Are "extreme" right wing people less intelligent ?

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Here's what I consider a litmus test for intelligence as regards beliefs and convictions: notice the repeating words and phrases people rely on when making their arguments on something they're angry or upset about. Then ask them to explain what it is what they're upset about, WITHOUT using those words at all. Intelligent people will be able to explain it in plain language and still make sense. Those with extreme beliefs will either make no sense, or get really angry at you, or both.

Goes a bit like this

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Goes a bit like this

I'll go with that. I wouldn't say that left or right are any less or more intelligent than each other, extremists in general tend to be a little less willing to question matters and a bit more willing to follow the party line, so long as that party line is not of mainstream opinion.
I honestly wouldn't even say that the right are louder than the left, it's just that we only hear certain parts where we are, and it also depends a lot on who is in power. If a left wing leader is in power then the right wing extremists will be the loudest, if a right wind leader is in power then the left wing extremists will be the loudest. Tis the nature of the beast.

[August]

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”
― George Carlin

Some people use the word "extreme" in the same way.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by August

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”
― George Carlin

Some people use the word "extreme" in the same way.

I'm going to go with this answer. I'll just add, it must be getting close to political season.

[Relmu]

Are people on the right...less intelligent. Given that the majority of right wing people in my country are earning twice as much on average as the left wing... I'm starting to wonder whether the left wing people are intelligent in the right respects.

Now what I will say is less intelligent people tend to be right wing. (There's a careful distinction here). This is because from my limited experience "Taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut" is what less intelligent people do... and guess what using extremely large weapons are associated with...

Or another example is parents who are less intelligent might say, "Do as I say and not as I do." or something to that effect. Where as a parent who is more intelligent might suggest, "This is what I am doing and why I am doing it. These are the advantages and disadvantages." One is authoritarian, the other is libertarian and again associated with right and left respectively.

Of course, intelligent people can be both because they have weighed up all the facts, decided what they believe in and where the evidence points to form their decision. Less intelligent people can also be both depending on what environment they are in, but given an unbiased environment I think would take the sledge hammer rather than the nut cracker.

Maybe I'm a little biased as I'm not just a Libertarian-Collectivist I'm a European Libertarian-Collectivist .

[Oberon]

Communist! Get him!!

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I'm going to go with this answer. I'll just add, it must be getting close to political season.

Only in Europe, although since the US political season starts about five years before the next election...
In Europe we have quite a few elections this year, the UK, Spain, Denmark, probably Greece again before the year is out.

[Tango589]

Originally Posted by Oberon

In Europe we have quite a few elections this year, the UK, Spain, Denmark, probably Greece again before the year is out.

Oh yes, the time when nations across Europe unite in promising their citizens the moon on a stick, the extremists jump up and down getting agitated and shouting their favourite slogans, those with the power are planning on what to do with it and those cynical/realist bunch are wholly unsurprised when the wheels fall off the whole damn thing. (I count myself firmly in this group).

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by Oberon

In Europe we have quite a few elections this year, the UK, Spain, Denmark, probably Greece again before the year is out.

Greece has a bit of catching up to do in the Netherlands the last 4 parlaments terms where like this: An issue arose followed by a disagreement with the 2 elected parties and before they finished their term....



As for the extreme left or right sounding less intelligent....they would probably disagree....one will claim you are bought by the bank whilst the other thinks you're an muslim sympathizer.

[AngusJS]

Originally Posted by Relmu

Are people on the right...less intelligent. Given that the majority of right wing people in my country are earning twice as much on average as the left wing... I'm starting to wonder whether the left wing people are intelligent in the right respects.

The thing is, a university professor in the left-leaning academy makes much less than a broker on right-leaning Wall Street. But I'd say it takes more intelligence and knowledge to do the former than the latter, thus it's a mistake to tie intelligence and knowledge to earning potential.

On the whole, people on the right and the left have the same general level of intelligence, defined as the ability to obtain knowledge.

However, if we define knowledge as having access to facts in your mind, then the left is more knowledgeable than the right. The right tends to accept fundamentalist religious dogma more, and reject science more. This happens less on the left.

Even comparing the far left to the far right, I would say the far left accepts more facts about the world than the right. "Capital" blows the bible out of the water in this regard.

[Catfish]

^ also, an empathic person who cares for others, probably will hesitate to use his elbows, or to downright use force to eliminate another, even if this other one may be the pure evil.

I would say that the left as most of the people understand it, have shown no more mercy than right-wingers (speaking of Lenin and Stalin on the left and Hitler on the other) when it comes to mass slaughter and such.
However "the left" had at least some better scientific backup to justify their actions (revolution theories of Voltaire, Rousseau, or much later Marcuse. In this respect, any revolution had to be discussed, if the means to reach the goal for a better society, really justifies brute force and killing. If not, better let it go. It has not helped the ordinary man that much, though.)


Let me ask another question: Was Djinghis-Khan politically left, or right ?

[CaptainHaplo]

Originally Posted by AngusJS

But I'd say it takes more intelligence and knowledge to do the former than the latter, thus it's a mistake to tie intelligence and knowledge to earning potential.

And what makes you come to that conclusion? It is often stated: "Those that can, do. Those that cannot do - teach." Given some of the stuff so called "professors" come up with, I would strongly disagree that teaching takes some greater level of intelligence and knowledge.

On the whole, people on the right and the left have the same general level of intelligence, defined as the ability to obtain knowledge. However, if we define knowledge as having access to facts in your mind, then the left is more knowledgeable than the right.

Assuming we can agree to put the occasional stupid misstatement aside, intelligence isn't just what one knows or "can" know - it is also how one makes use of that knowledge.

The left tends to ignore the facts of history, continually refuses to accept facts of science that does not fit its agenda, and often invents false "facts" to push a narrative that is (often known to be) untrue. Additionally, the left often refuses to observe facts even when it gives voice to them.

The right tends to accept fundamentalist religious dogma more, and reject science more. This happens less on the left.

Come on - you can't be serious. 2 words for you.... Global Cooling - no wait - it became Global Warming. Oh darn it, sorry, its "Climate Change" now. Scientific facts (using NASA's own data) shows that "greenhouse gases" have not contributed to a warming of the environment. In fact, it shows that we have been in a cooling cycle for the last 17 YEARS. Study shows that almost globally, raw temperature data was "adjusted" upward to create an outcome not backed up by facts. That data - ignored by the left. Instead, data has been manipulated to create a desired outcome - a "false fact". Another "false fact" - the claim that the science was settled and that 97% of scientists agreed that global warming was real and man made. Turns out the WSJ fact checked that - and only ~1% actually believed that. The fact: 31,000 scientists signed documentation stating that:

“there is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate."

Yet the left refuses to accept the facts and instead make up their own false "facts". Why? Because its a multi-billion dollar money making cash cow for them.

Maybe you don't like those examples? Lets try these:

Fact: Obama correctly states that he does not, per the Constitution, have the executive power to create amnesty for illegal aliens. Yet in the end - he ignores his own fact and attempts to do it anyway.

Fact: "Hands up, don't shoot" didn't happen. Yet the leftist race baiters and those who want to look like they care about minorities pushed this as fact. Not only did the left ignore those who tried to correct the error, those who were truthful were in fact threatened for telling the truth about what occurred.

Fact: Duke Rape Case - another leftist "get the privileged white boys" witch hunt that turned into a total fiasco when it turned out to be an entirely false accusation.

Fact: UVA Fraternity Rape - basically the Duke case all over again. A reporter who actually wanted to "find" this story, went looking and "found it", then didn't check it because it fit the leftist agenda (get the evil white boys) and ended up turning out to be a fabrication.

I could go on and on. Chicago, Detroit and many other cities being run by the left for decades, and the poor who are supposed to be the priority of the left are worse of than ever before? Failure to learn from history.

Fact: No majority of Americans have supported Obamacare at any time in its history. (Check realclearpolitics.com for that)

Fact: Obamacare has made health care MORE expensive for the middle class. Feel free to google that and just read the articles from CNN and CBS - hardly "conservative" paragons.....

etc. etc. etc.

Even comparing the far left to the far right, I would say the far left accepts more facts about the world than the right.

Yea, you might want to rethink that claim given the above....
If you REALLY need more examples, feel free to ask.