Posted on 06/24/2019 11:27:19 PM PDT by ransomnote
A new study shows Americans have little understanding of their political adversaries—and education doesn’t help.
Americans often lament the rise of “extreme partisanship,” but this is a poor description of political reality: Far from increasing, Americans’ attachment to their political parties has considerably weakened over the past years. Liberals no longer strongly identify with the Democratic Party and conservatives no longer strongly identify with the Republican Party.
What is corroding American politics is, specifically, negative partisanship: Although most liberals feel conflicted about the Democratic Party, they really hate the Republican Party. And even though most conservatives feel conflicted about the Republican Party, they really hate the Democratic Party.
America’s political divisions are driven by hatred of an out-group rather than love of the in-group. The question is: Why?
A new study, called “The Perception Gap,” helps provide an answer. More in Common, an advocacy organization devoted to countering extremism that previously published a viral report on America’s “hidden tribes,” set out to understand how political partisans see each other. Researchers asked Democrats to guess how Republicans would answer a range of political questions—and vice versa. (The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults the week immediately following the 2018 midterm elections.) What they found is fascinating: Americans’ mental image of the “other side” is a caricature.
According to the Democratic caricature, most Republicans stridently oppose immigration, hold deeply prejudiced views about religious minorities, and are blind to the existence of racism or sexism. Asked to guess what share of Republicans believe that immigration can strengthen America so long as it is “properly controlled,” for example, Democrats estimated about half; actually, nearly nine in 10 agreed with this sentiment.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
You know what? This is crap.
Oh, sure, leftwads don’t understand normal people, but there are endless examples to show that normal people see through leftwads like glass.
In the eternal war of good vs. evil, to say that both sides are the same can only advantage evil.
When Clintstone was prez, it was “It’s only sex,” and “Everyone does it.” Well, everyone doesn’t do it, and to say they do unjustly advantages those who do, and slanders those who don’t.
It’s obvious the leftist “journalist” doesn’t understand republicans either.
Completely agree. Any attempt at understanding brings compromise and appeasement, hince they win. I’ll not have it. The only understanding I need is that Leftist Liberalism is a mental disease that must be institutionalized or obliterated. Intransigence must be our watchword.
Funny, 7 in 10 democrats oppose open borders. From the enemedia I would never have guessed.
The Dems are the enemy. Period. Learn it, live it, fight it.
It’s easy to understand democrats. They move in packs and beat the crap out of college Republicans, open borders to 6 billion mostly unwashed, uneducated heathens, are lazy socialists who want your money.
That thing on his jaw had better be a microphone, if not he needs a biopsy ASAP.
I get those idiots. They are low IQ parasites. Some of them know they can use low IQ parasites to achieve wealth and power.
Those ones get me too. They’ll get some, too, at some point.
So the highest takeaway is that the college environment poisons the minds and decreases the understanding of liberals.
It’s almost as if this author doesn’t realize America is teetering on the brink of a coup, brought to us by Ds and their sympathizers.
Oh, we completely understand these Marxist degenerates, that’s why we know they have to be beaten back!
This study tells me the Dems will have a huge 2020 problem. Their own candidates don’t understand their voters.
Check out the survey questions in the report: Nearly all the questions about Democrats, which Republicans mis-perceive, ARE actual policy positions taken by their candidates. So, why wouldn’t we mis-perceive?
(Conversely, all the questions about Republicans, which Democrats mis-perceive, ARE NOT actual policy positions taken by Trump.)
As usual, if not for the Propaganda Media, Democrats would be a minor party.
Your analysis is spot on!
So, what’ the Atlantic’s own study reveals is that Academia is a Leftist hot house that indoctrinates Lefties more the more they’re exposed to it (rather than educating them), and that the MSM tends to be extremely biased.
Tell us something we don’t know.
The study participants are key.
The Right is not mid-perceiving, nor are we concerned much about, old school JFK Democrats anymore.
But we DO understand the increasingly Far Left: they cannot be reasoned with, and they cannot follow facts and logic. They are religious zealots from the new religion, Intersectional Neo-Marxist Progressivism. We see it every day, in real life, online, and in politicians and academics and media.
What we don’t seem to understand: the real demographics and numbers of these two factions. I don’t know of a trusted source on that.
Snip1: Unfortunately, the “Perception Gap” study suggests that neither the media nor the universities are likely to remedy Americans’ inability to hear one another: It found that the best educated and most politically interested Americans are more likely to vilify their political adversaries than their less educated, less tuned-in peers.
Snip2:
Democrats who have a high-school degree suffer from a greater perception gap than those who don’t. Democrats who went to college harbor greater misunderstandings than those who didn’t. And those with a postgrad degree have a way more skewed view of Republicans than anybody else.
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