Any article on this subject naturally begins with the premise that Republican voters are stupid, but that’s not very informative in and of itself. For a more detailed explanation of what motivates people to, in essence, vote against themselves, various scientific studies have dug into the psyches of Republican voters. Here’s what they found.
” … [A] study conducted at Brock University reveals that low IQ, conservatism, and racism are intricately linked. According to the study titled “Bright Minds and Dark Attitudes,” researchers discovered that having lower intelligence as a child is a reliable predictor of conservative and racist ideas as an adult. That low IQ also predicts the conservative hatred of immigrants, non-Christians, non-conservatives, and the researchers stated categorically that coupled with religious authoritarianism, low intellect driving Republicans’ unwarranted hatred of “the other” is expressed through conservative ideology. The GOP is well-aware of their base’s low intelligence and it is why they pander to their hatred to convince them to vote against their own best interests ….
“In another study by researchers at the University of Arkansas, “Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism,” researchers found that the reason Republicans easily convince their base that all people of color are terrorists, and that all non-European immigrants should be deported is due to what is called “low effort thought;” something the scientists concluded leads to “conservative simplistic thought.” The researchers actually performed four different tests to “reduce subjects’ ability to use effortful, deliberate thought” and they discovered that situations causing low-effort thought resulted in more conservative beliefs. In one of the studies, researchers even found that the more intoxicated on alcohol an individual becomes the more their belief in conservative ideology increases. …
“It is not a revelation by any means, but there are several studies proving that watching Fox News makes people stupid. …
“Dr. Brian Nosek explained that like evangelical Christianity, “right-wing ideologies get rid of the messiness of having to think critically and impose a simple conservative solution. It is not surprising that people with less cognitive capacity are attracted to simplistic ideologies.” It is why evangelical Christianity and Republican neo-conservatism go hand-in-hand and appeal to frightened and simple-minded people who support Republicans. In another study, researchers connected overwhelming animus toward the LGBT community with “low abstract reasoning skills” that is yet another affliction rampant among conservatives and Republican voters; particularly religious Republican voters. Homophobia is primarily a religious conservative disease ….
“The study, “Political Orientations Are Correlated With Brain Structure in Young Adults,” was based on the results of MRI scans on participants and it is noteworthy that the results of an MRI cannot possibly be biased, but they can reveal pathological anomalies in the human brain. The results of the MRI studies show that “conservative students had a larger amygdala than liberals. Conversely, the anterior cingulate cortex of liberal students had more gray matter than conservatives.” According to biological facts, “The amygdala is active during states of fear and anxiety, and the anterior cingulate cortex is the region of the brain that helps humans cope with complexity and use abstract reasoning.” What that means is that specifically speaking, “Liberals’ brains are biologically more able to handle complex thought, and conservatives base their beliefs on fear.” It is why Republicans are so successful stoking conservatives’ fear of immigrants, Muslims, minorities and anything feeding into their hate and bigotry. The study’s authors noted that the neuroscience clearly demonstrates there are pathological brain deformities in conservatives that clarifies why they willingly accept bizarre and self-defeating conservative agendas, and why Republicans lie, fear-monger, and stoke their base’s hatred and bigotry. The researchers also said the pathology proves why conservatives are typically terrified of change and embrace anti-intellectualism ….
“It is depressing to learn that there are scientific studies and mounds of empirical data proving why Republican voters are so incredibly stupid if for no other reason than there is no apparent remedy. It is as impossible to debate, or have reasonable discourse, with conservative adults suffering from intrinsic low intellect, inability to reason abstractly, and pathology (brain anomalies) as it is a newborn infant. Republican politicians are smart enough to take advantage of that simple fact ….”
Is this satire? Hell, I don’t know. My admittedly brief research of Politicus, the website this came from, doesn’t reveal it’s an Onion-like website that publishes fictional articles (i.e., satire). Clicking on the clicks takes you to what appear to be real papers. In any case, you can read the whole article here.