The Ideological Animal (death, borders, independent, 9/11)

[ontheroad]

Here's some food for thought for liberals, conservatives, and all those in between. From the article:

We think our political stance is the product of reason, but we're easily manipulated and surprisingly malleable. Our essential political self is more a stew of childhood temperament, education, and fear of death. Call it the 9/11 effect.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/artic...-000001&page=1

[carolinajack]

why the fear of death can you explain that? I do agree it is about personal experiences--thats why i am what I am for sure. My childhood, family, faith, education, economic, social, experiences are the largest part of what shapes us as human beings and human political beings

[ontheroad]

The article is five pages long. If you want to see why the abstracted clause includes death, you may need to read the entire article. I didn't write it, remember!

Originally Posted by carolinajack

why the fear of death can you explain that? I do agree it is about personal experiences--thats why i am what I am for sure. My childhood, family, faith, education, economic, social, experiences are the largest part of what shapes us as human beings and human political beings

[carolinajack]

no i am asking you what your opinion is but if you dont want to answer thats great.

[ontheroad]

It was certainly unclear that you were asking my opinion.

I'll defer my opinion until we hear a little more from the group. I am running out right now, and will get back to you. But I do wonder if you read the article or even looked at? Did you?

Originally Posted by carolinajack

no i am asking you what your opinion is but if you dont want to answer thats great.

[LeavingFlorida05]

I'm in the middle of reading the article, now. Conservatives are not going to like this article, at least based on where I am, so far...

[spunky1]

Interesting article. At least it admitted that most "reachers" go in with a liberal bias and surprise surprise they paint a less than attractive picture of the conservatives.
First and foremost what stuck out to me was regarding the supposed correlation between conservatism and fear of death. As a Christian, I don't fear death so that shoots that one down. Maybe it does apply for the newly christened conservatives who became so after 9/11 but they arn't really conservative, and they did become conservative based on fear (9/11).

I agree there are a lot of educated liberals. It takes independent thinkers to get through public and university education in our country and still come out conservative. Most fall in line and take up the liberal line of thought.

[skyegirl]

IMO, I think the article is pretty much right on, except I am a liberal "neat freak"! I travel for a living, (much of it overseas) and I feel that experiencing life beyond the borders of America have definitely been a deciding factor in my political views, especially about the war.

[spunky1]

It's true that most "social scientist" and I use the term scientist loosely in this case are quite liberal in their views. So painting their own group in a more flattering way is just human nature, but it's definiately not good science!
I fit the mold in that I do see many things as black and white. However I am definately not orderly, I am adventuresome and do have a degree, and although I did not go to school abroad I have traveled a bit in Europe.

So people who have lived abroad or were schooled theire are more liberal? Is this because they have been exposed to different views, or is it just that they are a product of their environment and assimilated and took on the more European values?
When I lived in Vermont I felt like an alien. I felt like I was the only conservative. But I didn't compromise or change my point of view just because I was immersed in their thought.

[LeavingFlorida05]

In my case, being in a relationship with someone who was not born American (she grew up in Egypt) really opened my eyes. I was raised to be on the far right and that's certainly no longer the case, thankfully.