Conservatives are Dumb

[T-Rexx]

No, that's not some partisan assertion of mine. It is the conclusion of a study by Brock University of Ontario.

Researchers there looked at IQ scores of children in the UK and USA and found that low-scoring kids were more likely to manifest prejudice and racism, and to hold conservative political views in adulthood.

Of particular interest is the analysis of U.S. data which showed that poor abstract reasoning skills in childhood are associated with homophobia in adulthood. Poor cognitive performance was also associated with a preference for "right-wing social conservatism and authoritarianism."

"We proposed and tested mediation models in which lower cognitive ability predicts greater prejudice, an effect mediated through the endorsement of right-wing ideologies (social conservatism, right-wing authoritarianism)."

Conservatives have long been characterized by a dislike of subtlety and nuance, factors which are themsleves associated with intelligence. Dr. Brian Nosek of the University of Virginia speculates that the conservative preference for sweeping, simple solutions to problems may result from their cognitive struggle with complexity.

"Reality is complicated and messy. Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies."

-Dr. Brian Nosek, University of Virginia

Let the flames begin!



Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism

Bright Minds and Dark Attitudes

 

[CowboyBob]

Is "dumb" the correct word?

Terms like: easily influenced & manipulated, susceptible, superstitious, sociopathic, prejudiced, xenophobic, allagiphobic & metathesiophobic come to mind also.

 

[T-Rexx]

Is "dumb" the correct word?

I was trying to come up with a term conservatives could understand.

 

[CowboyBob]

I was trying to come up with a term conservatives could understand.

Understandable. A 4 letter word.

 

[Benvolio]

It is clearly another study by liberals designed to reach an intended result.

 

[T-Rexx]

^ Yes. All academics are liberals.

But, within the context of the study, that may be because the mentally-challenged are not well-represented in academia.

 

[CowboyBob]

Conservatives love to throw around the word "liberal" like it's a bad thing. They've demonized the word. Do they even know the meaning of the word?

Here's the wiki definition of liberalism:

Liberalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Liberalism (from the Latin liberalis) is a political ideology or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality.

Dictionary:

Liberal | Define Liberal at Dictionary.com

favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

Synonyms:

progressive, broad-minded, unprejudiced, beneficent, charitable, openhanded, munificent, unstinting, lavish, generous, ample.

adjectives:

giving and generous in temperament or behavior, tolerant of other people

The free dictionary:

liberal - definition of liberal by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

merriam-webster:

Liberal - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Reading this I'm proud to be a liberal! Shall I investigate what conservative means?

 

[jackoroe]

Does the word "bait" mean anything to you? Inviting people to flame you in the opening post? You'd do well to consider some of the sage advice given by others as it relates to the title and tenor of the thread. If you'd like to clean it up and have another go at it, submit a post report with some suggestions. Otherwise it can remain closed.