So, liberals really are thinking about how to get Nazis on welfare to have more abortions so they can impose socialist sharia law and destroy America with Marxism?

Very interesting article and I will bookmark it for future reference.

Basically saying that Conservatives understand Liberals more than vice-versa. I would have predicted the opposite but neither am I shocked by these results. I think it is easier for an insane person to predicts the actions of a sane person than the other way around.

Ignoring politics. If you had any two schools of thought where one was more logical than the other, what would you expect? Which school of thought would be better at predicting the other school's thought process? The school based on logic has a distinct disadvantage.

I have no problem understanding what conservatives think.

It's Republicans that are farking baffling.

Conservatives may not like liberals, but they seem to understand them. In contrast, many liberals find conservative voters not just wrong but also bewildering.

I am very surprised by this seeing as how modern American conservatives seem to entirely lack empathy.

That's because trying to follow that much cognitive dissonance hurts the brain.

We demand Small government but we want the right to tell what can happen in your bedroom!
We demand lower taxes but we want to continue to give subsidies to the oil companies!

Trick question. Conservatives don't think.

Conservatives also secrete more skin moisture when they see disgusting images, such as a person eating worms.

Ewww conservatives secreting "skin moisture."

I had no idea they were thinking anything

/it certainly hasn't shown

Eddie Adams from Torrance: I have no problem understanding what conservatives think.

It's Republicans that are farking baffling.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: I have no problem understanding what conservatives think.

It's Republicans that are farking baffling.

Which begs the question of whether or not the study looked at whether conservatives knew what even they think. If their is an ideological split on the right, it is only natural that it is hard to understand them.

Also, if conservatives are split on an issue (55% to 45% for instant) it would make it harder to predict also. "Do conservatives think Obama a Muslim?" is a good example? I think the majority say "No, he's not Muslim" but only by a slim margin.

A Liberal wouldn't know what to guess and would have a high error rate. Reverse it and ask Conservatives if Liberal's think Obama is a Muslim. The idiots think Liberals are dumb and would say that they think he's not Muslim. The less stupid would also give credit to Liberals knowing the truth. Conservatives would have a much lower error rate.

It is harder to predict how a stupid/insane person thinks. It is not simply a matter of picking the opposite or stupider response.

Liberals are more child-like in their outlook; conservatives more adult.

This is what I imagine the critical decision making processes in the mind of the average Santorum supporter looks like. (^)(possibly NSFW)

sweetmelissa31: Conservatives may not like liberals, but they seem to understand them. In contrast, many liberals find conservative voters not just wrong but also bewildering.

I am very surprised by this seeing as how modern American conservatives seem to entirely lack empathy.

They understanding empathy structurally not intimately. They said bleeding heart Liberals, nanny state and entitlement society. They have all these codes for people who act like real caring Christians but just think it is wrong.

SkinnyHead: Liberals are more child-like in their outlook; conservatives more adult.

Children learn from new information, experiment and use their imagination to develop their understanding further.

Seeing how hatred, fear and greed are learned traits, I will accept your comparison with the clarification that conservatives are a certain type of adult that have not sustained the child-like qualities Liberals believe in and are incapable of learning knew things or improving themselves.

It's not that liberals have no idea what conservatives are thinking, they do, but they wonder how can they stand to think that way and did they really think about it before they made the rules?

Now a fascinating new book comes along that, to a liberal like myself, helps demystify the right -- and illuminates the kind of messaging that might connect with voters of all stripes. "The Righteous Mind," by Jonathan Haidt, a University of Virginia psychology professor, argues that, for liberals, morality is largely a matter of three values: caring for the weak, fairness and liberty. Conservatives share those concerns (although they think of fairness and liberty differently) and add three others: loyalty, respect for authority and sanctity.

Unsurprisingly, I find very little value in any of those three conservative concerns.

I understand them.

Conservatives look at who controls the country like a sports fan roots for their team. There is no reason for it other than hating liberals or thinking that their disproved economic theories are "the best".

According to conservatives: Liberals are people who disagree with conservatives. That's it. That's the definition.

In the conservative mindset there are two kinds of political expression: Conservative and Liberal, nothing else.

Conservatives are still trying to understand magnets and tides.

Since I can understand and empathize with both sides on some things, does that make me a conservative?

\Damit - I hope not

FTA: Conservatives may not like liberals, but they seem to understand them

I have never seen any evidence to support this.

SkinnyHead: Liberals are more child-like in their outlook; conservatives more adult.

SkinnyHead? More like PoopyHead.

Education cures Ron Paul, my friend. Education.

RanDomino: loyalty, respect for authority and sanctity.

IOW bronze age shiat-for-brains.

Nothing wrong with any of those, except when you do them blindly. Probably why a lot of conservatives are depicted as ...well...being retarded.

Maybe conservatives don't simply dismiss political adversaries as "racist," "greedy." "uneducated," "ignorant" and/or "primitive sky-god worshippers" and actually make more of an attempt to address issues on their merits?

Of course, it's much easier to just label conservatives are "stupid" or "racist"--after all, what's the point of arguing with or trying to understand stupid, racist people, right?

BravadoGT: Maybe conservatives don't simply dismiss political adversaries as "racist," "greedy." "uneducated," "ignorant" and/or "primitive sky-god worshippers" and actually make more of an attempt to address issues on their merits?

LOL's you are funny. No, conservatives NEVER call their political adversaries names.

Because People in power are Stupid: BravadoGT: Maybe conservatives don't simply dismiss political adversaries as "racist," "greedy." "uneducated," "ignorant" and/or "primitive sky-god worshippers" and actually make more of an attempt to address issues on their merits?

LOL's you are funny. No, conservatives NEVER call their political adversaries names.

I mean just look at the intelligent discourse on Fox News website about Trayvon Martin, nope not racist at all

RanDomino: loyalty, respect for authority and sanctity.

IOW bronze age shiat-for-brains.

Respect for authority (except when it is held by a secret islamofacistcommie bent on destroying America despite their being no evidence of this at all)

BravadoGT: Maybe conservatives don't simply dismiss political adversaries as "racist," "greedy." "uneducated," "ignorant" and/or "primitive sky-god worshippers" and actually make more of an attempt to address issues on their merits?

Of course, it's much easier to just label conservatives are "stupid" or "racist"--after all, what's the point of arguing with or trying to understand stupid, racist people, right?

Give us evidence of a national movement to discredit stupid racist conservatives and I'll agree with you.

Yep, still waiting. Oh what's that, they are only gaining more favor, influence and coverage? Sorry, there isn't a movement to distance "conservatives" from stupid racists? Curious. Very strange.

Meanwhile on the other side of the tent, liberals biggest disgrace is calling the stupid racists stupid, and racist, while continuing to hold their own to a much higher standard and rightfully criticizing them as situations arise instead of bowing in worship. Weeeeiiiiiiiiirrrrd.

Sounds like liberals are weak and have no convictions 'cause they won't support their leadership when it is either stupid or racist. You can't explain that.

Dusk-You-n-Me: This story appears to be a ripoff of the NYT. Link (new window)

I found that article more interesting, in spite of being assured by Mr Santorum that the NYT is "bullshiat".

/*that* is how you take something out of context, Mr Santorum

BravadoGT: Maybe conservatives don't simply dismiss political adversaries as "racist," "greedy." "uneducated," "ignorant" and/or "primitive sky-god worshippers"

That's because their political adversaries aren't those things.

The main issue, as I see it, is that more liberally minded folks tend to be able to keep the goal in sight while considering there may be new, alternate ways to reach that goal.

Conservatives, on the other hand, have a rigid set of rules, whereby the only way they can get to the goal is by adhering to that ruleset.

The confusing thing for liberally minded folks is that the Conservatives will continue to adhere to that ruleset, even when that ruleset has been shown to not progress them towards the goal (i.e. supply side economics does not "raise all ships").

This is why we have a (moderate for the US but Conservative for the rest of the developed world) President who gives a speech at a plant that is making huge strides in making fuel from algae, and Conservatives spend a week cracking jokes about how stupid the idea is of putting algae in your gas tank.

Marcus Aurelius: FTA: Conservatives may not like liberals, but they seem to understand them

I have never seen any evidence to support this.

Neither have I. When asked to describe what I believe, most conservatives have failed dramatically.

Actually, reading the NYT link again, the study doesn't show that liberals don't understand conservatives, but that conservatives responses don't correspond to their stated beliefs. The ability to predict the response of someone who is responding irrationally does not reflect badly on the person guessing.

I used to be a conservative. Now I am a liberal. So yes, I totally understand the two mindsets.

Conservatism is based on fear and anger, but the core of it is personal insecurities.

TheBeastOfYuccaFlats: Dusk-You-n-Me: This story appears to be a ripoff of the NYT. Link (new window)

I found that article more interesting, in spite of being assured by Mr Santorum that the NYT is "bullshiat".

/*that* is how you take something out of context, Mr Santorum

What the hell. Why was the NYT link "removed"?

In any event, it was pretty accurate.

Lando Lincoln: I used to be a conservative. Now I am a liberal. So yes, I totally understand the two mindsets.

Conservatism is based on fear and anger, but the core of it is personal insecurities.

Ditto on all counts.

Researchers found that interviewees on Stanford's campus offered harsher, more moralistic views after "fart spray" had been released in the area.

Well I guess that explains Rick Santorum.

sweetmelissa31: [k.wigflip.com image 400x300]

Oh, sweet, there's a series of pics with this guy?? Who IS that guy, anyway?

xanadian: Oh, sweet, there's a series of pics with this guy?? Who IS that guy, anyway?

I don't know who he is, but there are at least 4 pictures of him. I got them from someone who got them from someone else whose names I won't mention here just in case they don't want to be associated with collecting pictures of well-dressed men with Down Syndrome.

sweetmelissa31: Conservatives also secrete more skin moisture when they see disgusting images, such as a person eating worms.

Ewww conservatives secreting "skin moisture."

I have the reddest tentacles right now

I_Am_Weasel: It's not that liberals have no idea what conservatives are thinking, they do, but they wonder how can they stand to think that way and did they really think about it before they made the rules?


that's just the way it is. some things will never change.

Oh ding dang it all to heck that will teach me not to read the entire thread :(