Society/Culture Why do less intelligent people gravitate to conservative/right wing ideology.

[Mofra]

The Daily Mail article reports upon a study by Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. (another Canadian Academic Psychologist but without a youtube presence). He looked at data from 2 UK studies testing child development. The subjects were
(a) 4,267 boys and 4,537 girls born in 1958;
(b) 3,412 boys and 3,658 girls born in 1970.

The tests were of
(c) verbal and non verbal intelligence; and
(d) cognitive abilities (number recall, shape-drawing tasks, defining words and identifying patterns and similarities among words).

In both surveys, 23 years later, the same groups were asked to answer a series of questions about traditions, authority and attitudes toward other races. Hodson then postulated a definition of conservatism which is undefined but looks to be based upon attitudes towards Authority and other races and concluded that low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservtive ideologies.

I’d very cautious about accepting the conclusions drawn by Grin and his gaggle of applauders from the article helpfully posted by Mofra

So would I.

Here's a meta-analysis that's far more wide ranging.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/55893129.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiZksKNiq38AhWmwjgGHVyFAdQQFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2xHhvNmp4MW8yHxMsywA_c

There is a significant body of work on the subject. Assuming the entire concept is based off a single study is folly.

 

[royale with cheese]

We should have big inheritance taxes. Intergenerational wealth transfer is a blight on society.

Why should what I earned over my lifetime not go to my children after I die? If it isn’t, and instead to go to some useless bureaucrat spending it on some useless government program, then I will spend it on myself and my children while I am alive.

 

[kranky al]

 

[Chief]

Same righty conservative people using "The Matrix" as an analogy for their experience when it's in fact a trans analogy? Or metaphor or whatever...

 

[PieLebo87]

Is it possible to have different views on multiple different topics without being pigeonholed as either left or right?

 

[mr bagcroft]

Is it possible to have different views on multiple different topics without being pigeonholed as either left or right?

Absolutely unequivocally not.

 

[kranky al]

Absolutely unequivocally not.

Youre right there.

 

[Gethelred]

Is it possible to have different views on multiple different topics without being pigeonholed as either left or right?

Your question is a good deal more interesting than most Horseshoe theory posts on here.

This assumes that a person can willingly be a single thing in the first instance. You are more than a single position or opinion, and while a majority of your views could be left or right wing you are still entirely too complex to be summarised in that fashion.

 

[Engimal v3]

Is it possible to have different views on multiple different topics without being pigeonholed as either left or right?

Yes. All my very views are extremely nuanced, as I'm an enlightened centrist and have a very big brain

 

[kranky al]

 

[kranky al]

 

[Cap]

Interesting video. Feels like it sits here

 

[Todman]

The thing with stupid people/conservatives in general is that they refuse to change their mind in the face of overwhelming evidence that debunks their beliefs.

My idiot Aunt, who is well meaning but I am sure is navigating life with a sub-70 IQ continues to vote Liberal because she genuinely believes Albanese's number one agenda is to impose an inheritance tax. Asked to provide evidence of this she comes up short. She also believes that conservatives are better with money despite all evidence to the contrary. She does not believe we have about a trillion dollars of debt. She says that is a lie made up by Labor people who are trying to con voters.

I am amazed such people have the brain matter that allows them to function in any useful manner at all.

Why do you have such a high level of hate to your aunt that you admit means well? Death duties or inheritance tax has been tried before in many countries around the world and most have abandoned collecting the tax. It is a tax that is too difficult and costly to collect.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

There's been a lot of sooking lately. Are the conservatives okay?

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Why do you have such a high level of hate to your aunt that you admit means well? Death duties or inheritance tax has been tried before in many countries around the world and most have abandoned collecting the tax. It is a tax that is too difficult and costly to collect.

Because stupid, ignorant people are destroying humanity.

 

[kranky al]

Why do you have such a high level of hate to your aunt that you admit means well? Death duties or inheritance tax has been tried before in many countries around the world and most have abandoned collecting the tax. It is a tax that is too difficult and costly to collect.

He wasnt suggesting death duties.

He stated his aunts erroneous beliefs and utter denialism of a plain fact…. To whit “Liberals debt”

Interesting how you attempt to strawman him but

 

[Todman]

He wasnt suggesting death duties.

He stated his aunts erroneous beliefs and utter denialism of a plain fact…. To whit “Liberals debt”

Interesting how you attempt to strawman him but

I wasn't strawmaning him, but pointing out his Hypocrisy .

 

[Todman]

Because stupid, ignorant people are destroying humanity.

It was the smart ones that created the atomic bomb and Covid.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

It was the smart ones that created the atomic bomb and Covid.

Well I don't know about the second one but you are correct about the first.

Oppenheimer is a movie I am looking forward to.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

I wasn't strawmaning him, but pointing out his Hypocrisy .

Well given you know nothing of my family that is an extraordinary comment. Given there are deeper family issues also at play do you really think I am going to share them with you on a public forum?

But I am prepared to tell you that my Aunt's belief system is just to the right of Hitler's. The one concession that I will give her is that she seems intellectually incapable of understanding this. She questions nothing and believes every conspiracy that she is spoon fed.

She is also allowed to vote which scares the f*** out of me.

 

[Todman]

Well given you know nothing of my family that is an extraordinary comment. Given there are deeper family issues also at play do you really think I am going to share them with you on a public forum?

But I am prepared to tell you that my Aunt's belief system is just to the right of Hitler's. The one concession that I will give her is that she is intellectually incapable of understanding this.

So your aunt is a social democrat.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

So your aunt is a social democrat.

Not sure why you feel the need to pursue this.

 

[kranky al]

I wasn't strawmaning him, but pointing out his Hypocrisy .

What hypocrisy was that pray tell?

 

[Cap]

Alabama's redistricting brawl rehashes bitter fight over voting rights

A federal court directed lawmakers to draw two majority Black districts or "something quite close to it." The GOP-dominated legislature's maps don't do that.

www.politico.com

I don't think this is the right thread, but I find this interesting.

Clearly we have a position here where doing the right thing, could cause a loss of power.

And those in charge are choosing not to do the right thing. What drives that? Is it purely power ?

 

[Gethelred]

Alabama's redistricting brawl rehashes bitter fight over voting rights

A federal court directed lawmakers to draw two majority Black districts or "something quite close to it." The GOP-dominated legislature's maps don't do that.

www.politico.com

I don't think this is the right thread, but I find this interesting.

Clearly we have a position here where doing the right thing, could cause a loss of power.

And those in charge are choosing not to do the right thing. What drives that? Is it purely power ?

I think there's some fear in there, too.

Think of it like this: if the point of a hierarchy is to ensure that power is left to the right people to use it - which I would argue is how right wingers see hierarchies, organic systems of merit in which those highest have 'earned' their position somehow - then any attempts to dismantle those hierarchies result in adverse outcomes. If a hierarchy is constructed to exclude black people, then that fear entails that not only would those black people be the incorrect people to give power to but they would then use the hierarchy to suit themselves; ie, newcomers to power would use their power precisely how those who've always had it do, to benefit themselves. Righteous power ceases to be righteous because there is not benefit for them, and is diluted by giving it to the wrong people who will use it in the wrong way.

It's racist, but it's also human nature through a right wing lens.

 

[Cap]

I think there's some fear in there, too.

Think of it like this: if the point of a hierarchy is to ensure that power is left to the right people to use it - which I would argue is how right wingers see hierarchies, organic systems of merit in which those highest have 'earned' their position somehow - then any attempts to dismantle those hierarchies result in adverse outcomes. If a hierarchy is constructed to exclude black people, then that fear entails that not only would those black people be the incorrect people to give power to but they would then use the hierarchy to suit themselves; ie, newcomers to power would use their power precisely how those who've always had it do, to benefit themselves. Righteous power ceases to be righteous because there is not benefit for them, and is diluted by giving it to the wrong people who will use it in the wrong way.

It's racist, but it's also human nature through a right wing lens.

I agree it's fear, which many issues deemed progressive seem to elicit from people who claim to be right wing.

What I find interesting is the thought process of if we let them vote, they won't vote for us. With the complete lack of consideration to why.

Ultimately I agree, it's most likely racism, I mean you only need engage with hardcore republicans, especially those who support them from afar to get that sense, but I'm trying to not go straight there I guess.