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.

 

[kickazz]

Surely that's not real. Either way it's piss funny.


Or not so funny.

 

[Gough]

In their own minds all conspiracy theorists are geniuses because it's the only way they can rationalise what they believe.

 

[evolved2]

View attachment 1948221

Such an obvious parody. C'mon guys!

 

[Chief]

Less intelligent people gravitate towards populism and authoritarinism. And they exist on both the left and right. Mostly the right. But there are plenty on the left too.

Got to say that the way the UK right wing is trashing the place I've stopped laughing at their stupidity and started turning away from the awful messes they keep making, the theft and injustice they take part in.

The US kooks - I stopped watching the funny gotchas at Trump rallies because they aren't a small minority.

They aren't the majority, but they are less intelligent or less educated people - after defunding education for decades - being taken for a complete ride, and not fading away onto the next thing that I can see. It's not entertaining for me at the moment. Maybe the lulz will return to my dead eyes one day.

 

[TheArchitect]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

 

[ElectricG]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

Some combination of their tendency to think anyone on the right is brainwashed, and to think anyone who expresses a view more moderate than theirs is a secret right-winger.

 

[Chief]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

Because of all the evidence.

 

[kickazz]

Getting some Family First ads on my FB for some reason. I don't know if it's attempted humour or what but really daft shit about some EV on fire and climate change.

It's like they are trying to randomly combine all the stupid into one thing

 

[kickazz]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

I think the key term here is 'leaning'.

Left or Right, if you see yourself as 'leaning' then you have probably taken the time to listen, process facts and use logic; along with your values, to come to where you are

And that rightfully puts you ahead of the ideologues who spend time in social media echo chambers.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

 

[Blue1980]

Less intelligent people gravitate towards populism and authoritarinism. And they exist on both the left and right. Mostly the right. But there are plenty on the left too.

I think what you are saying is less intelligent people don’t know the complexities of how the world works and look for simplistic solutions.

 

[Blue1980]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

It’s because if you actually ask most people on the right what they want they would be more left leaning than what they vote.

They get swayed by culture wars etc when many of the non elites who vote for them wouldn’t support tax breaks for the rich, eroding social systems etc.

Make no mistake that is what the right wing is all about, they just use culture war issues like the voice, immigration, trans people, gay people etc as Trojan horses to get people to vote against their own best interests.

 

[peetoo]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

Dumb people think that too, no matter the lean

 

[kranky al]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

As a result of interacting with them.

 

[Grin]

Another way to rephrase the question - why do left leaning people think they are smarter than people who don't agree with them?

I Don't know about that. Someone who knows much more about a field of science than all of the worlds experts combined, after watching a 15 minute YouTube video, must be a genius.

Anyway, that righties are more likely to be dumb f***s, sucked in by propaganda and obvious bullshit aim at conning dumb f***s isn't the topic of this thread. You can discuss that topic by following this link:

Society/Culture - Do less intelligent people gravitate to conservative/right wing ideology?

This is a thread created for our resident right wing posters, you know, the ones who insist they're Centralists. In a similarly titled thread some of you whinged bitterly (as you do, all the time) that you weren't permitted to derail it by debating a different topic. You passionately wanted to...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[the_interloper]

Some combination of their tendency to think anyone on the right is brainwashed, and to think anyone who expresses a view more moderate than theirs is a secret right-winger.

Yeah there's something to that, though there's plenty of brain washing that goes on on the left side of politics of course.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Yeah there's something to that, though there's plenty of brain washing that goes on on the left side of politics of course.

Universities brainwash the left into learning things like science.

Whereas the right have influencers promoting horse wormer, bleach and UV probes for viruses.

Both sides are clearly the same.

 

[ElectricG]

Universities brainwash the left into learning things like science.

Whereas the right have influencers promoting horse wormer, bleach and UV probes for viruses.

Both sides are clearly the same.

Science is a left wing thing guys

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Science is a left wing thing guys

Anti-science is mostly a right wing thing.

 

[evolved2]

Anti-science is mostly a right wing thing.

Even fake centrists value science.

 

[evolved2]

The fact that so many progressives here think they're more intelligent goes to show they really aren't!

Those who understand measures of average and variance know.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Even fake centrists value science.

Don’t they worship Sky Wizards or something?

 

[Chief]

Universities brainwash the left into learning things like science.

Whereas the right have influencers promoting horse wormer, bleach and UV probes for viruses.

Both sides are clearly the same.

The old "in uni I just wrote essays that aligned with the lecturers beliefs so they would like me and give me better marks".

Virtue signalling!

 

[swingdog]

Speaking of the link between right wingers and intelligence, recently watched the film The Zone of Interest.

It’s about the family life of the Auschwitz camp Commander Rudolf Hoss. It’s stunning because of the juxtaposition between the cozy family life in a beautiful garden and an orderly house, which is situated right next to one of the walls of the concentration camp. So you see the family going on picnics and playing in the garden while in the background you listen to the rumble of the crematoria and occasional gunshots and screams

One of the things that stood out was that Hoss and his family, especially his wife, just aren’t that smart. They actually wanted a quiet life on a farm and kind of see the processing of the Jews in the camp almost like a form of agricultural production. They have full and limited conversation, never questioning what they are doing. It’s an amazing example of a stunted imagination.

 

[kickazz]

It's probably a wealthy/western phenomenon.

If you are of lower intelligence then you are less likely to do well in life on your merits. So you will put more emphasis on networks, capital and any other structural advantages you may have.


So this is becoming more true in Australia as generational wealth becomes a thing. If it all goes pear shaped though, and we get a lot of poor people with little or no structural advantages to fall back upon, then the lower intelligence folk might fall back toward the Left