Low IQ + Wingnuttery = Bigotry
We already knew this, but now a new study has distilled it down to an equation. Basically: dumber-than-dirt child grows up (chronologically that is) and is attracted to conservative ideas. The most appealing parts of conservatism — for dumbfucks — are resistance to change and the idea of a hierarchy.
After being mesmerized by these rightwing soundbites, Mr. or Ms. Bone-Stupid becomes part of the hierarchy, and — Presto! “Hey, we got us a pecking order, and them dark-skinned folks is lower than me, huh huh huh uh uh uh.”
These findings came from a study at Brock University in Ontario, which was conducted by Gordon Hodson. Among other things, the study found that people of limited intelligence generally have less contact with other ethnic groups. Gordon Hodson said:
“This finding is consistent with recent research demonstrating that intergroup contact is mentally challenging and cognitively draining, and consistent with findings that contact reduces prejudice.”
He also said that solid unbending rightwing beliefs are appealing to those who have trouble grasping the world’s complexities:
“Socially conservative ideologies tend to offer structure and order. Unfortunately, many of these features can also contribute to prejudice.”
Another psychologist, Brian Nosek — who was not involved in the study — said:
“They've pulled off the trifecta of controversial topics. When one selects intelligence, political ideology and racism and looks at any of the relationships between those three variables, it's bound to upset somebody.”
Gee, ya think? I’m guessing one of two things will happen: This story will be suppressed and ignored, or the shit will hit the fan.
Labels: Brian Nosek, Brock University, Gordon Hodson, low IQ prejudice
posted by Tom Harper @ 4:35 PM
13 Comments:
Lisa and all her brain-dead buddies will dismiss this as a product of Canuck LIBRUL elitism.
Too bad conservatives don't get more abortions. A little bit of eugenics would go a long way.
Tom,
That sounds like a brilliantly insightful study. Thanks for presenting it.
It does seem to validate John Stuart Mill, who famously said "Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative."
This is too sciencey / facty so it will go over the heads of those that need it most. I laughed at the disclaimer at the end of it though. Something to the effect of we know there are some smart republicans and not so smart liberals. Hell, when you have to put in a disclaimer for teh stoopits about averages, it says something.
@Rightklik. Oh they get them, they just don't talk about it in polite company. I have escorted into clinics and seen people on the forced birth side, bringing in their female family member and the very next month or so, been approached to not say anything about having seen them at another clinic.
My answer three different times has been, it's none of my business what choices you made, you might want to consider that in the future for another person's daughter/niece and so on.
Everyone is stupid.
JR: I'm surprised she hasn't been over here yet with an off-topic video link or something.
RightKlik: LOL.
Jack: Thanks. I was glad to find it.
Snave: You're right, it does validate John Stuart Mill's famous quote.
Jess: Abortion and all the other "sins" the Right rails against -- conservatives commit these "sins" just as much as anyone else. They just like to preach; they don't want to actually practice what they're preaching.
Randal: That sums it up.
Believe it or not....I disagree with most of the results of this study. It seems to drive a big myth that only stupid people can be prejudice or racist. Read any commentary when an educated person or prominent politician makes a stupid, someone will always examine it with “to intelligent to be racist” at that really gets my goat.
It is really the “Intelligent” people who have set it for the rest of us. Remember most of our race laws originated because “intelligent” readers of the bible reinterpreted the scripture into everything from saying god gave the planet to the white people (Like the America’s and South Africa and all former colonies), to other races were “condemned” to live under them. Thus justifying racism, slavery, conquest and preventing laws against any kind of integration (the most extreme version is the book of Mormon which explicitly condemned every race but white - but I excuse it because I don’t believe it was written by exceptionally intelligent people)
And if that wasn’t bad enough, scientist have provided us with all sorts of “facts” proving white superiority and started a eugenics movement that the Nazi’s picked up. This also included the social scientist that use every time a crime is committed in a ghetto to prove inferiority. I’ve seen many a Conservative Publication (like the National Review) that has tried to correlate the decline of any area with increasing black and hispanic populations.
Take the Republican ’s who get away with directly making blacks the face of Welfare, it’s been done for years but the difference is, it is now used by more Conservative Republicans regardless of geographical area (that is - it’s no longer a Southern Thing ), Note that even a Midwesterner like Michelle Bachman agrees that the black family was better under slavery. It was Redneck rhetoric if a Jessie Helms said something racist, but Common Sense if a Ronald Reagan repeated it in his own way.
How many generations do you think “men” like Gingrich who taught Southern Revisionist History have influenced the thinking of? They don’t just mix terms of the Civil War, they also taught that reconstruction was a period of the North forcing freed Slaves to run the South until Southern forces (like the Klan) took their country back. A poll showed that just like most people that watched Birth of a Nation believed it, so most of the people who watched “Gone with the Wind” which was written as a period piece of fiction.
Witness the Conservatives who get away with presenting the image that they are the true strict interpreters of the Constitution and have been allowing the 14th Amendment - used to give rights to free slaves - to apply to Corporations.
What the Southerners, Conservatives, and Racist have done is built enough paper to give anyone reading it “facts’ to support their rhetoric. They breed generations of “educated” people who read this, reference it, and continue the legacy. That’s my answer to those who tell me “education will solve this”. Whose Education?
Erik
PS When someone reminds me that Slavery’s been over for over 150 years I ask “then how did we get Jim Crow?”
When someone says “you know Africans were the ones that sold their own people into slavery” I ask “who bought them?” (Like blaming the Colombians for all of our drugs)
Erik: Those are all good points. The demagogues and "teachers" who push these ideas are certainly not dumb. But the masses who keep getting conned and mesmerized by these "teachings" -- I have to question their intelligence.
Education has to mean learning how to think; not just memorizing and reciting what the teacher said.
And racism is certainly not confined to the South. The recent police profiling in East Haven, CT (I used to live near there) has clearly shown that rednecks are everywhere.
This explains the stupid accusation that liberals are the racists for supporting affitmative action and social policies that promote "dependency on government".
Dave: Yup, that's one of my favorite rightwing talking points.
Speaking of dumbfucks
and dumberfucks
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