Study: Everyone hates environmentalists and feminists

Salon ^ | 09/26/2013 | Tom Jacobs

[Responsibility2nd]

Why don’t people behave in more environmentally friendly ways? New research presents one uncomfortable answer: They don’t want to be associated with environmentalists.

That’s the conclusion of troubling new research from Canada, which similarly finds support for feminist goals is hampered by a dislike of feminists.

Participants held strongly negative stereotypes about such activists, and those feelings reduced their willingness “to adopt the behaviors that these activities promoted,” reports a research team led by University of Toronto psychologist Nadia Bashir. This surprisingly cruel caricaturing, the researchers conclude, plays “a key role in creating resistance to social change.”

Writing in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Bashir and her colleagues describe a series of studies documenting this dynamic. They began with three pilot studies, which found people hold stereotyped views of environmentalists and feminists.

In one, the participants—228 Americans recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk—described both varieties of activists in “overwhelmingly negative” terms. The most frequently mentioned traits describing “typical feminists” included “man-hating” and “unhygienic;” for “typical environmentalists,” they included “tree-hugger” and “hippie.”

Another study, featuring 17 male and 45 female undergraduates, confirmed the pervasiveness of those stereotypes. It further found participants were less interested in befriending activists who participated in stereotypical behavior (such as staging protest rallies), but could easily envision hanging out with those who use “nonabrasive and mainstream methods” such as raising money or organizing social events.

[Responsibility2nd]

The brainiacs at Salon just figured this out.

Hoo Boy.

[WayneS]

This strikes me as a simple case of reaping what one has sown.

[spawn44]

MOST are ANTI AMERICAN COMMUNISTS. That may have something to do with it.

[Venturer]

Participants held strongly negative stereotypes about such activists.
.........................................................

That’s because these activists are stereotypically negative.

Feminists like killing babies, and the people trying to save trees are destroying them by fire because they do not allow thinning.

[Little Ray]

Environmentalists and Feminists are good folks to hate.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Participants held strongly negative stereotypes about such activists, and those feelings reduced their willingness “to adopt the behaviors that these activities promoted,” reports a research team led by University of Toronto psychologist Nadia Bashir. This surprisingly cruel caricaturing, the researchers conclude, plays “a key role in creating resistance to social change.”

Feminists themselves are among the worst practitioners of "cruel caricaturing." It is what they do - almost without exception, they are crude, unpleasant, smug people.

[WayneS]

Hey, if you’ve gotta hate someone, they’re a good place to start.

[MrB]

Feminists - women in rebellion to their God given role.
Environmentalists - earth worshipping pagans.

[familyop]

The most influential constituents the politicians in all levels of government like feminism and environmentalism for keeping potential business competition from other families down. Little constituents, not so much.

[Uncle Miltie]

[familyop]

The most influential constituents controlling the politicians, even.

[Navy Patriot]

New research presents one uncomfortable answer: They don’t want to be associated with environmentalists.

My standard supper table repartee with those types present, involves environmentalists making good compost.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I don’t hate them. They are in the same category as dog crap on the bottom of your shoe.

[arthurus]

Just gonna have to send everybody to the re-education facilities until they think differently.

[Red Badger]

If you’re BOTH you must be totally despised.....................

[arthurus]

True, disgust is not the same as hate.

[Uncle Miltie]

An antidote:

[Responsibility2nd]

Exactly.

If you’re an enviro-weenie - you are likely a femi-nazi too.

And vice-versa.

[Old Sarge]

Everyone hates environmentalists and feminists

Sun rises in east.

Water is wet.

Odinga is a bisexual Muslim.

[Sergio]

Why doesn’t the media ever state the obvious. Sterotypes are based on observed behaviour.