# Are conservatives dumber than liberals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 13, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737 "2001-03-13T01:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/1 "2001-03-13T01:13:45Z")
Okay, the following is partially a tongue-in-cheek parody of [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=63113) and partially because I’m curious as to the “facts” (if any) of the matter can be discerned. To wit: **are (political) conservatives dumber than liberals?** I base the question on the grounds that political conservatism (at least the way it works in the United States) tends to be along lines that are selfish, intolerant, short-sighted and generally bad for the greater good. Things like tax breaks for the rich at the expense of everyone else, lax environmental/safety/health regulations, the (groundless) notion that free markets are the panacea of all ills, and close ties to the wonderful world of “worship the way I do, heathen!” religious conservatism. These traits seem to have an underlying tone of “I am the center of the universe, and everything belongs to me” which IMO is generally considered to be immature and short-sighted (e.g., “dumber”). Contrast that with the traditional definitions of political liberalism, which includes teachings that seem to be more tolerant, selfless, and concerned for the greater good. Ideas like protection and conservation of the environment, tolerance and acceptance of different cultures/religions/sexual preferences, and the belief that people and the government must work together to help those who aren’t as fortunate as the rest. These traits seem to have an underlying tone of “We’re all in this together,” which I’d consider more mature and insightful (e.g., “smarter”). Given that it seems like all the stupid traits are on one side of the aisle, and all the smart traits are on the other, can we prove (ha ha) that conservatives are dumber than liberals? At the very least, how can one justify such narrow-minded conservative philosophies as “a good thing,” given that they’re ultimately directed towards selfish short-term gain instead of the selfless long-term good? (Oh, I can feel the flamethrowers heating up already… :)) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/2 "2001-03-13T01:19:18Z")
Stand back everyone! I think this one’s gonna blow! ---
**Author:** ![jmullaney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@jmullaney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmullaney)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/3 "2001-03-13T01:23:15Z")
I _knew_ there was a reason poor, ignorant high school drop outs consistently voted republican! But the keep being oppressed by CEOs with MBAs voting for the democrats time and again… ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/4 "2001-03-13T01:25:42Z")
can’t anyone use the search engine?🙂 This has been done before. In reality all liberals are bleeding heart and would rather humanity vanish off the face of the earth, making them stupider than conservatives. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/5 "2001-03-13T01:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > In reality all liberals are bleeding heart and would rather humanity vanish off the face of the earth, making them stupider than conservatives. I know you’re just being cute, but even if liberals thought that way, why would that make them stupid? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/6 "2001-03-13T01:59:15Z")
Me no get it. Me conservative. ::scratches head:: Why you laugh at me? Was this what we were looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/7 "2001-03-13T02:08:20Z")
and andros: Just hypothetically speaking, assuming that liberals actually felt that way, and conservatives didn’t, I’m guessing that would make them stupid, as they’d be ignoring the fact that man is a part of nature and belongs on this planet just as much as any spotted owl. Fortunately as few liberals actually believe this happy horseshit as conservatives actually believe we should just wantonly rape and pillage the land. Either are extremists and no friend of the responsible conservative or liberal. The debate, as always is a matter of degree, pragmatism, and practically. (I knew you knew this, but I didn’t hink you were going to get it where you were looking,) Unfortunately, I don’t this this is going to exactly top the scales as the most intellectually stimulating thread of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/8 "2001-03-13T02:25:05Z")
I don’t think that conservatives see themselves as selfish. From what I can tell, they see their beliefs as good, America-enhancing policies which will benefit the country more than liberal pandering and whining. –Gabe ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/9 "2001-03-13T02:29:40Z")
See what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/10 "2001-03-13T02:55:42Z")
Well, my impression is that this very OP disproves itself. What ignorance… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/11 "2001-03-13T03:01:38Z")
[**This article**](http://www.salon.com/politics2000/feature/2000/05/01/west/index.html) in Salon begs to differ. It says that The West Wing could only be left wing because liberalism is essentially dramatic, while conservativism is essentially comedic. More bluntly, liberals are creatures of their hearts, while conservatives are creatures of their brains; thus, liberalism provides excellent material for tugging at the heartstrings, while conservative material is better suited to sarcasm, irony and wit, and most of all, cruelty at the expense of others. It makes a good argument. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/12 "2001-03-13T03:11:42Z")
Quick! Someone go dig up Friedrich Von Hayek and give him the news - it turns out he was actually stupid. Let’s get his Nobel Prize back. We can stop at Milton Friedman’s house along the way and get his back too. But we’d better get a big car, because we should stop and grab Ludwig Von Mises along the way. Perhaps we can get Alan Greenspan to drive. Then we’d have a freakin’ clownmobile, full of dummies. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/13 "2001-03-13T03:16:50Z")
I myself matriculated from the Barry Goldwater Memorial School of Mime. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/14 "2001-03-13T03:21:20Z")
[As I have already shown to my own snobbish satisfaction](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57199), those who blindly follow the conservatives are demonstrably less well erudite and educated. That most certainly does _not_ mean that _actual_ conservatives (including a large number of the folks who regularly stomp this very posting ground) are not clever, thoughtful, insightful, and humorous, albeit hopelessly misguided. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to go superglue some more bark onto this redwood in the hopes that they don’t notice it’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/15 "2001-03-13T03:28:11Z")
Yep. Less well erudite _and_ educated. We’ns the smart ones. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/16 "2001-03-13T16:14:10Z")
**Hey everybody, look over _there_… some Commie bastard’s burning the 'merkin flag!** \<_dope slaps **rjung** while all the conservative heads are turned_\> Thanks, dude. Just what the rest of us liberals need. Another distracting argument that conservatives are evil/selfish/greedy/stupid. _No wonder they have so much respect for our points of view._ [sub]We need a special rolleyes smilie just for this type of thread… maybe a braying jackass or farting elephant, depending on the particular side using the “all [fill in the political affiliation] are stoopid” argument.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/17 "2001-03-13T16:33:45Z")
Say what you will for us conservatives, at least we know how to follow an arrow from our candidate’s name to the corresponding hole in the ballot. _ducking and running_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/18 "2001-03-13T16:50:08Z")
Keller shoots!!! He **SCOOOOOOOORESSSS!!!** ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/19 "2001-03-13T17:28:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xenophon41 \* > Thanks, dude. Just what the rest of us liberals need. Another distracting argument that conservatives are evil/selfish/greedy/stupid. _No wonder they have so much respect for our points of view._ Well, I’d give some respect for their POV if they’d give some for mine. But as you pointed out, they don’t soooooooooooooo… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737/20 "2001-03-13T17:33:34Z")
Pul-leeze. The best you can come up with is screwing up a ballot? _You people give money to **Jerry Falwell**!_ Anyway, taking aim at either side is like shooting two eels screwing in a bucket of snot. It’s hard to miss, and the results are kinda gross. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-conservatives-dumber-than-liberals/57737.md?page=2)