Is today's Republican electorate the Dumbest in modern history?

[sidis 9990]

3 hours ago, BradInATX said:

hold up, is this picture real?

[WBT 20884]

Lulz, this should be a productive poll.  I can't wait to dig into the results!

[NameAlreadyInUse 5164]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

How did so many people miss the fact that Barack Obama did a lot better for their 401K than George W. Bush did?

They were blinded by the (D).  Because for most people it no longer has to do with their pocketbooks.  Let's be real, if you are saving for your future, it doesn't really matter who is in charge, the general direction is up over time and has been for most of our lifetimes.  There is a blip here and there, but recovery comes relatively quickly, and as long as that blip doesn't get you right when you are about to retire, it hasn't been that big of a deal.  

Because of that, it's not really about the pocketbook anymore, it's just what people who have picked the R team have been taught to say to justify why they vote R.  That's it.  It's not truth and reality, its talking points for the fandom that is important here.  Not else matters.  That's why the Dems need better talking points, and until they have them, this isn't getting better.

And by the way, there are much much better ways to get blinded by the D, I'd love it if they'd put down the pom poms and try that instead.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11669]

We are aware of the stupidity more now because they are encouraged to advertise it.  Because they advertise it, people that are taken in by the stupidity are drawn in more.  Who in turn amplify their stupidity even more.

 

[B00M 6725]

14 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Bingo. So long as the vast majority continue to buy into the propaganda that "the radical left" is out to destroy America values (whatever the fuck those are) and threaten their way of life, everything that their side does is either ignored or quickly justified. it's really damn easy to sell disinformation and anti-democratic agendas when the "enemy" wants all of your guns, religion, speech, freedom, and especially money. Ends justify means.

Limbaugh beat this into the 60 year old white male for half their life. Fox noticed the success he had with it and went hard to the paint with it on Obama and hasn't let up since. IQs didn't suddenly drop but the brainwashing is deep.

 

[Mdhorn 6153]

23 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Bingo. So long as the vast majority continue to buy into the propaganda that "the radical left" is out to destroy America values (whatever the fuck those are) and threaten their way of life, everything that their side does is either ignored or quickly justified. it's really damn easy to sell disinformation and anti-democratic agendas when the "enemy" wants all of your guns, religion, speech, freedom, and especially money. Ends justify means.

How does an aggy on a UT website have more rep than me.  I've been here longer and have posted more. People from other schools shouldn't be allowed to post on our web board and we should have a virtual barrier that doesn't allow them to post or get more points than regular former University of Texas students or alumnus and they should pay more for the same benefits.  Next thing, there will be fewer and fewer UT posters and more pro aggy sympathizers since there's nothing to prevent it from happening. Sure it's burnt orange now, but get enough of 'em on and they could adopt maroon. I'm tired of them taking our shit and making us pay for what's ours.  I mean, I have UT tatooed in old English across my middle back and a Bevo above with horns extending into each arm. What are my Surly rights? 

Am I doing this right?   

Edited March 1, 2021 by Mdhorn

[ChiTownDoc 21323]

20 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

They were blinded by the (D).  Because for most people it no longer has to do with their pocketbooks.  Let's be real, if you are saving for your future, it doesn't really matter who is in charge, the general direction is up over time and has been for most of our lifetimes.  There is a blip here and there, but recovery comes relatively quickly, and as long as that blip doesn't get you right when you are about to retire, it hasn't been that big of a deal.  

Because of that, it's not really about the pocketbook anymore, it's just what people who have picked the R team have been taught to say to justify why they vote R.  That's it.  It's not truth and reality, its talking points for the fandom that is important here.  Not else matters.  That's why the Dems need better talking points, and until they have them, this isn't getting better.

And by the way, there are much much better ways to get blinded by the D, I'd love it if they'd put down the pom poms and try that instead.

I was like yes, yes, yes, go on...yes...

 

No No No No!

[Biff Tannen 46061]

34 minutes ago, sidis said:

hold up, is this picture real?

no

[DDD Dad 14571]

2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

no

[NameAlreadyInUse 5164]

3 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

I was like yes, yes, yes, go on...yes...

 

No No No No!

So I can put you down for being a blinder, not a blindee.  Got it.  It's nice to show some versatility, but I get that some people like their ruts.  

[washparkhorn 9967]

3 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

no

But he has been prayed over like a golden idol by idolators numerous times:

Spoiler

and Ted Cruz as some biblical savior: 

bunch of grifters, imho 

 

[Biff Tannen 46061]

4 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

But he has been prayed over like a golden idol by idolators numerous times:

  Hide contents

and Ted Cruz as some biblical savior: 

bunch of grifters, imho 

 

Yeah, I posted some of those on another thread.  Last one reminded me of this though.  Still the best thing I've seen on the internet in a long ass time.

 

[washparkhorn 9967]

2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Yeah, I posted some of those on another thread.  Last one reminded me of this though.  Still the best thing I've seen on the internet in a long ass time.

 

That is awesome.

[workswithseed 2201]

2 hours ago, TexArcher said:

 

 

I wasn't kidding.

 

I bet you'd make a good doctor in the NAZI regime.

[horn4life 3829]

2 hours ago, TexArcher said:

Everyone still registered as a Republican today should be sterilized.

Have you ever tried to get a multimillionaire Republican laid?  Without an exchange of cash?  It's almost the same as being sterilized.

[workswithseed 2201]

13 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

But he has been prayed over like a golden idol by idolators numerous times:

  Hide contents

and Ted Cruz as some biblical savior: 

bunch of grifters, imho 

 

Depends on what they're praying about. Usually used to help someone when they're sinning and the church elders place thier hands on them and do a prayer. I doubt that's what's happening, but that's another reason why this would happen.

[ChiTownDoc 21323]

22 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

So I can put you down for being a blinder, not a blindee.  Got it.  It's nice to show some versatility, but I get that some people like their ruts.  

You have me and Vic confused, friend.  He’s the one that plays fuck a fold.  

[washparkhorn 9967]

Just now, workswithseed said:

Depends on what they're praying about. Usually used to help someone when they're sinning and the church elders place thier hands on them and do a prayer. I doubt that's what's happening, but that's another reason why this would happen.

Agree. We must be careful as Christians not to equate political christianity with your personal relationship with God. Two different universes.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

6 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

While there are plenty that are dumb as hell, there are many who are just assholes and/or think they are voting with their wallets, and they know exactly who, and what, they are voting for, and they give no fucks.

Today, they are the biggest assholes since the Confederacy, but their grasp of knowledge is no worse than it was when Barry Goldwater went scorched Earth way back when.

[Bookman 4754]

It's hard to say. They were probably always as stupid, but they had never gone full Republican before.

[Willfully Horn 8204]

Watching the big lie trotted out, and repeated endlessly and then see it take hold and become the belief? That experience informed my vote.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11669]

43 minutes ago, Bookman said:

It's hard to say. They were probably always as stupid, but they had never gone full Republican before.

that's a good point.  we were always this dumb.  but it's unique to be aligned under one banner so well.

[staboner 5067]

5 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

The GOP base has always been basically what it is today. What's changed is that the generation of older voters who voted GOP but hated nazis has mostly died off and without them the suburban upper-middle-class business wing of the party that was fine with the racist polices as long as they were quiet on the racism part couldn't keep the base from taking control of the party. This drove some moderate Republicans like Brisket and GoLL out of the party and replaced them with former non-voters who embraced the new explicitly racist GOP, so today's GOP is objectively dumber than it was 10-15 years ago, but we're only talking like 10% of the party or so. The rest of the party is the same as it's always been.

great post. we lost the WWII generation and whatever semblance of worldview that had (that didn't like nazis)

we have a convergence of shit happening. we tend to get duped into linear thinking and leave behind lots of the latent emotional baggage that can really move the needle under the right conditions. 

tossing in:

- short sighted, selfish, no public pain/gain

- loss of essence. internet, while allowing stupid to talk more - is also tearing down worldviews itself and causing much of the "illogical" belief systems to manifest. walk on water? nah man golden calf for me bro, thanks. 

you homies be good now

[hayden_horn 11401]

1 hour ago, washparkhorn said:

But he has been prayed over like a golden idol by idolators numerous times:

  Hide contents

and Ted Cruz as some biblical savior: 

bunch of grifters, imho 

 

shit creeps me out.

also:

5

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
7
* In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.*
8
Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

they are the definition of religious hypocrites. and the thing is, you know trump is a godless heathen. no judgment, because i guess i am as well. but you know that when this prayer is allegedy happening, trump knows he is among grifting peers and that god is not at all present.

[aggie08 21733]

48 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

Watching the big lie trotted out, and repeated endlessly and then see it take hold and become the belief? That experience informed my vote.

This is where I'm at. If I had woken up on November 4th to a 2nd Trump term, I would have been bummed and disappointed in the country for about 5 minutes, then gone about my life.

But to see someone cry wolf about every single election for the past 8+ years--blatantly and unapologetically throwing shit against the wall--telling everyone who would listen exactly what he'd do if he lost...and to then have otherwise intelligent people buy into it with Rudy G and Kraken lady as the salesmen was/is unexplainably infuriating.

[Biff Tannen 46061]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

If I had woken up on November 4th to a 2nd Trump term, I would have been bummed and disappointed in the country for about 5 minutes, then gone about my life.

I would not have reacted as well as you. 

[horn4life 3829]

2 hours ago, aggie08 said:

This is where I'm at. If I had woken up on November 4th to a 2nd Trump term, I would have been bummed and disappointed in the country for about 5 minutes, then gone about my life.

Well bro... you are a fucking Aggie!  You have been wandering around without a whole lot of introspection probably from birth IF you are a legacy.  But for me a president who embraced racism more fully than anyone in our country since Governor George Wallace, might have moved the dial.  

I bet a shit load of people said oh, well... let's get back to business... back in the late 1930's. Your thought process and attitude is EXACTLY what Authoritarian leaders count on Aggie 08.  People exactly like you.  Pick your authoritarian leader and date, if the first reference was unfamiliar...

We dodged a huge bullet with a reelection of Trump.  EXACTLY BECUSE OF FOLKS LIKE aggie08. We really, really dodged a bullet in Biden saving our democracy.

So yes... dumbest fucking electorate ever.  And perhaps the least knowledgeable, introspective, or caring as a certain poster so kindly reminded me!

[aggie08 21733]

21 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Well bro... you are a fucking Aggie!  You have been wandering around without a whole lot of introspection probably from birth IF you are a legacy.  But for me a president who embraced racism more fully than anyone in our country since Governor George Wallace, might have moved the dial.  

I bet a shit load of people said oh, well... let's get back to business... back in the late 1930's. Your thought process and attitude is EXACTLY what Authoritarian leaders count on Aggie 08.  People exactly like you.  Pick your authoritarian leader and date, if the first reference was unfamiliar...

We dodged a huge bullet with a reelection of Trump.  EXACTLY BECUSE OF FOLKS LIKE aggie08. We really, really dodged a bullet in Biden saving our democracy.

So yes... dumbest fucking electorate ever.  And perhaps the least knowledgeable, introspective, or caring as a certain poster so kindly reminded me!

Cool story, bro.

[horn4life 3829]

1 minute ago, aggie08 said:

Cool story, bro.

Nah.. it was basic history... read up on the 1930's...

[UpperWestside 6263]

8 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Many are detached from reality. 

 

This is a key component of what is occurring right now within the people still entrenched in the death cult. I will tend to stray away from using a negative connotation about people, but when your group as a whole actively promotes racist beliefs, violence as a means to get what you want and being okay with migrant children being subjected to what happened at the border under Dotard I set that one aside. 
 

I think the portion of society that is not part of this will be enough to carry us through what will be a very trying decade. You just have to stay focused on the good you can do in your neck of the woods. I am doing what I can where I live that helps out a subset of society that absolutely deserves it. If enough of us do this all across the country we can right the ship or, at the very least, not have to tell people a generation from now that there is nothing left to give them because the ship sits at the bottom of the Mariana Trench because we stood by and did nothing while the ship kept taking on water.

[Celery Man 21076]

Every single person who supports the modern Republican Party is on a scale of stupid and evil where if one equals zero, the other equals 100.

[washparkhorn 9967]

3 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

This is a key component of what is occurring right now within the people still entrenched in the death cult. I will tend to stray away from using a negative connotation about people, but when your group as a whole actively promotes racist beliefs, violence as a means to get what you want and being okay with migrant children being subjected to what happened at the border under Dotard I set that one aside. 
 

I think the portion of society that is not part of this will be enough to carry us through what will be a very trying decade. You just have to stay focused on the good you can do in your neck of the woods. I am doing what I can where I live that helps out a subset of society that absolutely deserves it. If enough of us do this all across the country we can right the ship or, at the very least, not have to tell people a generation from now that there is nothing left to give them because the ship sits at the bottom of the Mariana Trench because we stood by and did nothing while the ship kept taking on water.

Amen.

All politics are local. All humanity is local.

[washparkhorn 9967]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Every single person who supports the modern Republican Party is on a scale of stupid and evil where if one equals zero, the other equals 100.

They said there would be no math . . . 

but spot on. That pyramid scheme that never paid off is getting on shaky ground. 

 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

3 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Every single person who supports the modern Republican Party is on a scale of stupid and evil where if one equals zero, the other equals 100.

I think I must be really stupid because I'm too dumb to visualize this. Are you saying the X axis is stupid and the y is zero so that if you are 0 stupid you are 100 evil and if you are 0 evil you are 100 stupid? and if you are 50 stupid you are 50 evil? Oh, wow, how about that-- I just talked myself into understanding it. That's a neat visual and thought experiment, thanks for sharing!

edit: been building a deck for 6 hours so brain is fried-- or I'm 100% stupid and no evil. I'd like that. But that ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.

Edited March 2, 2021 by DonkeyCigars
its easy being washparkhorn

[UpperWestside 6263]

1 hour ago, washparkhorn said:

They said there would be no math . . . 

but spot on. That pyramid scheme that never paid off is getting on shaky ground. 

 

Millions of people were promised winning on a scale so big that they would grow tired of all the winning. Monetarily they were told they were all doing so much better and that the good times were just getting started. 
 

Except in the real timeline of events that has not happened. That Trump was able to convince them they were growing richer while handing him a sum of well over 200 million for an election defense he never seriously mounted because it was a scheme to get more money from this death cult is amazing. The simplicity of the scheme impresses no one, but the vast sum of money he got so quickly from people who are not well off is the sad part.

I realize we are mostly glad here to see this death cult destroy itself, but at the end of the day I grappled with hoping to see it all blow up in glorious fashion for a good long while. I had to let the hate go though. It will just burn you up inside and it is no way to live. Reading that John Lewis autobiography last summer had a profound effect on me. All I can do is hope these people eventually see that a con man sweet talked them with his words and swindled them with his deeds.

[Buzzrock 15115]

i didn't answer the poll.
but when faced with this question, i'm reminded of my father in law. very smart, very successful person. very republican. i've tried occasionally to break through with logic, but it doesn't work. he's really a very smart person, so it's difficult to reconcile. like, i think he's dumb for supporting trump, but he also has a very successful business. ???

This is the most important aspect to understand if we are going to get out of this deep division we are in. It’s too easy to say “they’re all stupid racists!” but that doesn’t make sense. We all know Republicans who are smart and compassionate. My dad falls in that bucket. So what is it? It doesn’t help that he lives on Fox News and Facebook, that’s for sure.

I don’t know the answer but it’s going to require some actual work if we want to get through it. Or we could just keep slinging mud at each other and see if that works.

[Buzzrock 15115]

Yeah people definitely dismiss how emotionally tied we are to our views. Some people have a default disposition to sort of play devil's advocate against their natural inclinations and as a result are more likely to accept facts that go against their initial beliefs. However, other's disposition leaves them much more vulnerable to blind spots and tunnel vision. 

So you’re saying that being a contrarian could be a good thing sometimes? That bodes well for what I’ve always considered to be one of my character flaws!

[Celery Man 21076]

5 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:

I think I must be really stupid because I'm too dumb to visualize this. Are you saying the X axis is stupid and the y is zero so that if you are 0 stupid you are 100 evil and if you are 0 evil you are 100 stupid? and if you are 50 stupid you are 50 evil? Oh, wow, how about that-- I just talked myself into understanding it. That's a neat visual and thought experiment, thanks for sharing!

edit: been building a deck for 6 hours so brain is fried-- or I'm 100% stupid and no evil. I'd like that. But that ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.

visualize it how you want. it's more of a scatter plot than a line chart, the only hard truth is that low stupidity values negate low evil values, and vice versa. You can be 100% of both and many are.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Celery Man

[Gatorubet 30631]

We all know Republicans who are smart and compassionate. My dad falls in that bucket. So what is it? It doesn’t help that he lives on Fox News and Facebook, that’s for sure.

If he believes in an easily disprovable factual world that is led by deplorable, lying, immoral people - STOP calling them smart and compassionate. Because factually they are neither.

How to deprogram them is another matter, as you day.

[Celery Man 21076]

Smart isn’t a single quality. You can be smart in some ways and stupid in others. You can be very quick but also naïve or foolish. You can be a decent and intelligent person who gets tricked and has a hard time snapping out of it. If it lasts this long and separates this broadly from reality, you either like it or you are broadly stupid or some combination of both. Sorry about your dad.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

19 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

If he believes in an easily disprovable factual world that is led by deplorable, lying, immoral people - STOP calling them smart and compassionate. Because factually they are neither.

How to deprogram them is another matter, as you day.

...except that the detachment of political realities from one's day to day life allows the dichotomy to be real.

Yes, there are a bunch of evil gits in the Republican party right now. But there are also a lot of people who, if the subject of elections or government generally never came up, you would think were reasonable and decent. 

Infotainment has worsened this phenomenon. It has always been true, though, that everyone alive believes things that are foolish, factually incorrect, and morally questionable, and that includes the hyper-intelligent and the most noble among us. It's usually a question of degree, but it's universal.

As to how many Republicans are in this "ought to know better" category, we're just gonna have to wait and see. Epiphanies don't always roll out on schedule.

[DigglerontheHoof 21516]

1 hour ago, Buzzrock said:

 

This is the most important aspect to understand if we are going to get out of this deep division we are in. It’s too easy to say “they’re all stupid racists!” but that doesn’t make sense. We all know Republicans who are smart and compassionate. My dad falls in that bucket. So what is it? It doesn’t help that he lives on Fox News and Facebook, that’s for sure.

I don’t know the answer but it’s going to require some actual work if we want to get through it. Or we could just keep slinging mud at each other and see if that works.

 

It would help if we could all live in the world of reality. Instead we have Q/Reps living in their own red-sky world.  If we can't agree on the facts, all else is shit. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

1 minute ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

It would help if we could all live in the world of reality. Instead we have Q/Reps living in their own red-sky world.  If we can't agree on the facts, all else is shit. 

(Insert long dialogue regarding Plato's allegory of the cave here.)

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11669]

I remember reading an article last year that says controlling for racial feelings, the education effect goes away in the R-D divide.  G Elliott posted this this morning which seems to be another data point for that. 
 

 

 

so my guess is that it’s more accurate to say the R party is just more racist than ever before.*
 

 

 

 

 

*compared to the rest of the pop. I’ve no doubt that all parties were far more racist just 25 years ago and before. 

[Catdaddyhorn 3462]

1 hour ago, Buzzrock said:

 

So you’re saying that being a contrarian could be a good thing sometimes? That bodes well for what I’ve always considered to be one of my character flaws!

 

Yeah but some people take it to an extreme where being a contrarian is is really just their vanity project. 

[SquishMitten 10493]

Saw the headline of this article and thought of your post about trying to break through to him politically, a guy who is otherwise smart and commands your love and respect:
Next Time You End up in an Argument, Don't Use Facts. Do This Instead
When a discussion gets heated, a strategy based purely on data will backfire. Here's a better approach
https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/next-time-you-end-up-in-an-argument-dont-use-facts-do-this-instead.html

Over the course of the last 4+ years, I was surprised to learn that so many people in this country are vile, hypocritical morons. What have you learned, Republicans? I’d like to engage you in a way that we can learn together!

Did I do that right? Or is that too many facts?

[DonkeyCigars 143]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

visualize it how you want. it's more of a scatter plot than a line chart, the only hard truth is that low stupidity values negate low evil values, and vice versa. You can be 100% of both and many are.

I see it even better now, thanks!

[DonkeyCigars 143]

27 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Over the course of the last 4+ years, I was surprised to learn that so many people in this country are vile, hypocritical morons. What have you learned, Republicans? I’d like to engage you in a way that we can learn together!

Did I do that right? Or is that too many facts?

I think you are kidding and I think it's funny alongside you, but I would say, I think there is probably a legitimate way to express the exact same sentiment and be able to engage and have a healthy discussion. To wordsmith it a little, maybe, "Over the course of the last 4+ years, I was surprised to learn that so many people in this country who I thought I shared many similar values and beliefs with actually don't. In fact, many people in my opinion, and in an unpleasant surprise, behaved in ways that I feel are vile, ignorant and hypocritical and it's been an upsetting experience for me." and then maybe you can segue into, "Republicans, have you experienced anything resembling what I just said? Any disappointment? hurt? dismay at others you once respected, like I just shared?"

Edited March 2, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[Gatorubet 30631]

I think you are kidding and I think it's funny alongside you, but I would say, I think there is probably a legitimate way to express the exact same sentiment and be able to engage and have a healthy discussion.

[SquishMitten 10493]

3 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:

I think you are kidding and I think it's funny alongside you, but I would say, I think there is probably a legitimate way to express the exact same sentiment and be able to engage and have a healthy discussion. To wordsmith it a little, maybe, "Over the course of the last 4+ years, I was surprised to learn that so many people in this country who I thought I shared many similar values and beliefs with actually don't. In fact, many people in my opinion, and in an unpleasant surprise, behaved in ways that I feel are vile, ignorant and hypocritical and it's been an upsetting experience for me." and then maybe you can segue into, "Republicans, have you experienced anything resembling what I just said? Any disappointment? hurt? dismay at others you once respected, like I just shared?"

Yes. I was joking. Your phrasing is much more in line with what the article is suggesting, I think.