# RWs are not stupid; it's much worse than that **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 23, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856 "2012-05-23T17:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/1 "2012-05-23T17:55:43Z")
In journalist [Chris Mooney’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Mooney_(journalist)) new book, [_The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science – and Reality_](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+republican+brain&sprefix=the+republican+brain%2Caps%2C366) (which I’ll actually read when my hold-order at the library comes through – I’m basing this on more accessible magazine articles Mooney has written **about** it), he argues that conservatives and liberals might have brains differently wired. We’ve seen this idea floated before – Wiki even has a page now on [Biology and political orientation.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_political_orientation)) However, in [this](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/chris-mooney-republican-brain-science-denial) _Mother Jones_ article – which begins with a discussion of the [Conservapedia page](http://www.conservapedia.com/Theory_of_Relativity) on (that is, **against)** the theory of relativity in physics (no, really, click it) – he is at pains to point out: > [@](#): > > Let’s be clear: This is not a claim about intelligence. Nor am I saying that conservatives are somehow worse people than liberals; the groups are just different. Liberals have their own weaknesses grounded in psychology, and conservatives are very aware of this. (Many of the arguments in this book could be inverted and repackaged into a book called The Democratic Brain—with a Spock-like caricature of President Obama on the cover.) > > \ > > But what about liberals? Aren’t we wrong too, and dogmatic too? > > The typical waffling liberal answer is, “er . . . sort of.” Liberals aren’t always right, but that’s not the central problem. Our particular dysfunction is, typically, more complex and even paradoxical. > > On the one hand, we’re absolutely outraged by partisan misinformation. Lies about “death panels.” People seriously thinking that President Obama is a Muslim. Climate change denial. Debt ceiling denial. These things drive us crazy, in large part because we can’t comprehend how such intellectual abominations could possibly exist. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a fellow liberal say, “I can’t believe the Republicans are so stupid they can believe X!” > > And not only are we enraged by lies and misinformation; we want to refute them—to argue, argue, argue about why we’re right and Republicans are wrong. Indeed, we often act as though right-wing misinformation’s defeat is nigh, if we could only make people wiser and more educated (just like us) and get them the medicine that is correct information. > > In this, we both underestimate conservatives, and we fail to understand them. > > To begin to remedy that defect, let’s go back to the Conservapedia-relativity dustup, and make an observation that liberals and physicists did not always credit. Whatever else Andrew Schlafly might be—and no matter how hard it is to understand how someone could devote himself to an enterprise like Conservapedia—the man is not stupid. Quite the contrary. > > He’s a Harvard law graduate. He has an engineering degree from Princeton, and used to work both for Intel and for Bell Labs. His relativity entry is filled with equations that I myself can neither write nor solve. He hails from a highly intellectual right-wing family—his mother, Phyllis, is also Harvard educated and, according to her biographer, excelled in school at a time when women too rarely had the opportunity to compete with men at that level. Mother and son thus draw a neat, half-century connection between the birth of modern American conservatism on the one hand, and the insistence that conservatives have their own “facts,” better than liberal facts thank you very much, on the other. > > So it is not that Schlafly, or other conservatives as sophisticated as he, can’t make an argument. Rather, the problem is that when Schlafly makes an argument, it’s hard to believe it has anything to do with real intellectual give and take. He’s not arguing out of an openness to changing his mind. He’s arguing to reaffirm what he already thinks (his “faith”), to defend the authorities he trusts, and to bolster the beliefs of his compatriots, his tribe, his team. > > Liberals (and scientists) have too often tried to dodge the mounting evidence that this is how people work. Perhaps because it leads to a place that terrifies them: an anti-Enlightenment world in which evidence and argument don’t work to change people’s minds. > > But that response, too, is a form of denial—liberal denial, a doctrine whose chief delusion is not so much the failure to accept facts, but rather, the failure to understand conservatives. And that denial can’t continue. Because as President Obama’s first term has shown—from the healthcare battle to the debt ceiling crisis—ignoring the psychology of the right has not only left liberals frustrated and angry, but has left the country in a considerably worse state than that. IOW, the problem appears to be, not that RWs are not **intelligent,** but that they **won’t** use their brains to deal with facts, but only to rebel against them and substitute “facts” more to their liking and defend those. Well. What can we do about **that?!** :eek:☹ ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/2 "2012-05-23T18:21:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What can we do about **that?!** :eek:☹ Here’s my predictions for how conservatives will handle it: 1. Deny it. 2. Ignore it. 3. Shoot the messenger. Chris Mooney is clearly a socialist. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/3 "2012-05-23T18:44:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > In journalist [Chris Mooney’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Mooney_(journalist)) new book, [_The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science – and Reality_](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+republican+brain&sprefix=the+republican+brain%2Caps%2C366) (which I’ll actually read when my hold-order at the library comes through – I’m basing this on more accessible magazine articles Mooney has written **about** it), he argues that conservatives and liberals might have brains differently wired. We’ve seen this idea floated before – Wiki even has a page now on [Biology and political orientation.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_political_orientation)) However, in [this](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/chris-mooney-republican-brain-science-denial) _Mother Jones_ article – which begins with a discussion of the [Conservapedia page](http://www.conservapedia.com/Theory_of_Relativity) on (that is, **against)** the theory of relativity in physics (no, really, click it) – he is at pains to point out: > > IOW, the problem appears to be, not that RWs are not **intelligent,** but that they **won’t** use their brains to deal with facts, but only to rebel against them and substitute “facts” more to their liking and defend those. > > Well. > > What can we do about **that?!** :eek:☹ What set of ‘facts’ are you referring to. I am not talking about fringe issues like the birther movement. That is just a straw man and both sides have their own versions of them. Once again, the ‘progressives’ (note the presumptuous name) think that they know the one true right way and everyone would agree with it if they simply knew as much as they do about everything. More likely, some people just have different worldviews and don’t want the same outcome given the same starting set of circumstances. I am not socially conservative but I am economically conservative. Economic liberalism turns me off because I simply don’t care about economic equality of outcomes or even think it is a good thing to trend towards. Other people think that everyone is in this together and we all must make sure that the government provides for people who can’t or won’t do as well on their own. That is a philosophical issue just like it always has been. No set of facts or convincing can change that. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/4 "2012-05-23T18:52:19Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > What set of ‘facts’ are you referring to. I am not talking about fringe issues like the birther movement. That is just a straw man and both sides have their own versions of them. The left-wing version of birthers aren’t driving policy. > [@](#): > > Once again, the ‘progressives’ (not the presumptuous name) think that they know the one true right way and everyone would agree with it if they simply knew as much as they do about everything. There are things that are opinions and there are things that are facts. Conservatism lives in a space where facts are optional. Evolution: Optional. Global Warming: Optional. Government is the spender of last resort in a recession: Optional. Obviously many conservative policy positions are based on opinion, like, say birth control support or abortion. > [@](#): > > More likely, get this this, some people just have different worldviews and don’t want the same outcome given the same starting set of circumstances. I am not socially conservative but I am economically conservative. Economic liberalism turns me off because I simply don’t care about economic equality of outcomes or even think it is a good thing to trend towards. Other people think that everyone is in this together and we all must make sure that the government provides for people who can’t or won’t do as well on their own. That is a philosophical issue just like it always has been. No set of facts or convincing can change that. Facts can show you that your position produces worse results. Facts can show that some form of universal health care would be cheaper, and produce better outcomes for our citizens. You have the right to ignore those facts and cling to ideology, but don’t pretend that you’re doing it for any but ideological reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/5 "2012-05-23T19:02:10Z")
Stephen Colbert put it best: “I’m not a fan of facts. You see, the facts can change, but my opinion will never change, no matter what the facts are.” ---
**Author:** ![HumanBear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@HumanBear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanBear)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/6 "2012-05-23T19:06:23Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Facts can show you that your position produces worse results. Facts can show that some form of universal health care would be cheaper, and produce better outcomes for our citizens. I agree that there are facts in many cases that are ignored by groups of people because of ideology, but this is not good example. It may be a fact that universal healthcare would benefit the majority, but it’s a perfectly reasonable argument to say it wouldn’t be of benefit to a particular individual and in fact may ending up costing that individual, for example in raised taxes. I’d prefer a society where people think of others, not just themselves, but as with anything the argument is about where these limits should be, e.g. how much is too much when it comes to taxes. I’d also like to say I doubt there is in general a difference between right and left wing brains, especially as there isn’t really a left wing in the USA, but don’t forget that the right wing is currently imploding in the USA and those who are vociferously supporting the Republican party at the moment are not necessarily your standard Republican party voters of old. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/7 "2012-05-23T19:16:14Z")
Gee, what an insightful OP. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/8 "2012-05-23T19:20:08Z")
> [@HumanBear](#): > > I agree that there are facts in many cases that are ignored by groups of people because of ideology, but this is not good example. It may be a fact that universal healthcare would benefit the majority, but it’s a perfectly reasonable argument to say it wouldn’t be of benefit to a particular individual and in fact may ending up costing that individual, for example in raised taxes. I’d prefer a society where people think of others, not just themselves, but as with anything the argument is about where these limits should be, e.g. how much is too much when it comes to taxes. As singer/songwriter [Fred Eaglesmith](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Eaglesmith) said: _You all call it “socialized medicine”. We just call it “sharing”._ ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/9 "2012-05-23T19:31:01Z")
Sorry OP. I am not a RW but I have plenty of experience with ‘Liberals’. They are just as dogmatic and refusing to consider facts contrary to their opinion as RWs. However, to bring them up would make you go…but but but…that is wrong and my stance is right!..which is just what RWs do. You want an example? - In a company where the upper management is 100% White but the rank and file is White/Black proportionate to the population… it is perfectly acceptable to chose a Black candidate for promotion to upper management if he is equally qualified with a White candidate wishing for the same promotion. In addition, a very liberal person seems to be much more willing to try to damage your career for a difference of opinions than a very conservative person. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/10 "2012-05-23T19:45:12Z")
> [@OP](#): > > …he argues that conservatives and liberals might have brains differently wired… Emphasis added. He “might” be right. But then, he “might” be wrong. Then again, he “might” not know what he’s talking about if he actually uses that phrase. Actually, he probably doesn’t, if he uses that phrase. And the example given tells us more about the mind of a religious fundamentalist than anything else. Granted, RFs are more likely than not to be RWs, but that doesn’t mean RWs are more likely than not to be RFs. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/11 "2012-05-23T19:46:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by BrainGlutton > > What can we do about that?! > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Here’s my predictions for how conservatives will handle it: > > 1. Deny it. > 2. Ignore it. > 3. Shoot the messenger. Chris Mooney is clearly a socialist. > [@](#): > > Originally posted by Oakminster > Gee, what an insightful OP. > :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: I see what you did there… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/12 "2012-05-23T19:57:29Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > IOW, the problem appears to be, not that RWs are not **intelligent,** but that they **won’t** use their brains to deal with facts, but only to rebel against them and substitute “facts” more to their liking and defend those. > > Well. > > What can we do about **that?!** :eek:☹ In the various Zimmerman / Martin shooting threads, I believe the trend I see is liberals substituting “facts” more to their liking. Granted, I see apparent conservatives doing this too. My point is that in this example, liberals do not seem to be fact-driven. Other examples include nuclear power – the bulk of protests against it seem to come from reliably liberal groups and are not fact-based. What is your – or Chris Mooney’s – explanation for this? ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/13 "2012-05-23T20:06:41Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In the various Zimmerman / Martin shooting threads, I believe the trend I see is liberals substituting “facts” more to their liking. > > Granted, I see apparent conservatives doing this too. My point is that in this example, liberals do not seem to be fact-driven. > > Other examples include nuclear power – the bulk of protests against it seem to come from reliably liberal groups and are not fact-based. > > What is your – or Chris Mooney’s – explanation for this? Do you have any statistics on the amount of liberals or democrats that don’t support nuclear power? As a liberal, I’ve never understood this myself. It’s the cheapest, cleanest, most abundant power source available ATM. Sure the cleanup is a bit of a mess, but if done properly, no worries. I always thought it was the hardcore environmentalists that railed against nuclear power. But nobody listens to them anyway. As for ZimmermanMartin thing, I didn’t like the way the police just dismissed it from the outset. I thought there should be a more thorough investigation. I thought Zimmerman’s story was questionable on a number of points. That’s all. Just more investigation and no white-wash (no pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/14 "2012-05-23T20:07:47Z")
Further, I’ve always thought the real problem with nuclear power is that nobody (D or R) wants a plant or a storage facility in their backyard. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/15 "2012-05-23T20:16:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > However, in [this](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/chris-mooney-republican-brain-science-denial) _Mother Jones_ article – which begins with a discussion of the [Conservapedia page](http://www.conservapedia.com/Theory_of_Relativity) on (that is, **against)** the theory of relativity in physics (no, really, click it) – he is at pains to point out: > > IOW, the problem appears to be, not that RWs are not **intelligent,** but that they **won’t** use their brains to deal with facts, but only to rebel against them and substitute “facts” more to their liking and defend those. Mooney’s article in _Mother jones_ is, frankly, stupid. First of all, it devotes a huge amount of time to an article in Conservapedia about the theory of relativity. No one can know who wrote the article or whether or not it was intended as a joke. Hence it proves nothing about whether any group of people are or are not willing to accept facts. If Mooney wanted his thesis to be taken seriously, he should have found a much better principle example of his point. Then he goes on to a long list of positions that conservatives hold certain positions that are not only “wrong”, but supposedly “can be shown to be through simple fact checking mechanisms that all good journalists, not to mention open-minded and critically thinking citizens, can employ.” In most cases he gives neither evidence that most conservatives hold these positions nor evidence that the positions are incorrect. To give just one example of a supposedly incorrect position, “they think [Obamacare] will increase the federal budget deficit”. The effects that Obamacare will have on the federal budget deficit are unknown. All predictions about that matter depending on predicting future costs, future numbers of people enrolled in various programs, future tax receipts, future employment, and other future data that can’t be known now. Hence there’s no way for Mooney to make a factual assertion that he’s right and the conservative are wrong about what Obamacare will cost. Lastly, he claims to have scientific evidence of psychological differences between liberals and conservatives. He doesn’t give a single citation for this. He probably should. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/16 "2012-05-23T20:23:42Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > What set of ‘facts’ are you referring to. I am not talking about fringe issues like the birther movement. That is just a straw man and both sides have their own versions of them. Once again, the ‘progressives’ (note the presumptuous name) think that they know the one true right way and everyone would agree with it if they simply knew as much as they do about everything. Mooney lists these as examples: > [@](#): > > Consider, just briefly, some of the wrong ideas that have taken hold of significant swaths of the conservative population in the U.S: > > **The Identity of the President of the United States.** Many conservatives believe President Obama is a Muslim. A stunning 64 percent of Republican voters in the 2010 election thought it was “not clear” whether he had been born in the United States. These people often think he was born in Kenya, and the birth certificate showing otherwise is bunk, a forgery, etc. They also think this relatively centrist Democrat is a closet—or even overt—socialist. At the extreme, they consider him a “Manchurian candidate” for an international leftist agenda. > > **Obamacare.** Many conservatives believe it is a “government takeover of health care.” They also think, as Sarah Palin claimed, that it created government “death panels” to make end-of-life care decisions for the elderly. What’s more, they think it will increase the federal budget deficit (and that most economists agree with this claim), cut benefits to those on Medicare, and subsidize abortions and the health care of illegal immigrants. None of these things are true. > > **Sexuality and Reproductive Health.** Many conservatives—especially on the Christian Right—claim that having an abortion increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer or mental disorders. They claim that fetuses can perceive pain at 20 weeks of gestation, that same-sex parenting is bad for kids, and that homosexuality is a disorder, or a choice, and is curable through therapy. None of this is true. > > **The Iraq War.** The mid-2000s saw the mass dissemination of a number of falsehoods about the war in Iraq, including claims that weapons of mass destruction were found after the US invasion and that Iraq and Al Qaeda were proven collaborators. And political conservatives were much more likely than liberals to believe these falsehoods. Studies have shown as much of Fox News viewers, and also of so-called authoritarians, an increasingly significant part of the conservative base (about whom more soon). In one study, 37 percent of authoritarians (but 15 percent of non-authoritarians) believed WMD had been found in Iraq, and 55 percent of authoritarians (but 19 percent of non-authoritarians) believed that Saddam Hussein had been directly involved in the 9-11 attacks. > > **Economics.** Many conservatives hold the clearly incorrect view—explicitly espoused by former President George W. Bush—that tax cuts increase government revenue. They also think President Obama raised their income taxes, that he’s responsible for current government budget deficits, and that his flagship economic stimulus bill didn’t create many jobs or even caused job losses (and that most economists concur with this assessment). Perhaps most alarming of all, in mid-2011 conservatives advanced the dangerous idea that the federal government could simply “prioritize payments” if Congress failed to raise the debt ceiling. None of this is true, and the last belief, in particular, risked economic calamity. > > **American History.** Many conservatives—especially on the Christian Right—believe the United States was founded as a “Christian nation.” They consider the separation of church and state a “myth,” not at all assured by the First Amendment. And they twist history in myriad other ways, large and small, including Michele Bachmann’s claim that the Founding Fathers “worked tirelessly” to put an end to slavery. > > **Sundry Errors.** Many conservatives claimed that President Obama’s late 2010 trip to India would cost $200 million per day, or $2 billion for a ten day visit! And they claimed that, in 2007, Congress banned incandescent light bulbs, a truly intolerable assault on American freedoms. Only, Congress did no such thing. (To give just a few examples.) > > **Science.** In a nationally representative survey—only 18 percent of Republicans and Tea Party members accepted the scientific consensus that global warming is caused by humans, and only 45 and 43 percent (respectively) accepted human evolution. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/17 "2012-05-23T20:27:55Z")
I’m assuming the R in RW stands for Republican, but what does the W stand for? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/18 "2012-05-23T20:31:42Z")
Right Wingers, I’d guess. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/19 "2012-05-23T20:31:50Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I’m assuming the R in RW stands for Republican, but what does the W stand for? Wing ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856/20 "2012-05-23T20:31:52Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I’m assuming the R in RW stands for Republican, but what does the W stand for? RW=Right Wing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rws-are-not-stupid-its-much-worse-than-that/622856.md?page=2)