This is one of the funniest articles I’ve read in a very long time:
Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.
Hahahahaha! (Sorry…. couldn’t help myself, speaking as a former whiner who doesn’t quite match this data… usually…)
Now don’t get yourself into a big snit, or make rash assumptions about whether the DNC funded the study (they didn’t). It seems that some forty years ago, a professor and his wife (yes, they were at Berkeley) surveyed a bunch of pre-schoolers for personality traits. Administered by the teachers, the intent was not political, but sociological. However, when a follow-up survey went out to the same participants many years later, the new set of questions included political inclinations.
Fun, yes?
Obviously, everybody won’t fit this mold, but it made for a really great read! (Oh – and for those whose feelings are hurt, be sure to read the entire article. There are some more flattering ways to spin things…)
Hm, wonder where the quiet, geeky and picked-on kids fit into this? Wasn’t quite self reliant, wasn’t quite a whiner. Wound up a libertarian. Strange how the world works.
For another good laugh though, look at personality traits by the types of cars people drive. You might learn something about SUV drivers.
About three years ago, a friend sent me this article. Can’t remember where the study was done (guess I’ll re-read the article) but it was fascinating. Here’s the link: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Society/Conservatives_Deconstruct.html
What was particularly interesting was the element of fear. Don’t tell a conservative what he will GAIN by voting for this or that, tell him instead what he will LOSE if he doesn’t. I’ll be curious to see what you think.
Of course you can’t necessarily verify this but according to this account the research is a little tainted.
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004831.htm
Thanks, roux! Evidently, the alternative spins weren’t enough for some offended sensibilities.
Myself, I just see the whole thing as belly-hurting, tear-streaming funny – and that would hold even if the entire study had been lifted right out of a novel.