Much of The Bubbler Institute is the study of the relationship between personality types and political worldview.

In past articles, we’ve covered how leftists tend to see things through a static lens, whereas conservatives see things as dynamic, fluid, and ever-changing.

For example, if you raise prices, the leftist will simply calculate the same number of purchases multiplied by the new price. Conservatives will estimate that the number of purchases will go down as people change their behavior based on the new information.

This is static vs dynamic.

And it helps to explain why “cancel culture” fits so neatly in the leftist worldview.

In a static world, once you say something you regret or do something others consider offensive, you cannot move on from it. You had a perfect record. A clean slate. But you ruined it, forever, by saying or writing what you did. And nothing can change it. Not now. Not ever. If you’re capable of saying it then, you’ll always be capable of saying it.

Meanwhile, viewed through the lens of a conservative, people say things they regret or don’t mean all the time. Likewise, people say things because they don’t understand the ramifications. They simply don’t know any better.

When someone says something controversial, a conservative will explain why it may be inappropriate or offensive and give that person a chance to learn and grow from their mistake.

(My favorite aspect of conservatism is actually that most conservatives have an appreciation for people with the courage to say controversial things and will usually respect, if not celebrate, those who say things that make others think.)

Cancel Culture, like static leftist thinking, assumes one can never redeem themselves or grow from past mistakes. Conservatives understand that to be human is to make mistakes and say things that sometimes offend others.

This is why true tolerance lives on the conservative side of the spectrum. Conservatives understand that things don’t always come out right. They also understand there is usually a context to things people do or say that may not be readily apparent under review.

Static thinking assumes that things don’t change and nothing moves or progresses, which is a bit ironic considering those who apply a static worldview refer to themselves as progressive.