Who will you be voting for?

Klingsor

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Y'left out the most important word. Additional. He didn't do *all* of his homework. He stopped when it supported the conclusion he wanted, rather than looking at all the data.

From a single quotation, you jumped to the sweeping claim that "the American left-wing" are no more than "dim-witted ideologues." I would respectfully submit that you too didn't do *all* your homework, but stopped when you reached the conclusion you wanted, rather than looking at all the data.

Is all I was saying. :smile:
 

redneckgymrat

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I would respectfully submit that you too didn't do *all* your homework, but stopped when you reached the conclusion you wanted, rather than looking at all the data.

Is all I was saying. :smile:

Oh, you're right...I definitely responded in kind. That's part of what makes these forums fun...good discussion and proper debate, interspersed with a little bit of smart-aleckedness. Hmmm, is that even a word?
 

b.c.

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Bear in mind that, in other countries, left and right do not always have the same meaning as they do in America.

From one of the "bibliography" articles linked on that site: Does a low IQ make you right-wing? That depends on how you define left and right | Mail Online

Quote:
So case closed? Not really. The problem here is how we define ‘left’ and ‘right’ thinking, what this means socially and politically. A moment’s thought shows that the faultlines are not only blurred but they are legion, cris-crossing across traditional political strata and have changed through time.

As Steven Pinker points out in The Better Angels of our Nature, his marvellous book about the history of violence, social liberalism does not equate necessarily with economic socialism. He points to a study by the economist Bryan Caplan, an economist at George Mason University in Virginia, who found that smart people tend to think like economists, being in favour of free trade, globalisation and free markets and against protectionism and state intervention in industry. This matches other findings that show that IQ correlates not with left-wing thinking as such, but with classic Enlightenment liberalism.

So a smart person (all else being equal) will probably be in favour of capitalism generally, and free-trade in particular. He or she will distrust state intervention in the markets, probably be suspicious of welfarism and deeply dislike protectionism, union closed-shops and tariffs. The smart person will believe that the have-nots should be encouraged to become haves by dint of their own labours and by the levelling of economic playing fields, NOT by taking money off the haves and giving it to them. In other words, Thatcherism. Hardly something we equate with the left.

Hmmm...exceedingly little additional reading seems to have turned your point completely upside down, and shows the American left-wing to be the dim-witted ideologues that they would seem to be. The horror!

To help you save face, let me remind you of this cliche:
There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

What?? Now just a sec. You aren't actually trying to compare right winged conservative Tea Party Republicanism with classic Enlightenment Liberalism are you?? LLOOOOOLLLLL. Now that is rich.

Maybe you should look up Liberalism and see if the American right wing is anywhere close to the definition. Here are some tidbits from one reference:

Liberalism - Definition | WordIQ.com

It typically favors the right to dissent from orthodox tenets or established authorities in political or religious matters. In this respect, it is sometimes held in contrast to conservatism.

and

liberalism equally defined itself in contrast to http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Socialismsocialism and communism, although some adherents of liberalism sympathize with some of the aims and methods of social democracy.

Furthermore, so-called American "left-wingers" are not opposed to "capitalism generally, and free trade in particular", so long as in the exercise of it businesses aren't, for example, shipping all their business to foreign countries for cheaper labor while Americans go in want of jobs, or for example, donating unlimited funds from their shareholders' equity to support politicians and political campaigns while at the same time distributing the LIE that unions force members to do likewise.

As far as "welfarism" and "not taking money off the haves," I guess that would include not cutting people's pension plans that they've worked all their careers for, while at the same time, bailing out banks, savings and loans, and rich corporate slugs who lost it all "by dint of their own labours", eh?
 
D

deleted15807

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Hmmm...exceedingly little additional reading seems to have turned your point completely upside down, and shows the American left-wing to be the dim-witted ideologues that they would seem to be.

If you had clicked the linked article:

Despite their important implications for interpersonal behaviors and relations, cognitive abilities have been largely ignored as explanations of prejudice. 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) and low levels of contact with out-groups. In an analysis of two large-scale, nationally representative United Kingdom data sets (N = 15,874), we found that lower general intelligence (g) in childhood predicts greater racism in adulthood, and this effect was largely mediated via conservative ideology. A secondary analysis of a U.S. data set confirmed a predictive effect of poor abstract-reasoning skills on antihomosexual prejudice, a relation partially mediated by both authoritarianism and low levels of intergroup contact. All analyses controlled for education and socioeconomic status. Our results suggest that cognitive abilities play a critical, albeit underappreciated, role in prejudice. Consequently, we recommend a heightened focus on cognitive ability in research on prejudice and a better integration of cognitive ability into prejudice models.


Additionally you left out:


The correlation between left-wing views, liberal social attitudes and intelligence probably has a political significance only in advanced industrial societies where the values of the liberal enlightenment (a belief in freedom, fairness, reason, science, free trade, the rule of law, property rights and gentle commerce) govern society.​

So we are in an advanced industrial society are we not? Which seems to ' turned your point completely upside down' to use a phrase.

What political party has closely linked itself with racism, homophobia and an almost rabid hatred of universities and scientists? Is that the hallmark of intelligence?


Repeal the 20th century. Vote GOP.

Education Level Linked to Party Affiliation, Poll Suggests
 
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