurants. Capitalism and technology have created an explosion of choices in every part of our lives. A generation ago, your potential pool of spouses was limited to your immediate community—your school, church, workplace, or neighborhood. Now, with dating apps, the choices are endless. And remember when there were only two genders? Today, some argue there are over seventy! Having all of these choices is supposed to make us more free and more happy. But that's not what the data shows. Over the last 50 years, Americans' happiness has declined and anxiety has skyrocketed (especially among the young). Like Berry Schwartz said, having unlimited choices is its own kind of tyranny.
What does this have to do with the collapse of civilization? Gald you asked.
A German sociologist named Arnold Gehlen (Gay-lin) observed that when people become overwhelmed with decisions—when they are constantly living under the tyranny of choice—they actually start looking for a way to reduce the number of options in their lives. They long for simplicity and clarity. They want fewer items on life's menu so they can be less anxious and less dissatisfied. People will actually opt for LESS freedom.
And that, said Gehlen, is when fundamentalism becomes appealing.
When we hear "fundamentalism" we usually think about religious fundamentalism. And that's because the term began as a way of describing Christians in the early 20th century who were committed to the "fundamentals" of the faith. But since then, the word has been applied to other religions, and today we even speak about secular and political groups as fundamentalists. In fact, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines fundamentalism as: "a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles" [330] I like how Richard Land defined it. He said, "Fundamentalism is far more a psychology than a
theology." In other words, it's not defined by what a person believes but how they believe it.
Fundamentalism is all about certainty. There's no room for doubts, questions, or ambiguity. And that's what makes it so tempting to people overwhelmed by a rapidly-changing culture filled with endless choices. Fundamentalism comes along and says: "You don't have to worry anymore whether you're making the right decision. You don't have to spend all of your time and energy making sense of the hundreds of items on the menu. In fact, don't bother looking at the menu at all. We'll order for you because we have all of the answers." By claiming to possess the truth with absolute certainty, fundamentalism allows fearful people to outsource their decision-making and promises to exchange their anxiety for tranquility. It frees them from the tyranny of choice. Not sure who to marry or even how to define marriage? Don't worry about it. We gotcha. Confused about politics? We'll tell you who to vote for. Trying to understand climate science? Don't hurt your brain. We have a simple answer. And all of the alphabet issues—LGBTQIA, BLM, CRT, DEI, SEL, ESG...we'll tell you who's A-OK and who's DOA.
It sounds like a pretty good bargain. But there's a catch. The certainty claimed by
fundamentalism is only maintained when hitched to two other qualities. David French identifies them as ferocity and solidarity. Solidarity means staying tightly connected to other fundamentalists who share your certainty and doing everything possible to avoid people who might make you question it. And if you do encounter a person or idea that challenges your certainty, ferocity means you are obligated to fight and destroy them. Because those who don't share your certainty aren't just different or wrong—they are evil. So, fundamentalism may promise to replace anxiety with peace, but in reality it replaces anxiety with anger. But for most people, that's still a win because while fear makes us feel weak, anger makes us feel powerful. And that's especially true when we're surrounding by a community that validates our anger and directs it against a shared enemy. This is why certainty, ferocity, and solidarity always go together. They are the indivisible, unholy trinity found in every form of fundamentalism—whether it's religious or secular, conservative or progressive.
And that brings us to the real problem. The United States was crated to be a diverse, tolerant society where people are free to believe, worship, and express divergent and even unpopular things. These rights are enshrined in our founding documents, and they have attracted people from all over the world to these shores for hundreds of years. But, ironically, it's this growing diversity that drives more people to fundamentalism. With so many different people, holding so many different beliefs, Americans on both the Right and Left have a growing appetite for
simplicity; for certainty. But a society as diverse as ours cannot flourish if more and more people embrace intolerant and incompatible forms of fundamentalism. A pluralistic culture that sees anger as a virtue and differences as evil will, in time, tear itself apart. So, what do we do?
Well, those of us who follow the way of Jesus Christ have to offer an alternative solution to the tyranny of choice. As people become overwhelmed with all of the diversity, decisions, and dilemmas of modern life, they have to see a response in us that is better than the one offered by the fundamentalisms on the right and left.
Rather than certainty, we can show them humility—the kind that comes from rooting our security in God's unwavering love rather than in having all the right answers. Rather than ferocity, we can show them empathy—a willingness to listen, engage, and
understand those who are not like us even if we don't agree. And rather than hostile solidarity, we can show Christlike hospitality—an openness toward those who don't share our beliefs and values because we view them as neighbors to be loved rather than as enemies to be defeated.
Look, despite what conservative fundamentalism claims, we can't go back in time to a simpler era. And despite what progressive fundamentalism says, we can't just get rid of the people on "the wrong side of history." Diversity and choices are part of modern life. We can't make The Cheesecake Factory into Chipotle. But we can offer better ways of managing the diversity and
choices.
To learn more, check out the resources in the notes and follow us at The Holy Post."
Resources:
The Tyranny of Choice by Barry Schwartz https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-tyranny-of-choice/
Rise of Teen Anxiety
Decline of America's Happiness
Why Fundamentalists Love Trump by David French
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