Spot a conservative from childhood?

[The Fish]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1142722231554

Well...this should generate some interesting discussion...

A study by social scientists following kids in Berkeley for the last 20 years has reported that the whiny, insecure kids usually turned out to be conservatives later in life, while the more confident kids ended up as liberals. This echoes a 2003 study at Stanford that showed that (quoting from the article) kids who are "dogmatic, fearful, intolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty, and who crave order and structure are more likely to gravitate to conservatism."

The researchers freely admit that, since the study took place in Berkeley (not exactly a bastion of conservatism), it's not necessarily representative of the whole nation. But it does go a long way to dispelling the myth that liberals are somehow weaker than conservatives.

Not surprisingly, these studies have their detractors.

Let crazy ideological warfare commence!

[GambleFish]

I think it's interesting... don' know how much truth is in it, or validity.

[RZZZA]

:laughing: I love it!

[Ahlerich]

lol this will cause troubleii i just wait for the fully grown conservatives to start whining about that test result

[RZZZA]

Well, I think its funny if you dont take it too seriously. If people take this seriously it could get very not funny very quickly.

[Justinian]

Studies go whatever way the people funding them want them to.

It is pretty funny though. :laughing:

[Tom Paine]

Studies go whatever way the people funding them want them to.

Only in America... or only where studies are opened with a political or financial motivation.

[RZZZA]

"The researchers freely admit that, since the study took place in Berkeley (not exactly a bastion of conservatism)"

I found this odd. Which college IS a bastion of conservatism? I always thought colleges, in general, were all liberal leaning...some to the point of radicalism, even.

[danzig]

Nice trap, if we complain about the study it will be viewed by those who 'happy' by the study as confirmation...ah see the conseratives are whining about the study. I find the study amusing basically because despite all the name calling between liberal/conseratives its only liberals that seem the need to go thru all the trouble of a nonsense study to renforce their belief there is something 'wrong' with people on the right. And yes the fact that it comes from Berekely imo renders the study pointless, Im sure our friends on the left here wouldnt take a Fox News study at face value right so we shouldnt Berekley either.

And yep Speakus/Justinian are right, too often in US politics enter the area of 'studies' and polls and the results are often discarded or not released if they dont come to the conclusion that whoever funds it wants so does provide some motivation to providing the 'right' answer.

if you are under 40 and a conservative, you have no heart, and if your over 40 and a liberal, you have no brain.".

Love that quote
“If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” - Winston Churchill

[Legio XX Valeria Victrix]

I find the study amusing basically because despite all the name calling between liberal/conseratives its only liberals that seem the need to go thru all the trouble of a nonsense study to renforce their belief there is something 'wrong' with people on the right.

Oh come on now, I'm sure with a little digging one could find a study like this from a conservative, and probably one with the exact opposite conclusions.

What about Bush and Kerry. Bush did better in college than Kerry did. Although it was only a small fraction.

Are you sure? I thought they were about even.

Nevertheless, they're two people out of a nation of 300 million. Making a generalization like liberals or conservatives are smarter than each other is just pointless. It would take a massive and unbiased survey to find that one out definititvely.

[Shaun]

Love that quote
“If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” - Winston Churchill

nah, i dont like that quote. Im Liberal, and will always be Liberal, and my dads Liberal and over 40, and you cant say he has no brain. Thats a typical conservative quote trying to deal with the fact that young people dont trust them or even like them, it just shows how old fashioned they really are.

[Last Roman]

I found this odd. Which college IS a bastion of conservatism?

Oral Roberts. Which I believe was founded by Jerry Falwell

[RZZZA]

Well, christian schools dont count.

[IronBrig4]

I'm predicting a flame war before the day is done.

[Hub'ite]

Alot of colleges are very liberal. The mind is very easy to warp in college.

[Ahlerich]

Alot of colleges are very liberal. The mind is very easy to warp in college.

that must be the reason..or the higher level of education/intelligence

[Hub'ite]

that must be the reason..or the higher level of education/intelligence

Are you implying that Republicans aren't as intelligent as Democrats?

[Legio XX Valeria Victrix]

Alot of colleges are very liberal. The mind is very easy to warp in college.

OR! The mind, when filled with lots of useful information and intelligence, tends to be more liberal.

I mean, as long as we're throwing out generalizations, I figured I'd throw that one in there.

[Hub'ite]

OR! The mind, when filled with lots of useful information and intelligence, tends to be more liberal.

I mean, as long as we're throwing out generalizations, I figured I'd throw that one in there.

What about Bush and Kerry. Bush did better in college than Kerry did. Although it was only a small fraction.

[Ahlerich]

lol no why? especially not the republican polititians