Band on the Run:
I've noted extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers here and, of course, everyone in between. The right wing seems louder but that could be just my own bias.
No Band; it's not your bias. Based on what I've witnessed:
- Conservatives are rude right away.
- Tend to engage in name calling immediately after a person, with a different view, makes a remark.
- Automatically assume that the person making the remark that they don't agree with is a "Liberal".
- Do not even have the mental capacity to distinguish between different ideologies in the political spectrum. As a result of this they split the world into themselves ("real" Americans) and Socialists; a bugaboo word that they think describes every political philosophy but theirs. Their world is either black, white or, if they have the pretense of sophistication, they acknowledge two shades of gray.
I would think that Witnesses would embrace a conservative, authoritarian ideology that is strong on moral/social values.
The Jehovah's Witnesses, being apolitical and, more importantly, monomaniacal like all authoritarian cultures, force their members into one "ideological" mold regardless of what their natural inclinations would be. Once they are free of the oppressive hold of the Watchtower, the former Witnesses gravitate into whatever ideology they were naturally predisposed to.
I was mesmerized by a Meet the Press segment Tim Russert showed. The theory is that politics has not much to do with political ideology and philsophy. Rather, it is an outcome of a lifestyle choice. Iceberg v. arugula. Beer vs. wine. If they have access to your grocery store purchases, you can be targeted for party preference based on brands of toothpaste, deodorant, ice cream, shampoo, Coke v. Pepsi. It scares me b/c I was so progr. in my consumer brands. It left me confused.
I've heard similar arguments before, but the only explanations that have any credibility and have been scientifically confirmed, are the neuropsychological ones. They emphasize differences in the structure of the brain between people who identify themselves as Liberal or Conservatives. These differences in turn are very likely to be genetically based. The basic findings are:
- Conservatives are much more prone to fear than Liberals. This has been verified not only through psychological tests but through MRI brain scans. The portions of the brain that handle fear-the amygdala-is actually larger in Conservatives than in Liberals.
- Conservatives have smaller Anterior Cingulate than Liberals. That portion of the brain is responsible for optimism.
- Conservatives are also more easily disgusted by potentially offensive objects and concepts than Liberals.
- Liberals are more adept than Conservatives in handling informational complexity, ambiguity and novelty.
- Liberals tend to be "right brained" which makes them more creative and less rigid. Conservatives, on the other hand tend to be "left brained" making them more semantically rigid. That makes them word and language centered as opposed to a multidimensional, holistic view of the world. In extreme cases this linguistic, one dimensional, style of thinking disconnects them from the external world. In extreme cases this causes Conservative mind to acquire a psychotic, quasi-solipsistic world view. Essentially, they start living in their minds.
Another psychological difference between the two is that the Conservative mind set seems to be more limited in scope, socially and naturalistically, than the Liberal one.
- Socially speaking and in order of importance, Conservatives are only concerned with family, friends and to a lower degree pseudo tribes such as Church and Nation. Their altruism extends to their religion and nation but only to the extent that their religion is homogenous and their concept of nation extends primarily to those within their ideological sphere. However, such concern does not apply to the general world outside. People outside of their nation, with the exception of political allies, are mere gibbering objects to be either ignored or conquered and plundered.
- Naturalistically, Conservatives only care about their lawns and those in the neighborhood. Or, if they happened to have been raised in a forest or rural area then they'll have an interest in it. Any natural area well outside of their territory could as well be a nuclear slag heap so long as they don't get any ill effects from it.
- Liberals on the other hand, have the same concern that Conservatives have as to family, friends and compatriots. However, they do not have the sharp drop off that Conservatives have in relation to others outside their social/political sphere. They do not objectify the rest of the world as much as Conservatives. Hence, a more altruistic predisposition.
- Liberals have the same parallel sentiments as regards to the Naturalistic world. They do not have the sharp drop off that Conservatives have in concern to their environment. More concern is shown to natural disturbances throughout the world. Hence, a greater predisposition towards environmentalism.
In conclusion, as far as the Social and Naturalistic worlds are concerned, Conservatives live in a psychologically restricted bubble. Liberals have a more expansive view.
I'm curious what other people think.
Glad to be of service.
