A new poll by the Norman Lear Center (really?) and Zogby International finds that Liberals are more open to opposing viewpoints than conservatives (no, rrrrreeaalllyyyy???) and tend to rely on Fox “News” for their information…
You don’t say, I never would have guessed…
Among the highlights…
- Fox “News” wins the prize for the most politically divisive TV channel (I am shocked, shocked to find gambling in this establishment) with 70% of conservatives watching it on a daily basis compared to 3% of liberals.
- 22% of conservatives say that they have “never” enjoyed entertainment that reflects values other than their own, compared to 7% of Liberals. (Put another way, Rush “NarcoDog” Limbaugh’s potential audience is larger than that of Liberal competitors because Liberals will listen to conservative voices but if conservatives hear other ideals, their heads would explode)
- Conservatives think “fictional TV shows and movies are politically biased” and “overwhelmingly (76%) believe that TV shows and movies ‘very often’ contain political messages, but they are the least likely to learn anything about political issues from them. Just 4% say they learn lessons from movies.”
This isn’t the first time that Fox “News” viewers have been revealed to be, shall we say, less than erudite. Back in April a Pew Research Study survey found that viewers of Fox “News” had the lowest knowledge of national and international affairs… and a more-recent AP-Ipsos poll showed that Liberals read more books than conservatives.
Liberals are more open to opinions other than their own… consider that the literal definition of ‘liberal’ means that one is open to new ideas while “conservative” means that you hold to tradition and are, for the most part, scared of change and/or innovation… but the manner in which these terms are thrown around in politics today are so-far from their literal meaning because they are more-so rolled up with each party’s ideologies.
That must be why it’s so hard to have an intellectual debate with a conservative.
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1 comment:
Three really big reasons it's hard to have a meaningful discussion with a conservative Republican:
1, You've been so demonized for decades that he/she isn't seeing, hearing or talking to you, but rather to a completely fabricated caricature of a liberal. (You say you never wore tie-dye, bell bottoms and a Nehru shirt or had a waist-length ponytail, never spit on a soldier returning from a war zone, never had spontaneous sex with three chicks on the same day, man? Doesn't matter!)
2, You tend to accept the common meaning of most words. You tend to develop thoughts into whole sentences, some of them complex and reflecting an appreciation we live in a world where much is rendered in shades of gray, not just black and white. This convinces conservatives you're lost in unrealistic, ivory-tower thinking and wishy-washy to boot. They like things kept black-and-white simple, with plenty of harsh judgments thrown in.
3, You're aware there are facts, there are opinions and there are ideologies, and try to keep straight what's what, whether speaking or listening. Conservatives tend to put those things in reverse order, munge them all together, often dispensing with or so altering facts that they become complete distortions.
All of which goes a long way toward explaining the popularity of Rush Limbuagh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and so many others like them.
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