My Cognitive Dissonance

I want to start with the definition of cognitive dissonance because I hear the term a lot, but there are times when I’m just a little unclear on the meaning so it will help me out to keep referring back to it.

The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude changes.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Now I hear this a lot during politics chat and mainly my understanding of it is around why person A would vote for person B? If person A is a decent human being who holds to certain standards, values and morals, why would they then vote for moral delinquents, i.e. person B? You only have to look at Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, a proven liar, cheat and philanderer to encounter cognitive dissonance, because a lot of people like and / or would vote for him, but would go nowhere near the moral depravity that he so enjoys. Why are these decent people voting for an indecent man? And there shines cognitive dissonance.

And so I must confess that I have some cognitive dissonance in my life and I’d like to unload myself of it. Fucking e-scooters. (And you thought this was going to be another post about politics.) Those shitty little machines that their riders think can go anywhere, weave in and out of traffic, mount the pavement, ride flat out over the rules of the road and they’re a fucking nuisance. Now in my brain, I know that e-scooters can be a good thing for society. They are electric. They cut down on needless fossil fuel powered car journeys. They are a convenient way for someone to get from A to B in a timely fashion. They help those who are not as physically able to cover distances that they might not be able to cover by themselves. They can be seen as good. I know this with no doubts.

But if I’m driving, get these fucking things off the road. Multiple times, I’ve nearly run one down and through no fault of my own. I work on a one way street and the amount of times I’ve pulled out of said street driving the correct way, only to encounter an e-scooter going the wrong way up the street is multiplying. AND if I’m on the pavement, walking my merry way along and I encounter an e-scooter, get the fuck off the pavement. The pavement is not for your metal machine, unless it is strictly an aid for mobility. So in my mind, where are these e-scooters meant to go? Essentially wherever I am not. O and it would help if some people where given some instruction on how to ride them sensibly.

What doesn’t help me is that I am the worst kind of pedestrian. Cognitive dissonance alarm! Because I will cross the road when I shouldn’t, I will nip out from behind a parked vehicle, I will walk wherever the fuck I want. All the while, me in the car staring at me being a pedestrian is swearing out loud at me. And I’m the worst kind of bicycle rider as well. I will nip onto the pavement to navigate a red light if it suits me, I will swerve out of the way of pot holes, large puddles and shit that’s in the road. And again, me in the car, cursing at me on the bike.

I suppose for now my cognitive dissonance is just there and I need to work it out and what I’m going to do with it and how to lessen it a bit. What’s your cognitive dissonance?