Do you mind?

There is a new report out that says that Conservatives and Liberals not only believe different things .. they think differently. I knew this was the case and even remember reading a similar story about it some time ago. Here's how the report summarizes their findings:

Conservatives tend to crave order and structure in their lives, and are more consistent in the way they make decisions. Liberals, by contrast, show a higher tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, and adapt more easily to unexpected circumstances.

I can usually tell if someone is a Republican or a Democrat by talking to them for just a short while. Conservatives tend to speak in absolutes and take well worn steps to forming their opinion while Liberals tend to talk more broadly about subjects and are more diverse in their opinion formulation. Conservatives tend to try to make the world fit their beliefs while liberals seem to react to the situation they find and adapt their beliefs to it.

I believe that much of this difference is inherent but much of it is, in fact, learned. What always infuriated me most about the right wing media is not that they express opinions different than my own. I hate the fact that they teach closed mindedness. Listen closely and you'll notice Rush Limbaugh instructing his audience not only WHAT to think but also HOW to think like a Conservative.

Conservative leaders over the past generation have done a fantastic job of convincing people that inflexibility is a sign of strength. Everywhere today we see this foolish mentality running rampant in our government. Many religions also perpetuate this type of thinking. They teach that they (and only they) know the truth and any wavering from what they say is a sentence to burn in Hell. The modern Conservative movement has successfully merged these two forces to bring us the mess we have to day - bad ideas followed by an unwillingness to change them.

Of course there are many exceptions to these arguments. In fact, I would classify this mental difference a little differently. I see people actually split between 'Ideologues" and "Pragmatists " rather than "Conservatives" or "Liberals". Not that the report is incorrect - at this time in history most Americans who describe themselves as "conservatives" are by their own definition ideologues because they embrace a set of opinions which they feel duty bound to push forward no matter what. For example, Conservatives are willing to tank the budget or take health care away from kids if it mean avoiding tax hikes. They know what they believe in and nothing will sway their opinion.

However, I would argue that radical liberals also have an absolutist mindset. There are some on the left (far fewer and much, much less influential) who think just like a typical self defined "Conservative". I would hypothesize that those who KNOW that 9-11 was an inside job have the same mentality as those who KNOW Saddam Hussein planned those attacks. They believe what they believe and no amount of facts or common sense will sway their mind. They are different politically but the same mentally. (Notice how many people switch from one extreme to another... and how few moderates evolved into radicals?)

Another aspect of this is that we tend to assume that others think like we do. Since Conservatives embrace their opinion with zealotry - they assume that anyone who disagrees is going to be equally as extreme and unwavering in their beliefs. Again, look at the way the right wing demonizes liberals - describing them in ways that I have never seen in my lifetime. Yet, their followers, who are themselves unmovable in their philosophy, are easily convinced that everyone thinks that way. Liberals often get in trouble by assuming that conservatives will come around to their way of thinking. We give those who disagree with us the benefit of the doubt - sometimes with terrible results. Bush has used this beautifully to keep extending the Iraq war by 6 months at a time while Democrats kept hoping that at some point republicans would have to realize that things had to be changed. It didn't happen.

No doubt both mentalities have to be represented in a democracy. The real argument, I suppose, is the proper proportion necessary to have the greatest success in moving us all forward in a humane and productive way. You'll notice that even that idea requires seeing the world in some shades of grey and therefore will be rejected or misunderstood by many.