Learned Optimism, Learned Helplessness, And Why Some Folks In Red States Just Never Give Up

Your help gives them the hope to keep going

Yesterday, while trying to tame my unruly garden, I saw the first grasshopper of the year (which seems early, doesn’t it?). And I was reminded of an old experiment – one that sheds light on important aspects of the Republican strategy and how we can fight back.

It’s an experiment you may have run (unintentionally) as a child. It requires one Mason jar, and one backyard grasshopper. You gently place the grasshopper in the jar, and secure the lid.

The poor thing will jump around like mad to try to get out. At least, it’ll jump around for a while. Eventually, after banging its head a few times, it will stop.

That's when you lift the lid.

Now, you'd think that upon seeing the open sky, the grasshopper would leap right out of the jar, wouldn't you?

But, usually, it doesn't. Not because it can't.

Because it won't.

It learned that when it jumps, it doesn't get anywhere. And so, it stops trying. That's what “learned helplessness” is all about.

Back in the '60s and '70s, a psychologist and researcher named Martin Seligman was part of the team that "discovered" learned helplessness. He studied it pretty extensively – and one of his most famous experiments involved people who were subjected to a loud, annoying noise.

One group could shut off the noise with a button. The second group's button wouldn't turn off the noise – no matter how many times they pushed it. A third group (the control group) didn't hear anything.

Later (usually the next day) all three groups would be in another situation involving noise. This time, to turn it off all they'd have to do is move their hands about 12 inches. The people in the first and third groups would figure it out pretty quickly.

But most of the folks in the second group – the learned helplessness group – didn't even try. They had learned that "resistance is futile."

Note that I said "most of the folks" in the second group.

Because about a third of the people and grasshoppers in these experiments never become helpless.

So Seligman spent the next 15 years figuring out why that is. What is it about this subset of creatures that makes them so resilient?

It's another learned trait. Optimism.

When people have an explanatory style that's optimistic, they tend to interpret setbacks as temporary, local, and changeable. As he puts it, these folks explain situations to themselves by saying – "It's going away quickly; it's just this one situation; I can do something about it."

It's when people feel like there's no end in sight, that it's a pervasive problem, and there's nothing they can do about their situation that they ... stop trying.

Why on earth am I talking about grasshoppers and psychologists?

Because the GOP has fine-tuned learned helplessness, and Democrats have unwittingly helped them.

Across the country there are state legislative and congressional districts that have been completely left behind – either uncontested or underfunded. They're gerrymandered to the hilt by Republicans armed with super sophisticated software that slices and dices voters to make it near impossible for a Democrat to win.

That's bad enough. But then we're told (by Democrats who are boasting about their "strategy") that those districts are "unwinnable," or a "waste of resources," or "not a priority." So funds don't go to those districts. Democrats often don't even run nominees in those districts.

First it was just one cycle. Then two. Now we're decades into huge swaths of the country having learned that there's nothing they can do about their situation. So why even try?

Republicans absolutely love this result, as you can imagine.

It makes it possible for them to do literally anything they want. Expel Democrats from the state legislature? Why not! Ban abortion? Sure! Defund public schools? Of course! Make voting even harder to make people even more depressed and helpless? You betcha...

The list is endless.

When there are no repercussions – in part because they've made people believe there's nothing they can do to stop them – they're limited only by their own imaginations.

But back to the good news. Learned helplessness is learned. So is learned optimism.

It's easy to reverse – if we all work together to make sure there are Democrats fighting in every district. That's why it's so important, whether you live in a blue district or a red one, to roll up your sleeves and help the red districts that seem "unwinnable."

They're only unwinnable because we've stopped trying. We can change that, right now.

You can change that, right now.

Friends, Republicans want you to be completely blind to your power. They want you to settle into the learned helplessness mindset that "rural America is too red," or "that district is too far gone."

Because they'd really rather you just ... get tired.

Get tired of trying. Get tired of pushing.

Get tired of the tough work so you'll stop doing it, already.

They want us to give up - to be content to sit in the middle of the Mason jar and stop jumping around so much.

I'm not willing to give them the satisfaction. I'll bet you're not either.

So let's work together and lift the lid off of the Mason jar, already.

Let's get to work.

Small Deeds For the Week of April 23, 2024

Here’s the part where – if you are so inclined – we roll up our sleeves and engage in what I like to call Action Therapy. Each week I share a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make.

This week I’m adding a bonus – a link to Every State Blue, the umbrella organization for state projects supporting down-ballot nominees in Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. Full disclosure that I’m the cofounder and executive director; our mission is to make sure that Democratic nominees fighting in the reddest, roughest, toughest districts in the country aren’t going it alone. You could say that my life’s work has been about combatting learned helplessness – and this is how I’m doing it for political nominees. You can learn more about our work, join a project, or support us, at https://everystateblue.org/

Here’s the to-do list for April 23, 2024.

Small Thing(s) to Read:

First, I attended a most excellent briefing yesterday from Sister District detailing the findings of a study they conducted about so-called “roll off” voters: those voters that vote for the top of the ticket, but do not vote for down-ballot candidates.

Their findings are fascinating. From their excellent memo:

“[R]oll-off voters are more likely to be: women; those who identify with a racial/ethnic category other than white; under the age of 45; those without a college degree, and ideologically moderate.

“In terms of knowledge and attitudes, we find that, in general, knowledge about what state legislators do is low, but roll-off voters are even less likely than down-ballot voters to identify the role of state legislators correctly.

“They are also less confident that they know enough to decide between state legislative candidates, and more likely to say that concern about potentially voting for the ‘wrong’ candidate has prevented them from voting in state legislative races.

“Comparing liberal roll-off voters with conservative roll-off voters, we find that far fewer liberal roll-off voters agree that state governments (not the federal government) should have the most authority over important decisions.

“More liberal roll-off voters than conservative roll-off voters agree that it is their civic duty to vote ONLY in races where they are familiar with the candidates. Throughout the survey, we find that women, voters under 45, those without a college degree, and voters of color are more likely than their counterparts to misidentify the role and influence of state governments, to feel like their votes don’t matter in state elections, say they don’t know enough to vote, and say they follow political news less.”

Honestly, it was an excellent event – and if you are working at all with state legislative candidates, voter turnout, or voter education, you will find their top-lines memo fascinating. Find it here: https://sisterdistrict.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Roll-Off-Toplines-Memo.pdf

Second, the news is awash with reporting about Trump’s trial, and for good reason. We are witnessing history, after all. But sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what the case is, and isn’t, about. This statement of facts, filed by the prosecutors, is a great summary of what their case is intending to show. It’s a short 12 pages (13 with the signature page) and lays out the facts that the prosecution will present. If you’ve been looking for “just the facts, ma’am,” here you go! Link here.

Small Event to Attend:

Join Indivisible and partner United for Democracy at Wednesday’s “STOP THE RELENTLESS POWER GRAB: VIRTUAL COMMUNITY KICKOFF.” From the description: Though the Supreme Court justices are not elected by the American people, they're put on the Court by leaders who are. And those elected leaders have a choice to make: Stand up to the MAGA justices' relentless power grab by committing to fix the Supreme Court OR enable the MAGA justices to take more control over our communities. 

It's time for us to leverage our collective voice to hold Congress accountable and demand they fight for our freedoms. We're coming together as organizers and advocates across the country to prepare to do just that. See you there.  

It’s on Wednesday at 8pm Eastern.

RSVP at this link.

Small Call to Make:

Isn’t it nice to be able to call and say thank you? I think so. It’s also important to bring carrots as much as we wield sticks. So today, check to see how your congresscritter voted on the supplemental security bill to Ukraine, and call them to say thank you if they voted in favor of it. (You can check how they voted at the Clerk’s roll call here.)

Script: Hi, my name is [name] and I’m calling from [zip]. I’m calling to thank the congress(wo)man for voting in favor of the security supplemental, and standing with our allies, including Ukraine. It’s really important for our national security, and it means a lot to me. Thanks!

Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! If you love what I do and you want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. It means a lot!