Are conservatives dumb?
69The Huffington post recently ran an article with a provocative title: "Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism". I'm sure that at least some of my fellow liberals grinned widely before even reading more than the headline.
That's hardly the first study that has denigrated conservatives. A while back we had this "Conservatives Big on Fear, Brain Study Finds". I can remember thinking that there might be some truth in that, although I qualified my response by pointing out that fear isn't always the wrong response. There are things we should fear, obviously.
It turns out the amygdala isn't all cowardice and cringing: "The Amygdala and Fear Are Not the Same Thing" explains why. Your amygdala lights up when you are hungry and when you meet someone you like, so if conservatives actually do tend to have larger amygdala, that might be as significant as finding that they have bigger ears.
This study of low IQ and conservative beliefs is, I think, equally off base. I think the people who did the study recognize that - their actual statements seem to be much more intelligent than the headlines.
Dumb Conservative
The study reported in that Huffington article didn't actually say that. It said that children with low IQ's tend to develop prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics later in life.
Is that such a great surprise?
Prejudice
I hardly think we need a study to see that lower intelligence can cause someone to see someone different as inferior. I think we should just toss that out anyway: prejudice covers a wide swath of opinions and activities and although its manifestations may always ugly, underlying motives may not be quite as ugly as we think.
For example, it is easy to characterize a conservatives opposition to illegal immigration as prejudice. It may not be. It may have complex thinking behind it. I'd say the thinking is incorrect, but if we look at it dispassionately, it is certainly possible that I am wrong. Regardless, it may not be prejudice.
Status quo
Change is frightening. You have to think about whether it makes sense. If you don't think well, you'll miss the reasons you should change. People of low intelligence will naturally prefer the devil they know in many situations.
That doesn't mean that a smart conservative hasn't analyzed the situation thoroughly - it could just mean that the dumb one and the smart one have different reasons for reaching the same conclusion.
You aren't thinking it through
We always prefer to think that those who disagree with us haven't thought thoroughly about whatever it is we differ on. In fact, it's more usual that we have simply put different weights on facts that we both recognize as true. As a liberal, I tend to see individual rights as more important than a stable society - not that I am discarding stability outright, but that I think society can absorb a bit of rocking and should. A conservative may agree that individual rights are important, but be more willing to trim those rights in the interests of a smoother social fabric.
Neither is necessarily unintelligent. Neither may be ignoring any facts. We are often just weighting those facts differently. I think we can make the same arguments for any difference of opinion between liberals and conservatives. Our opponent CAN be "dumb", but they can also be reaching a different conclusion just as rationally as we are.
I'm not wishy-washy
That's not to say that I agree with conservative viewpoints or think that they have equal value. I generally do not. I think that the emotional weighting I assign is the correct assignment and I strongly believe that conservatism is not a good path forward.
I see this exactly as I see religion: it's emotional. Conservatives aren't dumb, they simply have different emotional weighting that affects their thinking. If I assigned a greater weight to social structure than I do to the rights of individuals, I'd come to the same conclusions. This is not a matter of intelligence.
Bad journalism?
I'd say bad headline, certainly. The actual article reads far more intelligently than the headline suggests.
So, at the end, there's more smoke than fire. Nobody actually said conservatives are dumb. Not the researchers and not whoever wrote the article.
Unfortunately, some of the responses did lack intelligence. I guess we have to expect that - from both sides.
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Ooops :)
I hope it doesn't change your mind when you read it!
What the actual study said was that, by the age of 16, using neuro examination, one could see which people would be conservative and which people would be liberal. The study evaluated this based on measuring brain signals of people, then using various psychometric tests to measure. What emerges that people who have a tendency to be conservative, while intelligent, do not have the ability to process complex situations. People who tend to lean towards liberalism, while also intelligent, tend to be able to process more complex situations.
I now believe what I have felt all along. I also think it is a matter of assimilation.
PC, I'm far from an extreme Right-Winger, but I'm Conservative. I was going to post my Conservative reply here, but (as you might guess, based on some long comments I've occasionally made in one place or another) I thought it might more appropriately be handled by writing a separate Hub in reply to yours.
I don't want to make one of those "public-humiliation aimed" Hubs about how another Hubber said this, and "here's my reply". In other words, I don't want to get into a whole Hubber-versus-Hubber "fight thing" at all. I would, though, like to offer a Conservative's reply from simply the angle of being another viewpoint.
If you don't mind I'll put a link to your Hub, here, in my Hub-reply. If you do mind (for some reason) I'll be happy to remove it. Who knows... Maybe you can write a whole new Hub in reply to the one I'm about to post; and we could link them all together to make for some entertainment for the politically minded readers among us.
To Pcunix: You have presented a good premise which will definitely start discussions. Conservatives are not necessarily dumb. However, conservatives are often lazy thinkers who believe that the past is better than now. Furthermore, conservatives are FEARFUL and IMMATURE people who refuse to realize the value of change and progress. They mindlessly prefer to remain in their old mindset rather to face and understand different aspects of society and broaden their minds.
Conservatives are such rigid and atavistic people. Sadly, those who are conservative become even more narrow and closed regarding change as they become older. I would call it atrophy of the mind.
I can't agree with you, @gmwilliams. Yes, you can find such people. I can't accept it as a blanket statement.
Nor do I agree with the study Sophia points at.
@lisa: I have no problem. I'll be interested to read your hub.
Pcunix. Question. How can you not agree with a study???? It happened!
Sorry: I phrased that badly. I disagree with the conclusions you implied. It looks like those who did the study are not that certain about it themselves.
I didn't draw the conclusions. I'm repeating the conclusions drawn by the study... :)
I don't think you are representing them fairly, Sophia.
"Kanai qualifies the findings of his own study, acknowledging that political orientation is complex, and can fall into more than just two categories. In addition, the study doesn’t answer whether brain structure influences political preferences or vice versa: it’s possible that the shape of the brain changes over time with a person’s experiences — and with his or her changing political views."
Quoted from: http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/08/liberal-vs-c
I love that old saying, (which I will Americanise here), if you vote Conservative when you are young, you have no heart, if you vote Liberal when you are old, you have no head. PCunix, I love your balanced and thoughtful sociological appraisal of whether or not politics can work - without sides. Food for thought. Voted up and brilliant writing as always.
Yes, that's one of those sayings that research has dispelled: people tend to become more liberal with age. Not all people, of course.
Really? I better get out my blue stockings then!
Pcunix. Sorry, my mistake. There have been several studies. I just googled one of them because I didn't have time to google them all. One of the studies connected those neuro gizmos to the brain and measured what the brain did, and what became active, when they thought certain things. Then, after that, they gave them psychometric tests, and they found that there was a correlation between the way people thought and whether they became conservatives or liberals later in life.
At some point, I'll find the study for you. Right now, I'm doing a major edit so can't focus fully on this. I will find it for you, though. Then tell me what you think. :)
I'll be interested to read it, Sopha.
Eliza : Does anyone still think blue stockings are conservative?
@Pcunix, I have studied and associated with conservative people, mostly my maternal relatives and some associates. I have discovered that many of these people have become quite intolerant as they got older. When I attempt to explain many of my liberal views, particularly regarding politics, gender issues, and spirituality( I am not religious at all, just spiritual), they just look at me quite bewildered, asking me how can I act "so weird" . I am not making inane conversation but I made the abovementioned comment based upon observation.
So it's true for people you know - or so you see it, anyway.
I think blue stocking means feminist. Not conservative - no - so now that I am in the 'older' category, I best get them out to do the best by my amydaglia (is that right?):)
Yes, indeed. :)
Interesting and well written hub. Voted up!
Labels and assumptions are probably two of the greatest "sins" that we as average people commit regarding news and politics.
I was a sophomore in college, taking an American History course where we were assigned the tasks of doing seven book reviews during the semester.
So if the question boils down to where all conservatives (or liberals for that matter" dumb, then the answer would have to be no, they are not. They have opinions, to which they are entitled and to which the rest of us can agree or disagree. Some liberals and conservative do not have all the information they need, and some refuse to ignore some facts, but that does not make them dumb--just ill-informed.
In my first review, I do not remember what book I read, but I made the idiotic statement that "all politicians are crooked." I am from Louisiana. As the saying goes, we got the best politicians money can buy. But my professor provided a life changing comment. He wrote in red above my politicians are crooked statement the simple question. "Can you prove this?"
Obviously, I could not. As I finished college and earned by degree in Journalism, I began a 16 year career working for small, but very good newspapers and I learned many important things including the fact that all politicians are not crooked. Some or crooked and some, perhaps the majority, are dedicated public servants.
@Larry - You seem ignore the fact that some people are "dumb" - less intelligent than others. Sophia's claim that conservatives are less capable of processing complex situations may well be true. I'd still say that would not be meaningful: we are all eventually limited by complexity and political problems are the most complex of all.
Even though I agree with you about the path of conservatism, when you wrote, "Our opponent CAN be 'dumb', but they can also be reaching a different conclusion just as rationally as we are," I think you made a distinction that would save people on both sides a lot of headache; stepping back and saying, "Okay, I may disagree with what this guy says, but I can't fault him if he actually thought it through."
Now, I can still fault him - I just can't call him dumb :)
If conservatives are dumb, does not mean liberals are brilliant and where does not leave people like me, who claim to be neither.
Intelligence and how you apply that intelligence is the question. Some brilliant people have done dumb things in their lives.
If there is anything that is dumb it is the practice of putting so much emphasis on labels.
I had an uncle and when I was nearing graduation from college in journalism, he told me he did not want me to write any liberal articles.
He was not a dumb person. He was a person with a lot of prejudice, but his IQ was anything but dumb. I never set out to be a liberal or conservative journalist. I just reported the news.
I really do not know how to separate conservatives from liberals.
For example:
I oppose abortion (adopted son) makes me a conservative.
I support limiting the right to carry guns which makes me a liberal.
I support increasing, reforming and cleaning up Social Security and Medicare--I guess that makes me a conservative.
I support a balance budget amendment--not sure where that puts me.
I supported the Equal Rights Amendment--liberal, but opposed changing the rules after it failed to pass in enough states--conservative.
I have no problem with prayer in school--I prayed before a lot of tests--conservative.
I would like to see a complete reform of the rules under which the Congress operates and support term limits--liberal.
I voted for Nixon over McGovern, conservative.
I voted for Carter over Ford, liberal.
I do not think Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th century, good but not the greatest--definitely a liberal. However, I did vote for him--conservative.
I think Harry Truman was one of the greatest presidents--he rebuilt Europe, he ordered the dropping of the first atomic bomb and as tragic as that was, no one has dropped once since--everyone knows what will happen--liberal?
If you can put all of your views and ideas in one category, I guess congratulations are in order, because you will just be following others who think like you.
If you have to think about each issue before deciding if it is liberal or conservative and therefore worthy of your support, then you have a lot of work cut out for you. Making those decisions is not easy.
Simply stated, I look at each issue individually and accordingly sometimes I have a liberal point of view and sometimes I have a conservative point of views and other times I just do not know what the right answer is.
I guess that makes me one of those humans who are not infallible.
I know what you mean. I have friends who insist that they are conservative, but I can't see where any of their views views differ from mine. The real difference seems to be that they tend to VOTE GOP and I suspect it is religion that drives that.
Is there really enough difference between the two parties to worry about. Pcunix, I agree with your statement; but, at the far end of the political spectrum there are some differnces worth talking about. Good Hub. The Right has been surprisingly quiet on this one...I am puzzled.
In the middle, very little that differs. Romney and Obama say different things, but would likely act very much the same in office.
You have a decent point Pcunix. However, conservatives often deny scientific findings, and advance claims that empirical evidence is actually against. For example, evolution, climate change, and homosexuality having a biological basis are often denied. They also claim tax cuts destroy economic growth, ignoring that the U.S. has flourished under much higher tax rates, and other countries also continue to flourish with high taxes.
They say other things, like the government can't do anything right, and all people on welfare are on drugs, again when there is direct empirical evidence to the contrary. So while headlines may overstate studies, there is ample evidence of conservatives in modern discourse just being wrong on the actual facts.
Some do, yes. Not all. Those are the far right and they are dumb or crazy or both. We have plenty of them here..
Great Hub. Your balanced, moderate, and reasonable way of approaching issues and assessing relevance spilled over into an interesting series of discussions in the comments section....lots of food for thought. Enjoyed this thoroughly.
I'm not balanced or moderate. I'm simply honest.
I think fear of the future is very common....but very unhealthy.
"Conservative" by definition is likened to fear of change - and of course change can be uncomfortable. Change can also be beyond wonderful!!!!
Of course I totally "get" where you are coming from with this....and I DO think the dumbest among us often consider themselves "conservative," but of course I've met some flaming idiots that claim themselves "liberal."
Anyway...you can see how backed up I am on my hp subscriptions - I hope to catch up, and see some new pcunix stuff soon!
I don't think I'll be doing much here for a while.. just not into it right now.
Sorry to hear that - you're one of my fave pages here!!!!
I'll be doing less - Mom wanted me to go to church, so I did....and wound up getting hired for air conditioning repairs....so I'm now officially employed again - part time.
hawkdad73 Level 3 Commenter 3 months ago
I haven't read it yet, but I voted this up based solely on the title. Nice.