I rarely post political stories on this blog. It is, by and large, a photo diary about my excursions around northwestern Oregon featuring lots of scenic photos and stories about unusual restaurants. For my political views: 1600+ of them are here on Daily Kos).
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Did Will Smith have an Amygdala Hijack which explains his slapping Chris Rock?
I’ve only found one article about this subject:
The Neuroscience Behind Will Smith's Attack on Chris Rock — The Oscar-winning actor snapped due to a phenomenon called "amygdala hijack."
This is an except from what the author, neuroscientist Bobby Azarian, wrote:
So, when Will Smith perceived Chris Rock’s joke as a threat to his wife’s emotional well-being, it is not a surprise that he did what he did. His amygdala temporarily hijacked his cognitive system, and for whatever reason, his prefrontal cortex was not able to override his automatic behavioral response in time.
The now famous Academy Award slap is being discussed on TV and online but nobody is considering the possibility that Will Smith was not in control of his emotions and of his actual behavior when by all appearances he purposefully walked from his seat onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock. Except for the one article everyone discussing this is assuming Smith was acting rationally, that he was in total control of his emotions.
I thought immediately that because what he did was so self-defeating that he was not processing the consequences of his action as he did this but was on a sort of automatic pilot as a result of having what medically is called an Amygdala Hijack. Consider these articles:
An amygdala hijack is an emotional response that is immediate, overwhelming, and out of measure with the actual stimulus because it has triggered a much more significant emotional threat.[1] The term was coined by Daniel Goleman in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.[2]
Amygdala Hijack: When Emotion Takes Over, Healthline
This article explains how under some stressful situations the fight or flight response is triggered and how under some circumstances the “thinking part” of the brain is “turned” off and the “reactionary” part of the brain takes over resulting in impulsive behavior.
All About Amygdala Hijack, Psych Central
Consider the examples from the Psych Central article:
- Your boss criticizes you in front of your coworkers. You’re so angry that you yell back and quit your job.
- A car swerves in your lane nearly causing an accident. You go into road rage and throw your smoothie in their window.
- You get a phone call that your loved one is in the emergency room, but you’re so distressed that you don’t hear the details.
- You win the lottery, and your excitement makes you scream and cause a scene in the convenience store.
- You lose a tennis match, and in your anger, you throw your racket across the court.
- You’ve been trying for 5 minutes to open a can, and you’re so angry and frustrated you slam it on the counter.
Could you add the following?
- Someone hurts your wife’s feelings on national television and you become so enraged you commit the crime of assault and battery without thinking of the consequences.
While Smith did not react to a physical threat, and thus the explanation of his behavior as an amygdala hijack may not fit exactly, it may be that seeing his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, being so distressed triggered rage rather than fear. If this is what happened, he either did not even think of the negative fallout from what he was doing as he was doing it, or may have been in a kind of detached mental state knowing at some level, perhaps observing himself from outside that he should stop himself but was unable to do so.
Poll90 votesHow likely do you think that Will Smith was not in total control of his behavior when he slapped Chris Rock? 10 = Very likely to 0 = Very unlikely
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| The state park is named for the Molalla River which flows through the park but it also includes a portion of the Pudding River and it is on the bank of the Willamette River where the perfect picnic table was. The Willamette River flows downstream to the park in West Linn, to the waterfalls, and eventually to where I live. "The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is 187 miles long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia." (Wikipedia) |
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| Lots of people had carved their initials into the tires. |
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| The ultimate fish salad made with halibut instead of tuna. It tastes better eaten by a body of water. Okay, it wasn't the the ocean but the Pacific is almost a two hour drive away and it took less than a half hour to get here. |
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| The rest room weren't exactly clean, but then they were only a short walk from the picnic table. |
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| Only three small boats passed by on the river. |
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| Boat ramp |
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| The Canby Ferry |
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| Canby Ferry |
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| This is how close the car was. |
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| Chick-a-dee |
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| One of the walking paths. |
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| Downriver you can see the old Blue Heron paper mills at the foot of Willamette Falls in the distance. |
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| The view upriver. |
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| A long pier anyone can walk out on. |
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| Leaving Oregon City to head through Canby and then on to Aurora. |
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| Outside the men's bathroom: "I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy." |
The walk around town.
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| This was in front of the house with the Trump flags. The stripes on the left side of the window indicate he made it to being a master sergeant. |
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| The man who apparently lives in the pro-Trump house |
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| The pro-Trump man |
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| Across the street from the pro-trumpet |
On the way home it had totally clouded over and was raining.
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| Truck from Salt Lake City, Utah I looked up the company because I thought the skunk logo was cute. |
This is from their website: Everything we do is so stinkin’ dependable -- including your paycheck. Consistent miles means you know what you’ll be earning all year round.
We know that good benefits and shiny trucks aren’t all that matter. Being treated with the respect that you deserve is essential. We’ve built our company on always putting our drivers first -- ahead of profits, customers, or egos. With us, you’re not a truck number. You have a name, a family, and you’re the backbone of our company and we treat you as such every day. Their website.  |
| I am not sure what this means although the pride colors see, to be in the shape of Idaho. The SUV had Oregon plates. |
Lumber prices soar again, adding $18K to new home costs").
Layered, full of spite but mine
How this day without you in past
Regarded flames
Can you hold still and know
Your best taints everything near
A roundness, a beauty, yet
If a goddess allowed
I would trade all lesser botanicals
Once more for your smile
Your jest, your natural pungence
Yellowless world have you
Void of heart, been an opportunist
Let me dive into the tilled soil
With deft toes tear loose
A bit of sky spiralling ever down
Unthread blueness and wispy clouds
Pull them completely in
That all may know how unkind
An unkindness has been
Garden maestro take a bow
Sky you also bow today
For my sweet onion is frayed
Tightly bruised under fine layers
Deglaze yourself my desire
My martyr, my innocent onion
Rest sweetness, dream once more
In the loneliest time in my life, I spent a lot of time in my local bagel shop. I was living in Baltimore, a new city, and had just gone through a splintering breakup. As a middle school teacher living with two others, I was often surrounded by people. And yet I was lonely in my classroom full of students and lonely in my apartment full of roommates. I was lonely in my room at night, where Netflix would accost me with the passive aggressive, "Are you still watching?"
On Sunday mornings at the bagel shop though, being alone never felt so bad. I had my Sundays down to a science. Grabbing my latest book, I drove eight minutes to the bagel store by the water, one of the few routes I had memorized. There, I waited in line while watching for a booth to empty.
A bagel store on a Sunday morning is like an exhibit of dioramas, perfect human moments displayed in miniature all around you. The college kids in sweatpants, clutching chocolate milk in their fists like hangover talismans. Parents wiping schmear from their children's cheeks as the little ones babbled and squawked. Each person who approached the counter seemed deserving of attention, of appreciation. (Except for the blueberry bagel types. You know the ones.)
Here's the Secret Dinertorium as it was being set up for four. Note that it is a dog friendly eatery.
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Here's a decrepit motel on a side street. Note the anti-Biden "Let's Go Brandon" sign in the window.
While rural areas around Portland may have numerous pro-Trump residents willing to display their support for the former president (there were a few houses with pro-Trump flags) the residents of this house were obviously not among them.
Politics & Voting in Estacada, Oregon (Link)
The Political Climate in Estacada, OR is Leaning liberal.
Clackamas County, OR is Somewhat liberal. In Clackamas County, OR 54.0% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 42.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.2% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Clackamas county (borders on the city of Portland and is where I live) remained strongly Democratic, 54.0% to 42.9%.
Clackamas county voted Democratic in the four most recent Presidential elections, after 2000 and 2004 went Republican
This restaurant isn't in the downtown section. It is across the busy street and located by the river. This is from their website.
The Cazadero Steakhouse, formerly The Cazadero Inn, is an icon for many who live or travel through Estacada. Located on the beautiful Clackamas River, the Cazadero offers an arrary of 5 star dishes, everything from berry pancakes to house smoked prime rib. We take special care to pick high quality products and prepare our meals from scratch when ordered. Menu here.
