Evan Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Quick note to mods, I wasn't sure which forum to post this under. I apologize if you need to move it. Conservatives Scare More Easily Than Liberals, Say ScientistsBy Brandon Keim September 18, 2008 | 4:09:46 PM Deep-seated political differences aren't simply moral and intellectual: They're also biological. In reflex tests of 46 political partisans, psychologists found that conservatives were more likely than liberals to be shocked by sudden threats. Accompanying the physiological differences were deep differences on hot-button political issues: military expansion, the Iraq war, gun control, capital punishment, the Patriot act, warrantless searches, foreign aid, abortion rights, gay marriage, premarital sex and pornography. "People are experiencing the world, experiencing threat, differently," said University of Nebraska political scientist John Hibbing. "We have very different physiological orientations." article Despite already knowing this, I need to look for an article linking fear and religion later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Ha ha GOP: Grand Old Pussies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 I do question the results of this study though. First of all, 46 isn't anywhere near large enough to come up with anything conclusive. Second, if political orientation is so heavily based on temperment why is it that huge swathes of geographical areas are made up of people with the same political leanings? Do all the squeemish migrate together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 I do question the results of this study though. First of all, 46 isn't anywhere near large enough to come up with anything conclusive. Second, if political orientation is so heavily based on temperment why is it that huge swathes of geographical areas are made up of people with the same political leanings? Do all the squeemish migrate together? 46 is a pretty good sized group for something like this. Follow-up studies will likely be larger. I would imagine that there's a certain logic to the saying "Birds of a feather flock together." But lots of people simply adopt the political "views" of those around them. Once some of these people leave the "nest" (I really don't mean to use this bird metaphor) they alter their ideology. The xenophobic stranglehold from their hometown is lost and their "true" self emerges. If they're fearful then that should remain wherever they go but if not then that person should become dominate. Sort of how people still go to church and are xians at home (around the folks, etc.) but are atheists in their "real" lives. They're conservative in that home environment (where they're "watched" and where they don't want to argue/debate their views) but they're liberal elsewhere (or vice-versa). Am I making sense? Although, I don't really care for how this data is presented. I see Rebuplicans and Democrats as two sides of the same coin anymore (effectively nanny state types). The Republicans want to protect me from some terrorists "out there." The Democrats want to protect me from, well, me (and take care of me with health care and other programs). So they're at that end of the spectrum. Then you have something like Libertarians at the other end that don't want to do much of anything for anyone at all. Wouldn't that really be the more logical comparison here? Something like that? The "I need a government to do lots of things for me (whatever those things are)" versus the "I only require the bare minimum from a government (and I'll do the rest for myself)" type of person. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Skiiirded ov whutt'n? sheeze.. futtabunchawukkups.. I hope that wasn't "public funding" behind that study.. THAT I'd be skardidded of.. kFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Can I boo a conservative regardless of day? (Except for Halloween- That's the traditional Scare-A-Conservative Day.) Ya know, I have a Rainbow T-Shirt that needs dusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Second, if political orientation is so heavily based on temperment why is it that huge swathes of geographical areas are made up of people with the same political leanings? Do all the squeemish migrate together? I'm really interested this - there is some interesting stuff being discussed along these lines at the moment - and it links in with how much of who we are is 'biological' and how much is 'cultural'. I love this talk, linked before and I think it goes some way to offer an explanation about those huge swathes - it also shone of spotlight on my own predjudices and political assumptions in the opening moments and challenged me accordingly. and Vigile, just incase what I've said here isn't quite enough to grab your attention, this talk begins with the line, ' imagine two american friends are travelling in Italy together ...' http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jonatha...moral_mind.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuaiDan Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I do question the results of this study though. First of all, 46 isn't anywhere near large enough to come up with anything conclusive. Second, if political orientation is so heavily based on temperment why is it that huge swathes of geographical areas are made up of people with the same political leanings? Do all the squeemish migrate together? You might be putting the cart before the horse. One's cultural leanings are heavily dependent on one's birthplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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