Are republican voters generally more stupid than democrats in the USA?

A Swedish newspaper just wrote about the reception of Todd Akins quote on women, rapes and duck anatomics.

According to that survey, 49% thought he should drop out, 28% think he should go on... So far so good, that is statistics I can accept.

However, 8% of the US population actually agreed with Akins. Now that SCARES me. Not only have they heard something and assumed it was true, they must have heard something, assumed it was true, and then 8 out of every 100 people completely missed the backlash.

THAT is what scares me. Not that people assume things they hear from politicians are true, but that they are completely unaware when a whole damn world backlash against it, the overwhelmingly vast majority of their own population as well.


So why did I jab at republicans in my title then?

Well, according to the same source, not 8%, but 13% of republican voters agree with Todd Akins.

Logically for me, that must mean that the notion that Todd Akin might be right is way-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y stronger in the republican line than in the democratic line.

This is not the first time I hear about reality disagreements between the US political blocks... I recall some old poll from some year after the second Saddam war where a STUPID amount of republican voters believed they had found WMD in Iraq, and that Saddam had ties to OBL.



So I wonder... When it comes to factual things, that anyone can prove... How come that American Republicans seem to be way more out of sync with what the world at large believe is "true", than democratic voters?

Are the republican news channels bad at news reporting, or is the somewhat more disturbing notion more true, that the republican channels do propaganda?

This is a loaded question. You need to rephrase it.

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Originally Posted by rvg

This is a loaded question. You need to rephrase it.

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It is a loaded question, that's how you generally get people interested in what you have to say.

I have presented some statistics, gave my thoughts on some possible reasons, and opened up for discussion. If you feel strongly about republicans actually having the right idea of things, then by all means state your case and defend your position.

However, if you have a school system that cover these things (like human and duck plumbing) and any sort of access to media channels, and yet STILL can not get a clear picture in your head... I don't know, you tell me. Stupidity? Propaganda? Something else ("American Spirit" comes to mind)?

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Originally Posted by Kadagar_AV

It is a loaded question, that's how you generally get people interested in what you have to say.

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Not if you actually expect to get an answer. Your question pre-supposes that democratic leaning voters are stupid and republican leaning voters are stupider. You won't get very far with a question like that.

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Originally Posted by rvg

Not if you actually expect to get an answer. Your question pre-supposes that democratic leaning voters are stupid and republican leaning voters are stupider. You won't get very far with a question like that.

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I pre-suppose that democratic voters are stupid?

I think you read a little too much into the title there... You wouldn't, by any chance, feel like being OT?

OT?

Republican?

50% of people have a below average IQ.

The bell curve is what would be interesting in this. It is possible to have a higher percentage at both extremes. So whilst there may be a higher percentage at the low end there can be more at the high end and still have the same average IQ in both sets of voters.

When we elect we should be going for the higher functional IQ/EQ etc set. So the group that is generating better politicians will get more votes.

End of the day you are voting for better politicians, you are not voting for your fellow voters. A functioning democracy is enhanced with smart informed active voters, it just doesn't rely on that... As long as who they elect make up for the voting pools deficiencies.

Your people make terrible meatballs

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

50% of people have a below average IQ.

The bell curve is what would be interesting in this. It is possible to have a higher percentage at both extremes. So whilst there may be a higher percentage at the low end there can be more at the high end and still have the same average IQ in both sets of voters.

When we elect we should be going for the higher functional IQ/EQ etc set. So the group that is generating better politicians will get more votes.

End of the day you are voting for better politicians, you are not voting for your fellow voters. A functioning democracy is enhanced with smart informed active voters, it just doesn't rely on that... As long as who they elect make up for the voting pools deficiencies.

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I get that.

That is not what scares me. The Akins duck as an example... My point is that somehow, somewhere, there has to be a factor explaining how it comes that republican voters have a whole other perspective on actual facts than the rest of the world.

What interests me, is what that factor is. Stupidity is, imho, a much to simple explanation, as I think, and science support me in this, that Americans percentage wise have roughly the same amount of stupid people as they have in, say, France.

You seem to be equating stupidity with "culture that isn't Swedish"

Of course there are the same amount of stupid people in France, they just support people like Le Pen instead of Akin

Now back to the slopes Johanssen

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Originally Posted by Strike For The South

You seem to be equating stupidity with "culture that isn't Swedish"

Of course there are the same amount of stupid people in France, they just support people like Le Pen instead of Akin

Now back to the slopes Johanssen

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That post of yours would have absolutely killed the debate, if we were debating differences between nations. As it is though, we debate differences on appreciation of facts between two different political parties residing in the US of A.

And if you go after me, at least do it right. If you want to mock me for skiing you should use my AUSTRIAN heritage (Hitler alone should give you plenty of resources). Admittedly you would still be a few years late, but then, it's not the slowest you've been accused of being, now is it?

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What interests me, is what that factor is. Stupidity is, imho, a much to simple explanation, as I think, and science support me in this, that Americans percentage wise have roughly the same amount of stupid people as they have in, say, France.

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Now I am going to hold your hand through this, perhaps up the font a peg or two so it will really sink in.

You don't understand why some people would support Akins outlandish comments
You don't think stupidity is a valid answer, you are correct.
However you fail to see why. So you ask, in your usual style, if all the stupid people vote GOP.
I can't understand what would lead you to that conclusion other than some sort of pat on the back circle jerk.

In America there is still ongoing debate about abortion. The crux of this issue has to do with at what point life begins. Many in America believe it to be conception. The 8% of people is probably made up of people who 1. truly believe the termination of any fetus is murder 2. refuse to give ground due to partisan politics 3. Cognitive dissonance among pro lifers who don't like to deal with what are admittiley a very small number of abortions.

While this may seem foreign to you, parts of the Swedish zetigiest seem foreign to us.

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Originally Posted by Strike For The South

You seem to be equating stupidity with "culture that isn't Swedish"

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Sometimes, that seems like a reasonable conclusion, especially when comparing with America.

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Of course there are the same amount of stupid people in France, they just support people like Le Pen instead of Akin

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The issue with Akin isn't the pro-life bit, it's the "women can't get pregnant from rape" bit. That 13% of Republicans believe that is scary.

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Now back to the slopes Johanssen

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Actually, that would be "Johansson", or "Johnsson" in my case.

I would put forth it is part cognitive dissonance combined with an unwillingness to compromise on the abortion debate.

It's like saying English people are stupid for still having a king

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Originally Posted by Strike For The South

I would put forth it is part cognitive dissonance combined with an unwillingness to compromise on the abortion debate.

It's like saying English people are stupid for still having a king

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Except that we've repeatedly said that the main reason we still have a King is that we don't like our politicians having swollen heads, like yours. It's because, when it comes to governance, the English detest principles.

And the main reason people back Akin is an unwillingness to give an inch on the abortion debate.

Can't even give an inch, sounds like they're hung like a duck too. :smoking:

Depends on your measurement of intelligence.

I wouldn't call someone who is intellectually handicapped stupid.

I would call someone who is normal or better stupid if they ignore the facts.

As such even if a person had a genius IQ, Dr of Science, Theology and Baking. They are still a roaring idiot if they state the sun rises in the west.

So people who believe contrary to all evidence that woman can shut down pregnancy in rape are a bunch of stupid idiots. They might be good, caring genius neighbors or family members who get to vote. But they are on this topic stupid.

You know, the American electorate has been polled, tested, sliced, diced and poked from every imaginable direction. There are probably some polls out there that might address your question in some way. Google is your friend.

Is it any more intelligent to believe America can opt out of free trade and the Rust Belt will suddenly spring back to life? Both sides have their crazies.

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Originally Posted by Strike For The South

Now I am going to hold your hand through this, perhaps up the font a peg or two so it will really sink in.

You don't understand why some people would support Akins outlandish comments
You don't think stupidity is a valid answer, you are correct.
However you fail to see why. So you ask, in your usual style, if all the stupid people vote GOP.
I can't understand what would lead you to that conclusion other than some sort of pat on the back circle jerk.

In America there is still ongoing debate about abortion. The crux of this issue has to do with at what point life begins. Many in America believe it to be conception. The 8% of people is probably made up of people who 1. truly believe the termination of any fetus is murder 2. refuse to give ground due to partisan politics 3. Cognitive dissonance among pro lifers who don't like to deal with what are admittiley a very small number of abortions.

While this may seem foreign to you, parts of the Swedish zetigiest seem foreign to us.

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Parts of the Swedish zeitgeist seem foreign to Swedes too.

There is, however, one whooping difference...

In the USA, you will find that 8% has a foreign view that women are like ducks.
In Sweden, you could (possibly, but hardly?!) find 8% who think there should be a law for men to sit down on public toilets.

In the USA, you have a party where this lunatic viewpoint is more common than in other partys.
In Sweden, we have a party where this lunatic viewpoint is more common than in other partys.

In USA, the person behind the quote is running for president in the worlds surviving super power, for a party that have roughly 50% of the votes.
In Sweden, the person behind the quote is some backwater local politician whos party have about 5% of the votes.


Do you now understand what I see might be problematic?

And yes, I am fully aware of the abortion issues you have over there... But you should also be aware that the thinking people of the world get kind of nervous witnessing the anti-intellectual tendencies you seem to have got going for you.

I'm not scared that Americans will have proper information but decide to act in evil ways. People don't suddenly turn evil.

What I am afraid of is people being completely miss lead, trying to do good.

Or to put it even more blunt:

The world got scared when you attacked Iraq because of non-existant WMDs.
The world got absolutely TERRIFIED when big blocks of your population also polled that WMDs had been found.

And that is what this thread is about. It's not about evil americans being evil, it's about people all over the world needing correct information to make decisions. And from what I see, there seem to be a movement who deliberately spreads false information, and quite successfully so.

And yes, that scares me.

I think for every retard who agreess with Todd and thinks Dinosaurs were on Noahs Arc, there are an equal number of retards on the other side of the fence.

Fortunately, most of my RL conservative friends are very intelligent people. Unfortunately, most of my RL Liberal friends are not, either being ignorant or uneducated or outright dumb. This tends to happen when you bundle all the victim classes together. Republican ignorance, on the other hand, tends to stem from inbreeding and cutting off the flow of oxygen while speaking in tongues.

Maybe a book like The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science and - Reality will answer (some of) your questions. Some people are more open to new experiences than others. The more closed they are, the better they are at rejecting facts that go against their opinions. Everyone is capable of that of course, but research suggest that one finds more of it among "conservative" people.

Maybe something to do with a bigger amygdala and therefore more fear and anxiety in their lives. Which could also explain the need for more closure and a more black and white view of things.

Fox News does seem to have either a detrimental effect or maybe it just attracts people of a certain persuasion, as several studies have found that the more people watched Fox News the less they knew.

Just because some idiots support a Party doesn't mean that all it's supporters are idiots.

Also, it's important to note how much people actually held those views even before that nonsense was spouted and how many people from those 13% think that any abortion is just plain wrong regardless of the circumstances.

Are Republicans agreeing with what is said, or refusing to denigrate a Republican candidate?

~:smoking:

False equivalency

I think this is an example of “people will believe most anything they are told” or in the words of P.T. Barnum “there is a sucker borne every minute“. (something he didn’t actually say)

Most of you believe Napoleon was short and many of you believe Germany started WWI.

A lot of you think that making alcohol from corn (maze) will impact food supplies or that hemp should be banned because people can get high smoking it.

Where dose that leave you?

All of these were politically motivated lies people still believe. Maybe a few people are latching on to it because they want to believe it but most likely it is just to support their man and truth is ignored. In a year maybe 2% will still say they believe it.