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Cat Parasite May Affect Cultural Traits In Human Populations
Science Daily ^ | August 4, 2006 | University of California - Santa Barbara

Posted on 08/04/2006 3:52:12 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

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I've been concerned about this since reading the original studies.

From what I recall reading at one time, there is a higher onership of cats among US liberals and French citizens.

1 posted on 08/04/2006 3:52:13 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind
Ahem, we're hard core conservatives and we have an orange tabby and a Bengal cat.
2 posted on 08/04/2006 3:53:39 PM PDT by nmh
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To: ConservativeMind

"In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality modification could result in cultural change,"

Translation: it causes people to become democrats and join the DUmmies..:-)


3 posted on 08/04/2006 3:55:56 PM PDT by GeorgiaDawg32 (I'm a Patriot Guard Rider..www.patriotguard.org for info)
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To: ConservativeMind
there is a higher onership of cats among US liberals and French citizens.

The subtle, yet tactical difference in this conservative household--the cats own me.

4 posted on 08/04/2006 3:57:31 PM PDT by NautiNurse (Hurricane season 2006 - Be prepared and have a plan)
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To: nmh; ConservativeMind

We've three cats and a dog. Both of us conservative, too.


5 posted on 08/04/2006 3:59:35 PM PDT by stylin_geek (Liberalism: comparable to a chicken with its head cut off, but with more spastic motions)
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To: ConservativeMind

I knew there was a good reason why I hate cats...


6 posted on 08/04/2006 4:00:48 PM PDT by LongElegantLegs (You can do that, and be a whack-job pedophile on meth.)
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To: nmh
Hey, I grew up on a farm with more than a dozen cats always around.

It doesn't mean that either you or I haven't been affected over the years.

Once infected, you are always infected. But our T-cells keep it at bay through most of our years.

I understand that in France, 85% of the population tests positive for T. Gondii. Read the Wikipedia reference on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis
7 posted on 08/04/2006 4:01:01 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind
found in cats may be affecting human behavior . . .
mass personality modification could result . . .
Toxoplasma gondii may explain a substantial proportion . . .

More pseudo science . . .

8 posted on 08/04/2006 4:01:45 PM PDT by WIladyconservative
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To: LongElegantLegs

In short, the studies have tended to say that it shifts women's personalities to becoming more warm and friendly while it tends to make men more jealous.

Stay away from such men!


9 posted on 08/04/2006 4:02:56 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind

Actually, there may be some truth to the idea of this parasite affecting your politics.

For example, what you think of as hardcore socialists, who are irresistably drawn to collectivism in something like a herd instinct. They abhor individualism, success or failure, and pursue mediocrity for all in all endeavors. They demand "equality" in all things.

People who are extremists and fanatical idealists, whose vision of the world is a dichotomy of "black and white", or "good and evil", or "us and them". Who adamantly reject the notion that there are large grey areas to much of human activity. It is noteworthy that such people might change their core belief, but only to something equally extreme.

Or finally, people who are neurotic about any form of violence. They can even become physically ill when exposed to violent and competitive situations of any kind. They are dominated by the "flight" response, but try to use the law to prohibit others from being violent or competing.


10 posted on 08/04/2006 4:05:42 PM PDT by Popocatapetl
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To: stylin_geek
Silly people ... this cat is not for liberals:

http://www.aluren.com/new_stars.html

Bengals don't put up with nonsense and leaps and bounds smarter than ANY liberal. Sir Thomas, our orange tabby is no push over either.
11 posted on 08/04/2006 4:05:50 PM PDT by nmh
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To: ConservativeMind

Appreciate the link ... but don't take it too seriously ... it's pseudo science.


12 posted on 08/04/2006 4:07:43 PM PDT by nmh
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To: WIladyconservative

Well, it does get into the human brain where it will always stay alive, but is kept inactive by our immune system. It also resides in our muscles, where it is less of a concern.

You should read the studies on what it does do to rats. It does provably alter their behavior. It's not too much of a stretch to imagine it could do something to us.

It does ravage our bodies once our immune system is down. People with AIDS have real problems.


13 posted on 08/04/2006 4:08:54 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind
"The infected rat's behavior alters so that it becomes more active, less cautious and more likely to be eaten by a cat, where the parasite completes its life cycle."

Where do we find such infected cats? We need as many as we can get to put in the population centers most populated by the DemonRATS of the Left. [couldn't resist]

14 posted on 08/04/2006 4:09:09 PM PDT by jonrick46
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To: ConservativeMind
My husband introduced me to cats and he's 100% male and conservative. I grew up with dogs. In particular a German Short haired Pointer. Love that guy!!! My next maneuver will be to get a dog to add to the collection - probably a Lab or a Golden Retriever puppy.
15 posted on 08/04/2006 4:09:33 PM PDT by nmh
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To: nmh

Wow, there is a stray cat running around where I work that has markings very similar to Sinaloan. Two of our cats were born feral. One is mostly blind, but no pushover and the female has claws that will draw blood before you realize it.


16 posted on 08/04/2006 4:12:00 PM PDT by stylin_geek (Liberalism: comparable to a chicken with its head cut off, but with more spastic motions)
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To: nmh

Hah, my fiance is a cat person and I talked her into a dog. She loves our dog to death.


17 posted on 08/04/2006 4:13:23 PM PDT by stylin_geek (Liberalism: comparable to a chicken with its head cut off, but with more spastic motions)
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To: ConservativeMind

I just want to reiterate, since someone will inevitably start wondering if they should get rid of their cats, that toxoplasmosis is actually pretty rare in the US. For instance, we have seven housecats right now, and I have also been around multiple cats ALL my life, and I recently tested negative for toxoplasmosis.

The liberal thing doesn't compute, either ... Both my vet and my doc told me that toxoplasmosis is quite rare in California. :)


18 posted on 08/04/2006 4:13:25 PM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert (Kelo must GO!! ..... http://sonoma-moderate.blogspot.com/)
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To: ConservativeMind
Many years ago I read an article that I haven't been able to find since. It was a study of rats that multiplied in limited space until finally they were very crowded. What happened was that the rats, male and female, became homosexual. I always thought, if there was any validity to the study, that it was nature taking care of its over-crowding problem. But the article you posted gives a bit of a new twist to that. The over-crowding provides a faster vehicle for this supposed virus to reinfect rapidly.

Also someone else posted about liberals having cats. I thought the same thing when reading the article. The only people I know who are rabid cat lovers are also rabid liberals. One, who is also a relative, still has a portrait of Klinton on her wall. And yes I know there are conservatives who love their cats. I have no use for cats at all. Nasty creatures.

19 posted on 08/04/2006 4:15:48 PM PDT by PistolPaknMama (Al-Queda can recruit on college campuses but the US military can't! --FReeper airborne)
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To: ConservativeMind
The infected rat's behavior alters so that it becomes more active, less cautious and more likely to be eaten by a cat, where the parasite completes its life cycle.

The theory's obviously incomplete in some way or other. This parasite, if it does these things at all, clearly makes people less adventuresome, i.e., makes them into wusses -- not more adventuresome. How else do you explain all the liberals running around who are so afraid of their own shadows that they try to appease the hungry snake with olive branches? The snake hasn't been born that eats olive branches.

20 posted on 08/04/2006 4:16:38 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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