Are conservatives happier than liberals?

AceHero · Nov 7, 2013

Yoder777 said:
http://www.psych.nyu.edu/jost/Napier%20&%20Jost%20(2008)%20Why%20are%20conservatives%20happier%20than%20libe.pdf

Studies show that the major reason why conservatives tend to be more happy than liberals, regardless of their income level, is that they are more likely to see the inequality in American society as resulting from differences in merit and achievement rather than the result of fundamental injustices.

Which reduces their need to do anything about the problem.

Yoder777 · Nov 7, 2013

in 2004, I voted a straight democratic ticket out of opposition toward george w. bush. in 2008, i didn't vote at all, because i was disillusioned by the major candidates. in 2012, i looked at each candidate and voted for them based on their character and their qualifications for office, regardless of their party affiliation.

a part of this was voting gary Johnson, the libertarian candidate, for president. as a governor, he balanced the state budget without raising taxes and was highly popular for having effective leadership. he may not have had a chance of winning, but he received more votes than any other libertarian candidate had previously, and the most votes of any third party candidate since ralph nader in 2000.

for 2012, i am hoping that a republican will win the election, in order to give our nation a fresh start after eight years of obama. if it's a republican who reaches out to all demographics instead of insulting half the electorate, he (or she) would have my support. i am hoping for rand paul or bobby jindal to run.

i believe that republicans in congress and obama are equally responsible for our malfunctioning government. reagan and tip o'neil were able to compromise, as were clinton and gingrich.

keith99 · Nov 7, 2013

Yoder777 said:
I think that you are misrepresenting the actual articles I've shared. I don't think you've read any of the articles or even care. Again, if you see income inequality as largely the result of merit and individual achievement, you are more likely to be happy in a society like the United States than someone who sees income inequality as largely the result of gross injustices. If you see that America's poor have a higher standard of living than a majority of the world's people, you are more likely to be happy to live in this country than someone who focuses more on the negative, regardless of your station in life.

In the interest of not having to repeat myself over and over again, I am done posting in this thread. Please go back and actually read the numerous articles I've already posted, based on actual non-partisan studies. I wouldn't call myself exclusively conservative or liberal, but I am very thankful to live in this country, and I resent anti-American sentiment wherever it is found. I attended one of the most liberal colleges in the country, and had professors and fellow students who honestly hate this country and wish it never existed. This, of course, may not describe the average liberal, but the average liberal is less likely to be happy in this country than the average conservative.

Bolding mine.

Yup people who focus on the negative are rarely happy. If that is the tendency of liberals we have the answer.

Yoder777 · Nov 7, 2013

keith99 said:
Bolding mine.

Yup people who focus on the negative are rarely happy. If that is the tendency of liberals we have the answer.

By focusing on the negative, I am speaking specifically of how liberals view the inequality within American society differently from conservatives. Liberals tend to see inequality as the result of a defective system, while conservatives tend to see inequality as resulting from individual achievement. Liberals tend to see poverty in America as a national disgrace, while conservatives tend to see that America's poor, based on proven statistical evidence, live better than most of humanity:
Matt Mitchell Explains World Income Inequality - YouTube

What attitude toward American society is more likely to lead to success in life? According to black conservatives, a conservative philosophy is better for minorities to get ahead in life than the liberal philosophy of seeing the cards stacked against them from the get go.

Consider how many African immigrants are financially successful in the United States, even owning small businesses. They didn't succeed with the mentality that American society is their oppressor and therefore hard work is pointless.

I am not saying that black people are lazy. What I am saying is that black leaders like Jesse Jackson preach a learned hopelessness instead of empowerment. Obviously, a black person has a better quality of life and more opportunities to succeed in America than a black person would ever have in Africa.

Cearbhall · Nov 7, 2013

Yoder777 said:
Regardless of income level, conservatives are happier than liberals and give more to charity. This has been shown by organizations like the Pew Research Center. There's a real difference between the foaming at the mouth pundits that we hear on the radio and the average Republican voter who just wants to get by in life, and for the most part, keep their politics to themselves.

The bottom 5% of Americans have a higher standard of living than 68% of the world's people, while the median household income is higher than 93% of the world's people. These are basic facts that liberals don't tell you when advancing their policies. Regardless of income level, conservatives are more thankful for having been born in this country than liberals.

I agree. Liberal candidates won't tell you that because they don't represent the average Democratic voter, like you just said about Republicans. The average Democratic voter knows that we aren't a third world country but recognizes that we still fail at dealing with poverty relative to other first world countries.

Illuminaughty · Nov 7, 2013

we still fail at dealing with poverty relative to other first world countries.

That's the truth. We are falling behind on that front.

Yoder777 · Nov 7, 2013

Cearbhall said:
I agree. Liberal candidates won't tell you that because they don't represent the average Democratic voter, like you just said about Republicans. The average Democratic voter knows that we aren't a third world country but recognizes that we still fail at dealing with poverty relative to other first world countries.

That may not be entirely true:

Even if youre stuck in the bottom 5% of the US income distribution your standard of living is about equal to that of the top 5% of Indians. Even if youre in the bottom 10% your standard of living is about the same as that of the bottom 10% in other rich countries (which, so we are told, care so much more and do so much more) like Sweden and Finland. And when we sweep everything together into some sort of quality of life measure the American poor are better off than the French or German poor.
Astonishing Numbers: America's Poor Still Live Better Than Most Of The Rest Of Humanity - Forbes

Yoder777 · Nov 7, 2013

Regardless of his personal politics, Dinesh D'Souza's life story proves what minorities can achieve in this country if they put their mind to it:
The Reparations Fallacy: What African-Americans Owe America

Joykins · Nov 7, 2013

nm, misread

Yoder777 · Nov 7, 2013

Please keep in mind that I am not endorsing any political party. The point I want to make is that America is a great country and that even poor Americans have a higher standard of living than a vast majority of the world's people.

If you have an attitude of gratitude for what you already have, and for the opportunities that are out there waiting for you, instead of always thinking of yourself as the victim of an unjust system, you are more likely to move up in society. It just so happens that conservatives are more likely to have this positive attitude of American society and their life in it, regardless of their income level, than liberals do.

MachZer0 · Nov 7, 2013

Yoder777 said:
Please keep in mind that I am not endorsing any political party. The point I want to make is that America is a great country and that even poor Americans have a higher standard of living than a vast majority of the world's people.

If you have an attitude of gratitude for what you already have, and for the opportunities that are out there waiting for you, instead of always thinking of yourself as the victim of an unjust system, you are more likely to move up in society. It just so happens that conservatives are more likely to have this positive attitude of American society and their life in it, regardless of their income level, than liberals do.

Attitude of gratitude. I like that

Criada · Nov 9, 2013

Mod Hat On

This thread has been cleaned.
Please discuss the OP without flaming or personal comments
Thank you

Mod Hat Off

GoldenBoy89 · Nov 9, 2013

Yoder777 said:
Regardless of income level, conservatives are happier than liberals and give more to charity. This has been shown by organizations like the Pew Research Center. There's a real difference between the foaming at the mouth pundits that we hear on the radio and the average Republican voter who just wants to get by in life, and for the most part, keep their politics to themselves.

The bottom 5% of Americans have a higher standard of living than 68% of the world's people, while the median household income is higher than 93% of the world's people. These are basic facts that liberals don't tell you when advancing their policies. Regardless of income level, conservatives are more thankful for having been born in this country than liberals.

George F. Will - Smile if (and Only if) You're Conservative

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Conservatives More Liberal Givers

Matt Mitchell Explains World Income Inequality - YouTube

What is it they say about ignorance and bliss? :scratch:

Yoder777 · Nov 10, 2013

Crudo89 said:
What is it they say about ignorance and bliss?

The condescension that liberals have against conservatives is one reason for their perceived elitism and why working class and rural whites have moved away from the Democratic Party. People have legitimate reasons for being grateful for this country. If you don't see them, it's not my problem.

Joykins · Nov 10, 2013

I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that acknowledging the imperfection of the social structure and the plight of the unfortunate makes it impossible to appreciate one's own blessings.

Savior2006 · Nov 10, 2013

Veritas said:
In a liberal's mind, it's better for all to be equally miserable then unequally successful.

Please stop projecting your nonsense onto other people. Thank you.

GoldenBoy89 · Nov 10, 2013

Yoder777 said:
The condescension that liberals have against conservatives is one reason for their perceived elitism and why working class and rural whites have moved away from the Democratic Party. People have legitimate reasons for being grateful for this country. If you don't see them, it's not my problem.

Well, for a liberal... I'm quite happy with my life as an American and very grateful for all the good in our country. However, I do see she has a lot of room for improvement. Not just economically but also in social equality and education and probably most important of all, in personal freedom. And I feel it is a little more than disheartening to see such a large percentage of the population so indifferent toward their fellow Americans and so resistant to change because of a perceived shift towards communism, liberalism, socialism, satanism, or secularism.

It's a little more than annoying when you're labeled a socialist-commie, satan worshipping secularist liberal by people who 1) hardly know what these words mean and 2) are either borderline anarchists (libertarians) or are practically theocratic fascists (super-fundie christians).

My opinion as to why liberals might be less happy than conservatives. Probably because this isn't the greatest example of what a first-world country looks like. On top of that, most of the population sees you as some evil, godless communist trying to destroy America and bring the bible-believing True Americans to their knees. Which is why conservatives need assault rifles, of course.

Are conservatives happier than liberals?

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