Frankly, I was surprised that more divorced men "leaned" Progressive than Conservative. My expectation was that they would feel abused by the "system" and lean conservative. It made me re-think things.
After a bit of noodling around the internet it became clear that the Progressive/Conservative leaning of any given sub-population tracked closely to "General feelings of well-being and happiness" for that sub-population.
Viewed through the lens of a Progressive
They will likely jump on this and say "Well OF COURSE everybody who is happy wants to preserve the status quo. They clearly benefit from it."
The Progressive "message" is that you need to cede your power to the Progressive/Collective State because you are powerless as an individual.
Viewed through the lens of a Conservative
But it really isn't that simple, is it? That is why the arrows in the title have heads pointing in both directions.
Levels of happiness are closely tied to perception-of-agency. If your environment constantly bombards you with messages that you are a victim and have little or no personal agency, then you will be unhappy.
The Conservative "message" is that nobody can take better care of you and your family than....YOU! Policies and laws that emasculate and disempower you are designed to make you fail.
Oh, and failure makes the Progressive faithful enraged. Which was the intent all along.
I dunno, Joe.
ReplyDeleteI’m old enough to remember when you could respect the left and still disagree with them and both parties didn’t want to murder each other.
Something else is in play.
There are always a lot of other things in play.
DeleteThe conservatives are great at memes but piss-poor at messaging. The message should be that DATA shows that "conforming" to socially conservative values MAKES YOU HAPPIER and throwing those traditional values into the sewer TANKS YOUR HAPPINESS.
I concur with Sir Filthie's sentiment... noticed it years ago. Something seems different. Perhaps its just the ebb and flow of time we happen to be observing.
ReplyDeleteUsed to be you could have a conversation about politics that involved logical arguments and discourse about causes and effects (homelessness is related to the economy). Today it's devolved into ideological beliefs simply being lobbed at the other person with no interest in discourse: I believe X, if you don't, I hate you!
You can't even have nuanced viewpoints: I'm pro-choice, but this full-term thing kinda sits funny with me... NO, ALL BABY'S MUST BE KILLED!
I firmly believe the underlying 'issue', is in the belief of morally relative facts and figures that are simply immutably black and white. Think laws of thermodynamics kind of immutable.
This is why liberals fail at religion - it's right there in the King James and every other versions of the book, you can't do that. Immutably denounced as sinful, God hates it even. That's pretty black and white. They abhor the very notion...
They don't even have to disagree or dislike the thought that is immutable. It's the fact that something has power over them, the ability to force perceptions on them (water is wet), regardless of their feelings on that particular subject. That is what they resist and hate - the external control, like parents to children (these are the tempter-tantrum-in-the-cereal-aisle kids). That is why they insist on subjugating everyone else to their wishes, as well. They are projecting. That's why religion and God is such a problem for their ideology - they want to be God. They even admit it when they crow on about their accomplishments.
I'd like to see the info behind these claims... I don't trust statistics without a published methodology.
ReplyDeleteJonathan
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/04/09/partisanship-by-gender-sexual-orientation-marital-and-parental-status/
DeleteTo Jonathan's point, I would love to see the methodology as well. But completely agreed that Conservatives are both lousy and messaging and struggle with assessing what "victory" means and how to achieve it.
ReplyDeleteBad at messaging? Nonsense! And I offer you two guys personally as proof of my argument. Both of you are reasonable, articulate thinkers that mean what you say and say what you mean. I too used to think that my dismal performance with convincing the left of anything was because of my lack of presentation skills. But hells bells, guys - common sense and reason are blatantly intuitively obvious and self evident.
ReplyDeleteIt should be obvious for example, that tranny men should not compete in women’s sport. It should be obvious that letting such people groom your kids in public schools is a bad thing. It should be obvious that mass, unchecked immigration is a bad thing. It isn’t our messaging skills that are the problem - those guys are flat out nuts, and not even God, Darwin or Murphy can argue with them. The political left has been going slowly insane for the last three decades and it’s catching on the right. I personally am at the point of no return with them… I think the only way forward (or, maybe, backward) … toward redemption… will require the mass expenditure of ammunition and the letting of blood. This is what they have in mind for you, and they’ve said as much. The only message they will hear now is kinetics and impact.
But… whadda I know?
I was working in a factory as a supervisor when the building manager (500 people in the building across three shifts) put the squeeze on us to enforce the cell-phone policy.
DeleteOne of my peers commented that we would not be able to turn-a-wheel if we disciplined every person who was violating the policy.
Jim, the building manager, was very patient. "We have extra manpower. Pick your worst F-up and send him out the door. Then, when he comes back, keep an eye on him and if he slips, send him out the door again. If he is good the first day, discipline your second worst F-up. But do it one-at-a-time. I guarantee you that by the time you have sent your three worst offenders off on unpaid vacations the rest of them will wise up."
Humans have the capacity to learn. They just need sufficient motivation.
What's posslq?
ReplyDeletePeople of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters. A term from the 1980 Census.
DeleteCome live with me and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands and crystal brooks
With silken lines, and silver hooks.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
If you would be my POSSLQ.
You live with me, and I with you,
And you will be my POSSLQ.
I'll be your friend and so much more;
That's what a POSSLQ is for.
And everything we will confess;
Yes, even to the IRS.
Some day on what we both may earn,
Perhaps we'll file a joint return.
You'll share my pad, my taxes, joint;
You'll share my life - up to a point!
And that you'll be so glad to do,
Because you'll be my POSSLQ.