The Hunter Biden Soap Opera Obsession and Normalcy Bias

A fascination seems to have gripped conservative Baby Boomers ("boomer" is largely a mentality, not an age group) regarding the unfolding saga surrounding Hunter Biden. It is a curious observation I have noticed, with older friends constantly providing regular updates, while a dear relatives reliably sends me the latest news reports on the matter. Instead of harboring frustration, I find myself genuinely intrigued by this phenomenon from a sociological standpoint. Is it merely an interest in tabloid-like drama that captivates them, or could it be an indication of a deeper sense of significance, perhaps implying its relevance in the grander scheme of things?

Drawing an analogy of the greatest generation's loyalty to FDR despite evidence he wasn't all that and a bag of chips, one might surmise that these Boomers' attachment to the Hunter Biden issue is born out of familiarity and deep-rooted beliefs. It is possible that this controversy has become an integral part of their narrative, a symbol of their political identity that they are unwilling to let go of easily.

In essence, it is what they know and understand, and changing these long-held perceptions could be akin to challenging the core of their beliefs. Eventually, the country will see the truth and justice will prevail. The courts will mete out punishment and Biden will do the graceful thing and resign, or else he will be impeached. Many of these people were teens or young adults in the Watergate Era so it is logical that they would expect the same rules to apply and a similar outcome.

Nonetheless, what sets this generation apart from others is their seemingly relentless obsession with the day-to-day developments surrounding their favored political characters. Millennials are often criticized for being glued to their devices, but this is a different manifestation of the same underlying phenomenon. These Boomers eagerly await updates, as if each new twist and turn in the narrative promises excitement and satisfaction. It is a spectacle of political intrigue that they are unwilling to miss, akin to a captivating television drama that keeps them hooked episode after episode. Indeed, that is what cable news seeks to do, so that element is not so surprising.

Moreover, it is worth noting that Baby Boomers laid the groundwork for the voracious appetite for news consumption that we observe today. Long before the internet dominated the media landscape, they were the generation that pioneered the art of following news 24/7 through the television. This early exposure to constant updates and coverage has likely played a role in shaping their continued fascination with political happenings, even in the digital age.

In conclusion, the preoccupation of conservative Boomers with the Hunter Biden controversy is a multifaceted and intriguing phenomenon beyond the misplaced hope that our political/justice system will prevail upon the corruption. It represents a complex interplay of entrenched beliefs, political identity, and a long-standing propensity for consuming news relentlessly.

While it may be easy to dismiss it as mere tabloid drama or unimportant in the long run, this phenomenon will come to be an important factor in the unfolding 2024 election. These "boomers" represent the normal, nominally engaged American who will expect that the system will play out, if not fairly, at least according to the unwritten rules of their lifetime. That is, the economic tables will reverse, the government will not become totalitarian, and they will not be persecuted for their right-wing beliefs. This view is naive and inconsistent with the way the Washington establishment, the media, and the Biden Administration has conducted itself.

At its heart, normalcy bias controls this reaction. While the son of the American president being involved in massive corruption and a disgustingly decadent lifestyle while potentially implicating the president himself in decades of graft is a huge news story, the Hunter Biden story itself is small beer. What this group should be concerned about is the lengths to which the media and politicos have been going to to minimize the narrative and the lackadaisical efforts the GOP has made to get to the bottom of it.

As an indicator of things to come, this obsession with "trivial" details like the soap-opera of the Biden family warn of the shock and surprise that the next election will bring. These "Days of Our Bidens" fans will be taken aghast when nothing inevitably happens to the Bidens, or, if it does, is parlayed into some sort of advantage for the Democratic Party. In their mind, the ship will right itself and they cannot possibly conceive of a USA that goes down the path of third-world corruption.

Old narratives have set the wrong expectations. Rather than being signs of impending disasters, a lifetime of "we didn't start the fire" type problems has set them up to assume nothing will get much worse. Today's stagflation is a repeat of that of the 1970s, not the failure of the post-Bretton Woods financial system. The events of the 2020 election was not a coup, but election games that have always happened. Being on the brink of war with China and Russia have always been on the menu since the Cold War started.

So what is the problem here? In short, these people will shit the bed when nothing happens to the Bidens (legal consequences, that is), they'll be astounded when Trump loses, again, and is possibly imprisoned and/or assassinated, while the Democrats finally grab Congress and the White House. As America nose-dives into a depression, tyranny, and WWIII, they are going to be "shocked, just shocked, I tell you!" that all of this seemingly came out of nowhere.

Ultimately, what the Hunter Biden addition represents is a failure to see the forest for the trees. These cable news political junkies are so busy looking at the salacious fine details they can't see the large picture of America beginning to collapse. Thus, like the person who stares at a spot five feet ahead of their front bumper while driving, the "BRIDGE OUT" signs will be quite the awful surprise.