People with lower emotional intelligence are more likely to hold right-wing views, study finds
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
New research from Belgium provides evidence that deficits in emotion understanding and emotion management are related to right-wing and prejudiced attitudes. The study has been published in the journal Emotion.
"I have a lifelong interest in political psychology and in political ideology in particular. The observation that left-wing and right-wing adherents tend to differ on so many psychological characteristics is amazing," said study author Alain Van Hiel, a professor at the University of Ghent.
"Many scholars have investigated the cognitive basis of ideology in general, and right-wing ideological attitudes in particular. In the present study, we wanted to investigate if a similar relationship would exist for emotional abilities."
In two studies, the researchers assessed the emotional abilities and political ideology of 983 Belgian undergraduate students. The second study also examined the participants' cognitive ability. Emotional ability was measured with three tests: the Situational Test of Emotional Understanding, the Situational Test of Emotion Management, and the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test.
The researchers found that individuals with weaker emotional abilities — particularly emotional understanding and management — tended to score higher on a measure of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation.
Right-wing authoritarianism is a personality trait that describes the tendency to submit to political authority and be hostile towards other groups, while social dominance orientation is a measure of a person's preference for inequality among social groups.
"The results of this study were univocal. People who endorse authority and strong leaders and who do not mind inequality — the two basic dimensions underlying right-wing political ideology — show lower levels of emotional abilities," Van Hiel told PsyPost.
Those with lower emotional and cognitive abilities were also more likely to agree with blatantly prejudiced statements such as "The White race is superior to all other races."
The researchers controlled for age, sex, and education level. But like all research, the study includes some limitations. The study only collected correlational data, preventing inferences of causality from being made.
"Of course, caution should be exercised in the interpretation of such results," Van Hiel said. "One cannot discredit any ideology on the basis of such results as those presently obtained. Only in a distant future we will be able to look back upon our times, and then we can maybe judge which ideologies were the best. Cognitively and emotionally smart people can make wrong decisions as well."
"The results have been obtained in one particular context. Would similar results be obtained in other contexts besides in a Western country with a long-standing stable democracy? Whether these tendencies are universal, or limited to particular contexts, is very intriguing."
The study, "The Relationship Between Emotional Abilities and Right-Wing and Prejudiced Attitudes", was authored by Alain Van Hiel, Jonas De keersmaecker, Emma Onraet, Tessa Haesevoets, Arne Roets, and Johnny R. J. Fontaine.
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I could have told you that without the fancy research.
i could have told you that without the fancy research.
If those researchers are allowed to ride roughshod over our good White Christian American values, they will soon turn America into a Socialistic Communist Hellhole!
THEY MUST BE STOPPED!
The differences with the French language version are fascinating.
Hey Krish,
Are you being facetious... Sorry, I'm so naive I can't tell...
I don't blame you-- I wasn't "playing nice".
the proper thing to do in that case would've been to indicate that it wasn't serious by using "/sarcasm" or something similar.
But more and more I've moved away from doing the right thing-- or even being civil.
But because of the sheer stupidity (to say nothing of the amazing nastiness) of most of the Trump supporters on Social media sites (including this one-- although some folks like to play "let's pretend"...and deny it))....I rarely bother to be civil anymore..
.
P.S; Where ya been Mal-- you haven't been around in a long time.
Anyway, nice to see you again
Thanks, Krish!
Yes it has been a long time... too long... I guess it's the acrimony... I miss the days on the Vine when people with differing views could have respectful discussion... Even learning from each other.
Then maybe you can explain "emotional intelligence," how it works, how it's measured, and why anyone should care.
Perhaps this will help explain it?
First, one would have to comprehend the personal definition of emotion and then understand the basic comprehensions of intelligence thereby determining if the former is a factor on the latter or if the latter is merely a stimulus pattern for the former.
As to why should anyone care? For some it would be to taxing to care and in ( maga land ) neither enjoys a substantial existence anyway.
Sincerely hope this clears it up for you.
Emotional intelligence is making daily decisions not based on what your heart wishes were true, like many conservatives tend to do, but accepting what is actually true defined by repeated experimentation and testing, not folk tales and religious opinion passed from one generation to the next.
It's measured by what can be proven in regards to the societal conclusion. If none of it can be proved, then it's nothing but wishful thinking instigated by perhaps dozens and dozens of people interacting online.
Like all the leftists who have been stomping around for four years shouting "not my president?" Like the people who thought the appropriate response to losing a legal election was to cry, shout, and like stuff on fire?
So religious people can't be intelligent?
It all sounds to me like a made up way to disrespect people because they disagree.
To be fair, I'm not sure that is so much emotional intelligence as it is rational thinking and logical analysis of something.
Lots of different definitions floating around. No actual science to it. It just looks to me like another way to disrespect people who disagree.
If definitions are personal, then they are useless for defining behavior in a group.
There are many kinds of intelligence, and as near as I can tell, no useful and reliable way to measure any of them, much less place a value on one over the other.
But if you want to justify dismissing the interests of other people, I guess you could just declare them to be unintelligent in some way, and then you don't have to actually debate issues or consider other points of view.
I've seen it already. Doesn't really help. Just goes to show how vague the whole thing is. To wit:
and
Nevertheless, look at the writer of the paper and all the internet people who gleefully jump on board the idea that people with different priorities and choices must be less intelligent than they are.
And this doesn't mean anything, by the way:
Argumentum ad populum. A lot of weak ideas have gained wide acceptance. That doesn't make them useful. Many innocent people have been put in jail because of fingerprint "science," handwriting "analysis," and bite mark "analysis." These "scientific" measurements can be wildly unreliable but are often blindly accepted because someone with a PhD performed the analysis.
There is a lot of junk science out there and the notion that conservatives are in some way generally dumber than liberals is a great example.
[removed]
Google is your friend.....
No, it's true.
If they can just convince themselves that they are smarter and superior to people who think differently than they do, they can stay encased in their little bubble wrap cocoon, protected against different ideas and views.
And this is brought to you by the Party of Inclusion and Tolerance.
Actually many studies have shown that conservatives have overly enlarged amygdala which is the fear and emotional center of the brain. Hopefully this dangerous malady can be tested for and corrected in utero one day.
Junk science repeated is still junk science.
Does it even make you think just for a millisecond about the nazis when you talk about doing surgery on human beings so they all agree with you?
The Nazis all had overly enlarged amygdala.
Autopsies don't deal in junk science.
Fascism obviously has a cause.
Why should he waste his time with people who askc taunting questions that are only meant to troll-- and to incite discord?
"Why should anyone care" about what someone else here says?? If I were a moderator, that sort of deliberate nastiness towards a fellow NT user would get you an immediate suspension, and a warning about a possible banning from the site if repeated!.
P.S: If you don't know what "emotional intelligence" means by now, I would highly recommend you use a search engine such as Google.
(If you don;'t know how to use it, there are sevferal people here who would be glad to help
Some things are indeed self evident.
Confirmation is like that. It's not very scientific, though.
Axiomatic one might say.
LOL!
Pot, kettle, black . . .
Looks like Trump may finally be starting to get the Backlash he deserves!
I looked this guy up. Apparently he is a hack who has been publishing these junk science papers purporting to "prove" that right-wingers are somehow lesser quality people than left-wingers for over 20 years.
You might find this interesting as well.
"I looked this guy up. Apparently he is a hack who has been publishing these junk science papers purporting to "prove" that right-wingers are somehow lesser quality people than left-wingers for over 20 years."
Truth hurts don't it?
Just keep wrapping yourself up in the blanket of your own confirmation bias. It might feel good, but it’s not the truth.
I know, I know, truth hurts, don't it!
I find it absolutely hilarious that you cited John Jay Ray in a failed attempt to discredit Alain Van Hiel.
I suggest you compare their list of scholarly publications. You won't like the results.
I know BS when I see it. That’s all you need to know.
I don't intend to rely on YOUR personal evaluation any more than I rely on John Jay Ray's.
Actually fascists are far and away sub quality beings. The hate they display to "others" is sickening.
Hitler and his Nazis made that very clear.
Seems many here on NT make that very clear.
Most people do not THINK.
Thinking requires effort at several stages: collecting data, determining what is pertinent, detecting trends, projecting, imagining actions that would influence the situation in the desired direction. That's a lot of work!
So most people don't bother. They just follow somebody. They adopt their Leader's positions, making little or no effort to understand.
Of course, no one wants to admit that they don't think. So after they have taken positions, they must backfill with whatever justification their Leader and his (always a man, in patriarchal America) Apostles.
Now we have all these people, who have been foolishly lazy, but who are not stupid, who are faced with an impossible choice: either they must recognize that they have been foolish, or they must go down with their Leader's ship.
Cognitive dissonance, much??
I saw a political ad for Jamie Harrison seeking donations to not get outspent in the last few days leading to the election. It still blows my mind that a weasel politician like Lindsay Graham can exercise such blatant and open hypocrisy and lying, and his opponent needs to continually amass cash to flood markets with ads to try and lure Graham’s supporters away. It appears that the US may have the dumbest electorate on the planet.
A significant portion of the right has lost sight of all real objectives. They want to "own the libs", by any means. They'll say anything, no matter how absurd.
This phenomenon accounts for most rightish seeds and posts on NT.
I'm not a "lib" and all I want to say at this point in time is GO CHIEFS!
Used to work for Elway back in the day and still like him.
Back to living in KC now. What is not to like about Mahomes and the Chiefs?
Called Elway up after the game and couldn't make contact. I'll try again.
I think he holds it against me that I used to work for Carl Peterson.
Always a man is easily disproven simply by pointing out Nancy Pelosi is leader of the house. There are female leaders at all levels of government. So, what exactly was your point again?
Gee, Drak! A gotcha! You must be s-o-o-o happy!
That's kinda grade-school level, you know...
Seriously??? You make some claim such as...
...and then come with a bs propaganda claim that it's always a man in patriarchal America when anyone who gives it a second of thought knows that isn't true and you think it's juvenile for me to call you on it? The truth is, Western civilization hasn't been patriarchal for quite a while now. Especially in western Europe and North America. Yet the left keeps going on and on about how "patriarchal" we are. Any idiot with the least capacity for reason knows this isn't true. Want to see true patriarchy? Look at Moslem countries in the Middle East.
Here's the deal, Bob. The left, by far, is most guilty of what you claimed in 4 . The intelligence behind the left manufactures crisis such as "systemic racism" or "the patriarchy" in order to achieve their agenda, knowing most people on the left, especially the youngest, think with their emotions rather than reason. It's a classic Hegelian dialectic view of how to achieve political goals. Get people to back an idea rather than reality. Claim there is rampant "patriarchy", come up with academics that concoct some convoluted reasoning you have to take college courses in order to understand and then push that as being "enlightened" so that idiots can virtue signal how woke they are.
Pointless to continue
It is? Like being a spelling Nazi?
O-o-o-o-o..... somebody's feelings were bruised...
Not at all, just pointing out rank hypocrisy when I see it.
That does tend to happen when one actually has no point or can't communicate it effectively.
O-o-o-o-o..... somebody's feelings were bruised...
Not at all, just pointing out rank hypocrisy when I see it.
if rank hypocrisy wasn't evident. there would be none to point out.
Wow!
That's the clearest description of a vast segment of the population Ive seen in a while
(A segment that, for some reason, seems to be over-represented on Social Media sites-- but that's another topic....)
Thank you. I've been trying to find a logical explanation, ever since encountering pre-TeaPartiers on NV. A couple years ago I read a novel by (excellent) Canadian SF author Robert J Sawyer. He posited, fictionally, that some people don't think. That notion kinda took over.
(There's no need to think. A child learns by copying. There's no reason to change, as an adult. A person can go through life mimicking everything, including emotions.
We necessarily rely on habit for almost all of what we do. "Thinking through" everything would be overload in seconds. So most of the time, we all "do not think". We do as we have learned... by copying.
When we want to think, we have to make a conscious effort.)
I sum up the right wing like this .
"This is our country and we have to fight against people who are not us making inroads into our country. "
The "other" can be designated as such for racial, ethnic, religious, class, economic or cultural reasons.
The "right" wants things to stay the way they were when people like them ran things, not necessarily nationally only, but also locally down to in the neighborhood and even within the home.
Unfortunately that is not the way things work in the real world. Change is inevitable and constant sayeth the Buddha.
There are those frightened by and/or resistant to change.
Not exactly. What the right wants is a republic which stands on the rule of law. What the left wants is a democracy ruled by the majority.
I hope you aren't suggesting it all hinges on one person.
Yes it does. It all boils down to Trump's pervasive corruption/malfeasance.
Sorry. I think that's a pretty blinkered approach to ignore all other relevant factors. I think they call that "throwing the baby out with the bath water" or "cutting one's nose of to spite one's face".
No it doesn't. Hillary was a conscientious public servant who was held in respect by all she had contact with. (except for Putin).
Trump is a long time serial criminal who should be in prison yesterday.
Huge difference!
When the law serves their purposes.
Tell us again how many of Trump's hand picked close associates are convicted felons?
How many are awaiting indictment?
How many business contracts he's broken?
And marriage vows...?
Emoluments clause?
We're not talking of various peoples' opinions of various politicians-- we're talking of the Rule of Law (if you don't know what that means , remember the olde saying: "Google is your friend"!
(In any event, many people hold trump is disrespect,,,heck, there are probably people who still dis Warren Gamliel Harding (Peace be Upon Him!). And some folks probably still "disrespect" Calvin Coolidge!
But your derail ignores the fact that we are discussing the rule of law.....
That's cheating, Krishna.
Some people are happy with generalities. They can build any fantasy world.
Their fantasy world is invulnerable! ... except to facts.
I'd add one more:
"I have mine so I don't care about anyone else".
This one ain't no right winger
All because his/her president is not named Hillary.
Memes have no power here butt here's one for you!
I did not post a meme. I posted a well known photo of a left wing snowflake that screamed at the sky because his/her president is not named Hillary.
Interesting photo, Tacos...
Did you really look at it?
- Total persons "apparently" antifa: seven. My God!!! That is s-o-o-o scary!!
- The "shields" they're carrying are oil-drums, cut in half. Gee! That's exactly like the US Army!
- No firearms are visible. Right-wing "militias", or fascist wackadoodles like the Boogaloos, always have their guns front-and-center.
Now look at this photo (grabbed at random off Google - you can find hundreds similar):
No firearms seen in the photo, however, there is a much higher likelihood of other weapons such as molotov cocktails, bats, broken bottles, etc, hidden within their "armor".
The guy above has an air gun of some sort. Not lethal.
That is a paintball gun likely loaded with rubber riot rounds. Lethal with headshots at close range with the CO2 turned up.
God what a douche. Clearly does not have a job or a hobby.
(used to be the armorer on my world class paintball team).
I dunno-- the hairy white costume the guy on the left (spaceilly, not necessarily politically) is wearing is kinda cute!
(What's wrong with injecting a little humor into life-- after a while all these political brouhahas start to get a bit boring!
Haha!
So if you were, for example,shot in the eye by one..of course you wouldn't mind.
And you wonder why you still can't say "President Hillary".
Funny thing is there are very, very few houses in this country with Biden signs. There's a reason for that, and damage to property has nothing to do with that. That is a left wing thing.
Because trumpturd supporters destroy them.
There's not too many trumpturd supporters where I live, I see plenty of Biden signs EVERYWHERE
And the reason is that if you stick a sign outside your house it sends the same message as a bumper sticker on your car, you are an attention craving. For real, no one EVER driving down the road has thought "huh, I wonder what the political leanings of the other people on the road or living in that specific house are." All political signs and bumper stickers advertise is that you are an asshole.
That's strange-- I see them all over.
(Maybe you live in a bad neighbourhood?)
Really?
If true-- why do you think its so?
Perhaps...you think right-wingers are superior-- if so, why?
Do you think it might be a genetic thing?
Show us where a right wing group has vandalized, burned, looted, robbed en masse simply because of an incident they don't like in a city.
What I said was true because the truth is right before your eyes. Now, if CNN and MSDNC do not tell, you, then I can understand you don't know about it, but that's not my problem. .
No "group" is superior to the other in normal times, but when one "group" destroys and assaults simply because they don't like the other "side", or the ideas and opinions of the other "side" and that destruction is not reciprocated, then yes, there is a superiority factor, not because of race, but because of intelligence.
Where did I say anything about stealing yard signs?
Good God, talk about not reading posts.
No, I live in a predominate conservative city, thank God. We don't really have to worry about looting and burning simply because someone's feelings get hurt.
How about Kyle killing two people?
Do you consider democrats conservative because there are more registered dems than repubs in Duval county (Jax).
Howdy bugsy, hope that you're having a good day.
Could be self defense. I'll let the courts settle it. I don't make my opinions based on feelings.
Sure
But democrats apparently don't know how to vote. We have had republican mayors for a very long time, , since the early 90swith the exception of Alvin Brown, right before the current mayor. I met Alvin quickly when I graduated from college in 2017. He was the keynote speaker. Seemed like a nice guy, but was not a good mayor.
If I could have a democrat mayor all over again, it would be Jake Godbold. He really put Jacksonville on the map....but that was an era when democrats were far more conservative and actually believed in the US.
I'm doing well, Kavika. My day is good. Hope yours is well also.
See...Opinion based on feelings instead of waiting for facts.
The democratic party has always had a liberal and progressive wing and all of us believe in America. Difficult to say we don't when many of us have served in the military in both peacetime and wartime. Some of us, some members of my family came home WIA and some never came home.
This painting hangs on my wall.
I hope that you really didn't mean that part of your comment.
I'm having a good day, thanks.
Cool painting. Is it a particular person?
There is a faction of the democratic party that has zero qualms in burning the American flag, embracing marxism, attacking those who have differing opinions, burning and looting public and private property and effectively trying to get rid of law enforcement in the country, INCLUDING the military, all in the name of "progress".
That is what I meant in my comment and is something that never really reared its ugly head in the past, and almost certainly not before Trump.
As a kid, I was taught that defacing the flag is disrespect to the nation. Burning it is a serious act... but unless I know "why", I can't decide whether a serious act is justified or not.
OTOH, disfiguring the flag with an overlay of a cartoon Trump-Rambo, transforming our (all of us) national symbol into banal partisan political merchandise... that is blatant disrespect for the very idea of "Nation". It is offensive.
bugsy, I don't know any dem's that want to get rid of the military and/or the police. I have three relatives on active duty currently. Do many want to keep out of nation-building, hell yes. Do we want to review how police handle situations, hell yes. None of that makes one against America. I don't favor burning the flag but it is part of the 1st amendment.
bugsy to be fair there are right-wingers that are very dangerous and have done some damn ugly things. Just review the reports by HLS and the FBI.
I don't know how old you are but it has happened many times and before Trump.
It's a painting by J D Challenger and is a composite of many NA's. Most of his paintings is done with a composite of many people.
I didn't say all liberals. I said their is a faction...a dangerous faction that do all of these things and want to get rid of what they think is "offensive".
Yes, there are right wingers that probably don't have a problem doing the same things if they get the opportunity, however, the left is, by far, responsible for almost all of the recent (past 4 years) of rioting, looting and burning, just because the guy in the White House is not named Hillary.
I'm 54 and have NEVER seen anything like this. Never have I seen a president and his supporters disrespected like this just because he is not the person the left want in office.
Why do many leftists not realize that our Constitution calls for national elections every 4 years, , and there is no need for the violence they instill in, ironically, left wing cities and states?
I don't disrespect Trump because he is not the person I want in office. I was never a fan of Clinton.
I disrespect Trump for what he (and his "associates") have done.
So what have they "done" that you don't like...and use unbiased sources for your proof.
Also, it would be great if you did not include your feelings, oh, and also, try and cite something that "they" have done that affects you personally.
Thanks.
These are all opinions...based on feelings. So if you want to use a comedy show as your "source", that's on you.
Now, how about giving something that is unbiased, credentialed and has affected you personally.
Again, no feelings, please
thanks.
You really should read the reports by the FBI and HLS...They have killed sheriffs, LEO's etc. I'm not excusing the rioting but if you think that the RW is clean you sure should do some research.
You weren't around in the '60s and '70s......I have never seen a president that has no respect for anyone or anything, Trump is the first. Nor have I seen Dems disrespected by republicans as I have the last four years. His being elected isn't the problem for me, it's his actions the last three-plus years. You might want to check out how Obama was treated.
You should check your own city of Jville, bugsy. They had riots and looting and they are having a fairly large increase in violent crime. You could check out FTW and SLC both had plenty of both.
Time for dinner.
Happy Halloween.
I never said the rw was clean. I said they have not caused the problems that the left has done over the past 4 years, all because they don't like who is in the WH.
I think you need to set aside Trump's behavior and look at what he has done positively for the country. We were in far better shape the first 3 years of his administration than anything Obama did in his 8.
If you want to blame Trump for the 200,00 deaths due to COVID, then you are doing nothing but falling for left wing rhetoric. There is no blame for one person. If the left were honest, they would hold Cuomo responsible for the thousands of deaths, by far the most of any state, due to COVID, but they won't because....Trump.
Maybe you have not seen tv shows, movies, cable news, etc...every one of those have disdain for the supporter of Trump. Every day we are subject of ridicule, hatred, assaults and insults all because we support our president, not because of his sometimes over the top behavior, but for what he has actually done for the country. We do not base our decisions on our feelings.
Jacksonville had 1 evening of minor rioting with a few windows broken and the losers rightfully arrested.
The increased violence is attributed to black on black killings in predominately black areas of the city. You will never hear BLM mention that because it goes against the narrative that "white man bad".
I hope you have a good night. I'm going to pick the wife up from work.
You couldn't have missed the Tea Party garbage against Obama bugsy. There was 8 years of it. Obama as a Witchdoctor as a monkey, as a Muslim, as Hitler, as Mr. T, as Little Black Sambo and of course, Obama hanging in effigy. Here's just a small sample:
Selective memory?
come on man, that's a pure strawman. I never said anything about the virus in my comments or Trump or Cuomo. If that is your best argument you should pull back and regroup.
I don't base my dislike of Trump on feelings but on facts. So there ya go.
''white man bad'' do you have some sort of a problem with admitting that there are really bad ''white men'', just like there are bad black/yellow/red men.
BTW, I never mentioned BLM either. Please don't try to BS on crime in Jville.
Have a great Halloween.
However disgusting these photos are, absolutely nobody burned, looted, robbed or assaulted anyone just because they did not like Obama.
Quite possibly you are the one with select memory?
Kyle?
C'mon man, we've been through this. This Kyle kid acted in self defense. He did not kill those guys because he hated Biden, like many liberals have assaulted Trump supporters simply because they hate Obama.
The real violence is coming from, and will continue to come, from the left, especially when Trump wins again.
Why the fuck are you pretending that any of that is about not liking Trump bugsy? Is it because you're desperate to conflate the personal attacks against Obama with those who use the protests for social justice as smoke screens for their criminal activity?
You're conflating again bugsy.
You excuse killing by a kid who shouldn't have been there... and shouldn't have had a gun.
Yup...
Where did I excuse what he did? Self defense is not an "excuse"
He had every right to be there, just like everybody else.
As far as the gun, if he did not have not, he probably would have been hurt or killed by BLM, but I will let the courts decide that.
When one resorts to vulgarities, it normally means they know they cannot win an argument.
You present that with every post.
You don't remember the "conversation" we have about a month or so ago
Donald Trump claimed he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and not "lose any voters."
It seems that that attitude has spread. "Any Trump follower may kill without consequences."
You mean the one where you had a virtual meltdown on here? Yea..I remember it. Funniest thing I had seen in a long time.
Where has that happened? You put that statement in quotes. Who specifically has said that?
Wow, bugsy. You haven't changed at all.
C you next Tuesday
You're excusing Kyle.
If a kid who shouldn't have had a gun is in a state where he shouldn't be... and kills people... and you see nothing wrong...
Yeah... that's pretty much "Any Trump follower may kill without consequences."
When one resorts to whining about one word within a question, it normally means they don't have an answer. You show that with every obfuscation.
If you have an issue with that particular word, avail yourself of the handy dandy NT filter. If you do NOT, it implies that you accept the fact that this is an adult forum where adults use adult language.
Or because he foresees hundreds of thousands of deaths under Trump.
OK...What would Joe....or you.... have done better than Trump with the information he knew if Feb-April?
That's easy: defer to the scientists studying the problem, do not contradict or misspeak for them, but let them talk about it. Just the opposite, support them and their recommendations and remind people we are still learning about the virus as we go along. Then mandate wearing masks and maintaining social distancing when possible. Not set a poor example by not wearing masks or downplaying the severity of the pandemic. Also not encourage people to protest or break given recommendations. That is all just plain common sense too. I could continue, but I think you get the idea.
Last I heard, tRump is the 'president' NOW. Joe Biden is running to be President in the FUTURE. Why are you focusing on what Joe Biden should have/would have done and not focusing on what the current 'president' hasn't done?
The current 'president' who is responsible for over 200,000 deaths is saying that Joe Biden will listen to the scientists, that Joe Biden will listen to the experts, that Joe Biden will listen to Dr. Fauci.
Why didn't/doesn't the current 'president' do that?
1st, your question is false since Trump knew about it December-January.
2nd, LISTEN TO THE DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS.
3rd, put a qualified medical expert in charge of the task force. Not a guy that stated that he would have to go home and pray over it, the last time he faced a healthcare crisis as governor.
4th, be honest with the people.
5th, set up nation wide policy of contact tracing, mask recommendations, and social distancing.
6th, set up penalties for governors who refuse to prioritize the health of their citizens.
7th, provide guidelines and assistance to businesses and schools for re-opening.
Which scientists do you propose? The same scientist have said different things over time, many times contradicting themselves.
Then mandate wearing masks and maintaining social distancing when possible.
The president can't do that. It is a state right, but I guess it becomes a government "should do" when it fits the left narrative.
I could continue, but I think you get the idea.
I could too, but do you?
1. But we knew very little more in March than we did in January.
2. See my 6.5.5
3. The vice president was put in charge but only as an advocate for the medical advisors such as Fauci and Birx.
4. Most liberals would rather have panic than give Trump any credit.
5. Again, see my 6.5.5
6. But when Trump has advocated for withholding federal funds for various legitimate reasons such as allowing sanctuary cities, the left had a shit fit, saying in was unConstitutional and not allowed to do it,
7. He has. That is why pretty much all red states have followed those guidelines and opened successfully, and many blue cities and states are still in lockdown, causing most of the new unemployment claims every week. See number 4 for reasoning of blue state governors.
Virologists, epidemiologists, medical specialists.
That's because scientists discover and relay new information as it comes along. They have to go by the best information they have at the time.
The President can certainly implore the states, and American people, to do that, explaining the rationale for it. He can also help implement policies to help mitigate contagion spread. This is where leadership ability becomes important.
Go right ahead.
Great idea, put a guy in charge with zero medical or scientific expertise, whose idea of handling an infection is to pray it away. That position seemed more like an attempt to give the VP something to do.
We learned more as time went on. That's when it's important to relay new information and update recommendations and guidelines. It's also important how that information is relayed, which I think is what caused some confusion to people. Of course, people lacking any scientific acumen doesn't help either.
Sweeping generalization.
A separate issue from dealing with the pandemic.
And we've seen red states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida have a large spike in new cases.
Which ones? There have been plenty of differing opinions from many different specialists.
That's because scientists discover and relay new information as it comes along. They have to go by the best information they have at the time.
Early in the pandemic, most specialists said there is nothing to worry about, including Fauci.
The President can certainly implore the states, and American people, to do that, explaining the rationale for it. He can also help implement policies to help mitigate contagion spread. This is where leadership ability becomes important.
He still can't force states to do different things. We have seen over the years that when Trump does or says something, no matter what, the left get pissy and demand the exact opposite.
Great idea, put a guy in charge with zero medical or scientific expertise, whose idea of handling an infection is to pray it away. That position seemed more like an attempt to give the VP something to do.
Again, he was not there to be the absolute decision maker, he was there to lead the group and be the advocate for them.
We learned more as time went on. That's when it's important to relay new information and update recommendations and guidelines. It's also important how that information is relayed, which I think is what caused some confusion to people. Of course, people lacking any scientific acumen doesn't help either.
And here we are almost 9 months later, and we still hear conflicting opinions from different specialists. Again, which ones do we listen to?
Sweeping generalization
How so?
A separate issue from dealing with the pandemic.
Not really. Holding federal funds are holding funds no matter the reason.
And we've seen red states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida have a large spike in new cases.
Possibly, but Michigan, a blue state, is still in lock down and they are getting the same high, if not higher, numbers. I believe Illinois and Minnesota are also seeing rises in cases.
If you were planning to jump a deep gorge with a motorcycle and 95% of the engineers said the ramp built and motorcycle you're using won't be able to clear it and you're very likely going to die, do you really side with the 5% who said "Well, I think you can make it, because you're you man, go for it!".
Most of these scientific conclusions have clear consensus, just like they did among virologists, epidemiologists, medical specialists, but this administration chose to cherry pick their preferred narrative that down played the seriousness and required no change in Americans daily habits. They wanted as little possible shake up of the economy as possible because they were betting on the economy to win the upcoming election. They chose to listen to the 5% who told them what they wanted to hear.
While this is patently false, most specialists were warning it could be a major pandemic and that we should all start taking precautions, unless you were listening only to right wing media that only aired the administrations muzzled CDC employees who were effectively banned from telling people anything other than the agreed upon narrative. When the WHO were trying to warn Americans of the impending danger, the Trump administration sent a letter to the UN withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
He could have had a standardize plan and recommended mask wearing and social distancing and then set the example by following those simple preventative measures himself. But now, he had to look touch and down play the virus and then act recklessly holding super-spreader events where eventually he and much of his staff were infected. Thankfully we have top notch medical care for white house officials and the president, sadly there were many who were likely infected at those events who don't get the same care or have spread it into their communities to folks with no healthcare or pre-existing conditions that make them far more likely to die. This irresponsible President has blood on his hands, it's a fact that will be remembered in all our history books.
When? Where? How? Who did he "lead" to do anything? All he's been doing is praising himself while claiming the pandemic is over even as it rages out of control in many States and is seeing increases in deaths and infections all over America.
There will always be the 5% who are being paid to give a counter-point. Dr. Atlas is a radiologist, not an epidemiologist or virologist. He is NOT an expert. He is a fucking dumb ass who has spent his time shoving his head in and out of Trumps ass for weeks now and it hasn't made him any smarter. Stop listening to right wing media, get out and smell some fresh air and you might realize that EVERYONE else is in agreement, only the Presidents hand picked "specialists" have "conflicting opinions".
So go ahead and jump the gorge with just 5% of the "specialists" saying its safe, you might be the exception and survive, but stop trying to force others to make the same leap of faith, we've already seen nearly a quarter of a million Americans die because of this Presidents refusal to accept the majority of the scientific communities recommendations and conclusions.
Excellent post
Of course he can. Just as he cannot require automobile drivers to use their seat belts..
This makes no sense to what you replied to.
Not surprised.
I replied correctly the first time, so no need to rehash the same facts you fail to see.
BTW...If you truly read the response and not jump to liberal conclusions, you would have read that I was speaking of, and so was Gordy, speaking of Pence, not Trump.
Now, here is your homework, go back and reread the entire original post, then my response, then your babble. You should come to the conclusion that you are wrong on all points.
Told people the truth.
Not like Trump-- or his lackies on Faux News:
Biden would have told the truth. He wouldn't have taken over the 'Covid Task Force' press briefings and turn them into campaign events. He would have used the DPA immediately and for emergency medical supplies instead of as a slush fund.
That's funny, because medical experts seem quite uniform about protections from Covid, likes masks and distancing.
Early in the pandemic, we knew little about Covid. Fortunately, we know much more now.
I didn't say he could. But this is where effective leadership comes in to encourage states and the public to take necessary steps to limit Covid.
Sounds like he wasted his time and was just a token member. An actual scientist would have been a better choice.
See first statement.
Because you make the generalization about liberals.
Reasons do matter.
Not possibly. Absolutely. New surges in cases in those states have been documented.
Sounds like people are not doing their part to contain the spread of the virus and are ignoring recommendations.
Of course the results of the study should be expected. Has it not already been established that people of lesser education and lower intelligence are Trump supporters? People with lesser critical thinking ability don['t bother to look past the "show" notwithstanding that the "show" often lacks truth and substance.
Correct.
With a few exceptions, they are generally stupid, but they lack common sense!
This is not a surprising finding. We can look on this forum and quickly figure out the same thing.
Exactly!
You know the olde saying:
When Winter comes, we'll know which trees are Evergreen!
Ah, how I enjoy and appreciate the wit and wisdom of my NV mentor.
True or not, I don't think it is helpful or productive to stereotype people this way.
When will we learn to respect each other?
This business of vilifying those who are different, or those who do not share MY views is getting really old... REALLY OLD!!!!!
Hey Mal,
Nice to see you, and I have to agree with you 100%
Out of over one hundred articles I seeded this month this one got the most thumbs up, though not nearly the most comments. Just recently TNT headlines have described/defined Democrats as everything except human. Negatively defining our political opponents as less than is derigeur...
The only hard core rightwinger in my own family is currently incarcerated indefinitely for his ongoing sovereign citizen nonsense because of his long term insistence that he can "Travel" unlicensed, untagged, uninsured and untitled vehicles on public roads and highways as long as he is not engaged in commercial activities. Really Mature /s...
I can never figure out what articles will hit or not. I am always shocked when they do.
I miss you, Perrie!
Miss you too, Mal!
Study's show it to be true.
You may be right, but I don't find it productive or helpful to validate idiots uneducated opinions either. If I get severely injured in a car crash, I'd like to be taken to a hospital with educated doctors, those who have spent time and effort gaining the knowledge that could save my life. I'm not going to have the ambulance drop me off at Joe Bobs Bait & Tackle.
When will those with low emotional intelligence stop getting enraged when their low intelligence is challenged? Are those with knowledge and education supposed to just say "Oh, okay, maybe you're right and all the climate data may be wrong because you don't believe it and you want to keep getting paid minimum wage to dig coal..."? Are those with high IQ's supposed to just acquiesce to the room temp IQ's to make them "feel" good even if it will cost humans lives? Do we really just ignore facts, science and knowledge in an effort to be nice to low IQ conspiracy theorists?
I really don't think it's so simple as a difference in opinion or views, it's a difference in who value intelligence and knowledge versus those who spit on higher education and call people with knowledge "elitists" when really they're simply trying to share their knowledge for the betterment of mankind. If one gnashes their teeth and gets bitterly angry towards those with more education and understanding of the natural world that happens to differ from the "gut" education one may have received growing up in some rural town with few resources and at best a mobile library, then perhaps it is they who need to get a clue, not the one who spent the time and money to get educated and are trying to help.
I don't think anyone needs to call anyone stupid or make fun of those with less education or 'emotional intelligence', it's not about insulting people. But I also don't think we need to validate those with less education or miniscule emotional intelligence by telling them they're right simply to appease them and make them feel good. It's the same as giving in to a petulant child who is throwing a tantrum when they don't get their way, once you give in they will only demand more and throw tantrums every time they feel they aren't getting what they want or that others are talking down to them. In my opinion those children need to be bent over a knee and given immediate council via a paddle or belt.
One side worships the biggest asshole ever to plague the American national scene.
The other side just wants to get rid of this travesty foisted upon our nation for four long years.
But somehow "both sides" are supposed to be willing to compromise so we can all get along.
Hi Dismayed Patriot, Here is a little background to help you understand what is behind the comment I left...
For the record, I'm quite dismayed myself... BTW- There was someone on NT who used the handle "Patriot" without the Dismayed part... Is that you??? I met Perrie 12 years ago... on Newsvine... Twelve years, WOW!!! We both joined about the same time. The vine was a good place in those days. It was possible to have a respectful discussion with someone having different views... even to learn from one another. I was pretty left leaning at the time (even more so now...), Perrie always maintained sort of a centrist position... although I have always thought she was a closet lefty... Oh God... Perrie heard me... hear she comes with that rolled up newspaper... [ Perrie chases Mal around his computer desk waving the paper... Mal runs... yelping... aaaaiiii.... aaaaiiiiiii... ]
Okay... Back to reality now... I just had to throw that in for old times sake... :o) Then over the course of 6 or 8 years, all the discussions on the Vine devolved into a giant food fight... ALL OF THEM! The vine was subsumed by MSNBC a few years ago and is now completely gone. What a shame... Good for Perrie for creating this space! I joined NT very shortly after Perrie started it... but after a while I grew tired of the never ending acrimony. I check in from time to time... Who knows, maybe I will stay for a while this time.
On the present state affairs... I was absolutely dumbstruck when Trump won... When GWB won in 2000 I thought the world had ended... Hoo boy!!!! I never imagined we could have a flaming malignant narcissist in the White house. Compared to Trump, GWB looks like Einstein, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa all rolled into one. It still blows my mind when I hear that something like 42% of the electorate seems to think Trump is the second coming. [ Mal shakes head... ] Tens of millions of people actually think he is doing a great job. It just doesn't compute to me. Here is the metaphor that comes to mind for me...
Imagine you are at someone's birthday party... The host comes in and says, "It's time for desert. We have two choices. Over here we have an ice cream Sunday with sprinkles and a cherry on top. And for our second choice, we have this pile of dog poo." Then half the people in the room jump up yelling, "Oh boy!!! I want the poo... I want the poo... Can I have sprinkles and a cherry too?" I'm not kidding. The notion that there are 10s of millions of people that are choosing Trump... ESPECIALLY after having seen him in action for 4 years, is just incomprehensible to me. GWB... I get it. Not everybody is gonna like what I like... but Trump... it makes no sense. [ Mal wanders around in circles... ears drooping... tail dragging... ]
So here is what motivated my first comment. When this election is over, Dog forbid that Trump wins... But lets just say Biden wins... Those 42% of Trump lovers are NOT gonna say, "Oh shucks... dang it... pooy!!!", and then quietly go back to copacetically living with the rest of us. In 2009 I wrote an article for the Vine titled, "Is This the Beginning of the Second American Civil War?" 2009 is nothing compared to what we have going now. We... as American PATRIOTS... need to resolve to work together, to respect all of our fellow Americans, in spite of our differences. Trump... well, he is just a very sick man. So... in short... what I was really trying to say is... "Enough with the hateful rhetoric." I know, I know... All this stuff I wrote about Trump is pretty darned hateful... Hate is never a good thing... But I'm sorry, with Trump I just can't help it.
I jet your point, John... a very fair point... But... if we don't learn to work with the people who are most different from us... it is not gonna end well.
Good point.
TrumpTrueBelievers literally cannot change their stance. The only way I see for recovering them is to electorally crush Trump... and then his successor... and then the next... while those TrumpTrueBelievers gradually drift away. They will never recognize that they were wrong, but perhaps one day they just won't be TrumpTrueBelievers any more.
Good to see you here.
Some folks already mostly do, some don't.
But re: respecting other people-- its harder when the example set by some of our elected leaders is just the opposite!
I only villify those who villify me, and those who refuse to accept reality or are unable to exercise common sense. Now that I think of it, I should probably just pity them instead.
Great to see you back with us Mal! You have truly been missed. So good to see your happy, smiling avatar again.
Hmmm... Somehow I managed to get my entire comment in a block quote... I can't even find the widget for block-quoting... ARG!!!! :o{
The block quote widget is only the VERY FIRST widget on the bar... [ Mal bangs head on desk... ]
Isn't it amazing..how we always find something in the last place we look?
I fixed your blockquote. In the future, (I hope you hang around in your nice doggy home), you can get to the HTML when you make a mistake like that. Just got to the text editor and chose < > . I know I don't have to tell you what to do from there.
If you want to do fancy stuff fairly easily, you can use a two-window editor, and then paste into NT.
Well, now we know. Spock was a mentally deficient right-winger.
Nerm,
Don't laugh, but the Volcans as a race were conservative. They also felt they were better than most other races, and suffered other races' "defects". They also thought that humans smelled bad. A few had an open mind.
Spock was half-human, so he was a bit different.
Something I learned from watching Enterprise. Vulcans do have emotions they just control them. And they have to control them otherwise their emotions overwhelm them.
Fortunately, logic saved them.
i prefer hysterical Romnians, that have lost their noodle