Feedback, "Daily Blog - Hard Wired non-Conservatives - 19 June 2023"

Daily Blog - Hard Wired Non-Conservatives - 19 June 2023
As a generalization, I have found that most educated non-conservatives' political positions are hard wired. Non-conservatives have been so engrained in the establishment big government narrative as it slow walks US citizenry to tyranny that it hasn't occurred to them to think through what is really going on. Notwithstanding many non-conservatives having been well educated they haven't tested their political beliefs against happenings in the world around them via critical thinking and debate. Accordingly, when challenged, they usually default to ridicule or dismissal, not idea exchange and dialogue.

SDT
stephendewitttaylor.com

Feedback:

Hi Steve,

Are you familiar with Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist, writer, professor and podcaster? I listened to him being interviewed several years ago and he stated the exact same narrative that you wrote below. I tried to find the interview but couldn’t online as you would have found it interesting. Regardless, his interviews and even comments I found online reinforce that is his belief.

To summarize the interview, Jordan Peterson described how liberals are hardwired totally different from conservatives. You can have a discussion with them using reason and logic presented in a way that should be convincing of the issue from a conservative point of view but because of the way they are wired (psychologically different than a conservative), you can throw all the logic you want at them but they aren’t able to accept anything that runs counter to their beliefs and are then dismissive of those alternate ideas.

So, to put that in context, you are riding in a car with a liberal driver heading towards a cliff and tell them they should stop as the road ends ahead due to the cliff but then they argue with you that it doesn’t. Would that be a good example what it feels like trying to change the mind of a liberal?

Thanks for sharing your comments below.

Sincerely,

R1250GS
Colorado Springs, CO, 19 June 2023

R1250GS. I'm very familiar with Jordan Peterson and consider myself an acolyte. Yeah... good example! SDT

Steve, surprised and a bit disappointed at the irony in your blog entry. When you say “they usually default to ridicule and dismissal”, that is EXACTLY what your note is all about. You are taking a large group of people, lumping all their behavior into a group, and deriding them.

I see many conservatives and non-conservatives deeply lodged in their beliefs, unwilling to look for a middle ground. As an example, a substantial number of conservatives, including national leaders, quickly declared Trump as innocent, before that had seen the evidence or worse, the charges. How can anyone be so certain of a position when you aren’t even informed of the argument yet? Isn’t it remotely possible that a person's political positions align with yours, but they are also guilty of a crime or crimes? Seems possible. Might be worth at least reading a bit before deciding.

I love how LSDM has such a broad range of speakers and how they are treated with such respect. That’s why I was so surprised to see you send out something that seemed to resort to: if your not on my side, then you are short sighted, inflexible and not using your education to make reasonable decisions.

If I didn’t respect you so much, I wouldn’t have bothered sending this.

IBM
Fort Collins, CO,
19 June 2023


IBM: The blog post summarizes my experience on my email forums over twenty years. It's statistically possible that my sample of "non-conservatives" who tilt to dismissiveness and ridicule is not representative of the whole cohort... but, not likely.

Re: LSDM. I think we have been pretty effective in keeping a Chinese wall between LSDM and my political forums or my personal, avowedly conservative, political views. LSDM does not take sides on political matters. LSDM seeks to inform on a broad, eclectic array of topics. This blog send, by the way, does not go out to the LSDM list, it goes out to a personal, closed list where there is less than 10% redundancy with the LSDM list.

I appreciate your ongoing interest in LSDM and hope you can continue to find time to stay in touch. You add a ton of value each time you join. We have all nine city council candidates scheduled in the next few weeks. Betsy Wallace spoke to us last week. SDT


I, on the other hand, am a registered independent and have supported both Republican and Democrat initiatives over the years. What does that make me? Am I loosely wired and a candidate for an electrical short - or do I suffer from schizophrenia?

The "hard wired" condition is certainly a valid observation, but it needs to be applied to conservatives as well as "non-conservatives" (often labeled "liberals"). That said, without consideration of education (which is certainly a significant factor), members of both major parties are just as likely to vote outside of their party's endorsement. Not many - but it is encouraging to see some independent thinking on both sides of the aisle! (Below is from an October 2020 report by the Pew Research Center.) In the end, I am often reminded of my father's observation: politics is a dirty business. My opinion - too many career politicians are overly focused on maintaining their positions and too few are willing to act for the proverbial "greater good." They play to what they perceive as their base - sometimes educated (whatever that means) and sometimes not. Compromise is not a bad thing, so long as there is progress towards the goal. As in sailing, seldom can you journey in a straight line towards the destination. Tack back and forth and you are more likely to succeed. Hard-wired is not a sustainable strategy - it results in unintended and negative consequences.

Back to education. That may be one of our biggest challenges and needs - for a variety of reasons. Subject for another day.

Thanks for sharing the "generalization" statement and moving me to weigh-in!

Premises,
Athens, GA. 19 June 2023


Premises, I can go with political schizophrenia. :-).Americans at ends of ideological spectrum are most active in U.S. politics | Pew Research Center  Always good to hear from you. SDT

Thank you, Steve, for your commentary. I find that non-conservatives cannot, are unable to debate the facts. They resort to name calling, ridicule, and/or condescending language. I tried really hard a few years’ ago to listen to their side. I would read the editorial section of the Salt Lake Tribune Sunday edition. It was, article after article, the same unrelenting attach on conservatives thru branding and disingenuous commentary. It is unfortunate today that at least 25% of America’s voters will vote for the radical left regardless of the facts and, when America no longer exists, will blame conservatives for their demise.

Fenway,
Park City, UT, 19 June 2023

Fenway. Thanks. We are not talking about which side is right, here. We are saying that one side is willing to discuss, but the other is not, other than resorting to ridicule and dismissiveness. Some respondents suggest that I am drawing too many conclusions from my personal experience. Thanks for the comment. SDT


😲! You are talking to the wrong "non-conservatives" or at least not anyone l know.
Academy Theater,
Salt Lake City, UT

Academy Theater. Conclusion is drawn from twenty years real time experience on email forums. It's always statistically possible that I talked to the wrong non-conservatives. Thanks for the feedback! SDT


Very well said!
DrummerJ, Lehi, UT

Drummer J. Thanks for the feedback! SDT


My experience and observation too.
Nathans, Massapequa, NY

Nathans. Thanks for the feedback. SDT