Why are Republicans such pricks?

[Cyrano]

I've asked this here previously, but no one really knows the answer.

It seems to me that many Republican voters are mentally challenged. And while some of their elected officials are dumber than dirt, others know better, are playing along in order to cling to power, and they have a "fuck the consequences" attitude.

All too often, the answer to my OP question is: "Trump." Yeah, perhaps among some of those voters "Trump" may be the answer. But the Republican Party was an established collection of world class pricks long before the orange mound of shit rode down his golden escalator.

I often wonder if Republicans are the same species as the rest of us. Are they missing some gene that is standard in normal, sane human beings? Beats me.

But what I do know is that, next to climate change and Covid-19, the Republican Party and their voters are malicious, uncaring people and they are a deadly danger to all of us.

And they're not going away.

[genxlib]

1. Well....

Due to the idiocy surrounding Covid, Some of them are going away.

[lagomorph777]

16. Bingo. Self-genocide.

It will help us in battleground states and purple districts.

[pwb]

2. My guess, they are drunks.

Liquored up mean drunks. Congress needs some breathalyzer tests.

[kimbutgar]

3. I still think to this day that the American Taliban party were unloved and not cherished children

They lack the empathy they should have learned as children. The bullies I knew growing up had a spike of cruelty in them. The ones I knew in high school who were bullies are the ones that I have see on Facebook that are orange maggot supports. A good friend of mine used to say she had a terrible childhood and she is now lost in the Q. I can no longer talk with her and I used to see a mean streak in her sometimes that was unsettling.

[Sherman A1]

4. I believe

That you are looking for logic where there’s none to be found. At least the logic to which we could make heads or tails of in some form. I would suggest however that the best answer to your question is that in general Republicans are afraid (of multiple things or possible things) and that fear is effectively cultivated by those wanting to remain in power.

[Cyrano]

19. As a devout agnostic, I often dwell on

the concepts of "good" and "evil." And one of the most persuasive arguments for "evil" is today's Republican Party.

Additionally, I can't help but see the similarities between 1933 Germany and today's America, which really seems to tip the scales toward "evil" being a reality that infects humanity.

[NCDem47]

5. It's the way they are hardwired.

They're missing an empathy chip. And they also feel that once they have theirs everyone else is on their own. They don't see bringing others up the ladder behind them (except their own spawn). Once they reach a plateau, they're likely to hike up the latter for themselves to get to the next level. And this is passed on down the generations. They see greed as a virtue.

[RainCaster]

6. The answer is very small...

Yes, that is what I'm saying. They are compensating for the miniscule size of their male appendage.

[CrackityJones75]

27. Dumbest answer in the thread.

[RainCaster]

39. Rudest answer of the day

[CrackityJones75]

40. Well if it's true....

I mean just imagine someone responding to a criticism of a female with something like “she just can’t accept ahe has small tits”.


Honestly this forum gets on people for all sorts of shaming and body criticism except that one gets a pass. It is beyond sophomoric and below grade.

[Aristus]

7. Ronald Reagan told them they could be.

Reagan was a prick. But he got away with it because of his twinkling eyes and ruddy cheeks. His demented followers are no longer even bothering with the B-movie actor trappings of the Reagan Revolution, and instead are living out their most violent and inhumane fantasies as violently and inhumanly as possible.

[Omnipresent]

8. More often than not, they're pricks to each other.

I work in a place where there have been more personality conflicts, because they’re so thin skinned, especially with each other.

[raccoon]

9. I think many of them view harshness, cruelty, and being an asshole as Strength.

They view caring and compassion as weakness.

[DBoon]

18. yes, they likely had an abusive father who taught this

[wryter2000]

10. Trump is a symptom

Not the cause.

IMHO, Republicans are pricks because they're totally lacking in empathy.

[brush]

11. They're the selfish, greedy assholes from high school, just grown up now...

and playing dirty tricks to grift and grab political power to grift and grab more political power and on and on.

They're wired differently, completely without empathy and compassion for anyone but people like them.

[Brainfodder]

12. SELFISH FOOLS

eom.

[Qutzupalotl]

13. Pricks simply gravitate towards the Republican party.

There they find no judgement for being selfish pricks. They never have to educate themselves or better themselves in any way. As long as they feel superior to some other group, they’re fine.

The theory goes that most of these people are missing an empathy gene. That sounds completely plausible. And of course they turn it around to say, “Liberalism is a mental disease” when they are the ones deficient.

[Thomas Hurt]

14. My experience, they exhibit varying levels of ignorance, gullibility, paranoia...

and universally have the critical thinking skills of a turnip

[GoCubsGo]

26. Yep, that pretty much sums them up. nt

[Corgigal]

15. I always thought it was they are unhappy,

and blame us for whatever mistakes they made.

[DBoon]

17. a combination of a disfunctional upbringing and amphetamine abuse

[I_UndergroundPanther]

20. Dark triad personality types

Dark triad people are assholes and they never change. They gaslight,are criminals,and they abuse people and abuse the law,rules whatever they are arrogant entitled and hateful people

Having a dark triad personality type should in a sane world disqualify you from ever being a government servant in any manner.

Glad however the right wing assholes are dropping like flies from covid because dark triad personality type cannot be cured,medications dont help and therapy makes it worse.

So I am happy when they die off because no one can live around these dark triads without getting hurt,abused,stolen from,raped etc.

I hate dark triad people and they are why we cant have nice things.

They are a serious problem among humanity and there is no solution except covid.

[OhZone]

21. Like my brother and I and some of my friends say -

They are limited sociopaths.

They can be somewhat good to themselves, and perhaps a small group or tribe, but not to humanity as a whole. They are simply inhumane to everyone else.

Their empathy chip is broken or has a limiter - to paraphrase NCDem47

[UTUSN]

22. It's one of the Eternal Questions, but the usual consensus is:

They are anti-government Robber Barons, greedy, racist, anti-democracy, totalitarian - the general term A-holes covering it all.

[Cyrano]

31. In addition to those qualities, there seems to be

a deep seated maliciousness and cruelty in so many of them.

As best I can figure out, their main contribution to the world is adding to human misery.

[UTUSN]

32. "deep seated maliciousness and cruelty" - absolutely.

[vercetti2021]

23. It's in their DNA it seems like

Pukes are not humans, they are troglodytes.

[Saboburns]

24. Republicans are greedy, selfish, ignorant, childish, insecure, incurious racist, sexist potato-heads

And very proud of it.

And they all share the same pea-brain.

A hivemind.

[doc03]

25. They are selfish and greedy assholes. They are always

thinking someone else getting something they aren't.

[hatrack]

28. Prick is the default setting . . . .

As they get older, they look around, gravitate to the Party of Pricks, and end up voting GOP.

[Iggo]

29. $$$

[Xolodno]

30. They have a need to be constantly angry and blame others.

They aren't middle class or just barely holding on. But the wealthy leaders tell them its not their fault...and believe it.

So they accept that their wages aren't rising not because of tax policies and the wealthy hording piles of money. But a foreigner took the working class job for less. Or started a business which under cuts theirs.

Manufacturing isn't vanishing because of trade and the company moving it for cheaper labor. But environmental laws blocking them from accessing cheaper resources. Oh and Unions got greedy.

They don't want higher taxes on the rich because they believe they will one day be rich. But believe every time they get a tax hike which prevents them from buying that extra case of Bud, they think its breaking their bank.

They don't want universal health because they actually believe it will be rationed and they won't get there. Plus it will result in less medical advances.

And they think cultural change in the USA is an attack on their lifestyle. Of course, they don't realize, their lifestyle is already gone.

They think government services are bankrupting the country and being used by lazy people. And also shrinking the pool of money if they needed it or currently use it.

And they think simple answers can fix the problems. But when you point out its actually a lot more complicated, they get angry and just call you a leftist elite.

They really can't think beyond step one and just assume its that simple to fix.

[Lurker Deluxe]

33. They are not?

Stereotypes are fun!!

The republicans I associate with are none of the things listed here. Not one. Granted they are my fathers age and I know most of them through the church I never go to. I bump into them on Sundays when I visit my parents, sometimes meeting them (seldom since the pandemic) for lunch after church.

They are all fully vaccinated.
They do more for the community than damn near anyone else I know.
They all give to charity regularly.
They seldom talk about politics.
They do not judge people.

My parents are as right winged as they come. They have also been married for 50+ years and have been retired for the last 20. My father runs the food bank distribution for the local church and my mother helps with after school classes and such at the church.

They live in a trailer in Cut and Shoot Texas and spend very little money on themselves and damn near every week are involved in helping someone do something. From helping with downed trees to teaching younger generations how to make a pot roast.

My father has fought off cancer three times, one time losing half a lung, and is now beginning the battle with alzheimer's ... which he will loose. My mother is 6 years into the battle with parkinson's.

Is my father an ornery son-of-a-bitch ... yup. Would he ask about your politics while stopping on the side of the road to make sure you are ok ... nope. I hope to live into my late 80s, I really do, but it is to late in my life for me to ever be able to catch up to them as far as being a good human beings.

But yea, they vote the wrong way ... such is life.

[ornotna]

36. Anecdotal stories are fun too

On the other hand we have video and print evidence everywhere. TV, internet, newspapers, you name it. They do tend to be dicks. Happy for you that your parents and their friends are not though.

[Caliman73]

37. Have you ever asked "why"?

Why do your parents vote for a party that seemingly supports policies that are antithetical to their core beliefs?

My father voted Republican for a chunk of his life, but it was mainly based on a false assumption stemming from personal experiences. My dad is a Vietnam War vet, and he bought into the idea that Johnson got us into the War (he kind of did, though we were in Vietnam to some capacity since Eisenhower's administration) and Nixon got us out (which he did technically, but only because he helped to scuttle peace talks in 68 when LBJ was trying to get us out). He thought that Republicans were "strong on Defense" and Democrats were weak. Then Bush Jr. came around and started war with Iraq for some bullshit reason and a "war on terror" and my dad realized that most of what Republicans say is almost the opposite of what they legislate. Now with Trump, they don't even hide their disdain for large chunks of the American populace.

So, what is it that draws your parents to the Republican Party and conservatism?

I have relatives who are ornery (you did not want to get on my grandmother's bad side), but who were Democrats through and through because they saw Democrats as the party that actually worked to make people's lives better through policy and programs.

[tenderfoot]

34. Many are sadists and enjoy hurting people

eom

[Caliman73]

35. Conservatism has a lot to do with it.

Conservatism is an ideology that essentially believes that there are some people who are better, by nature, than other people. The way that Conservatives tend to judge "who is better" falls along several axes including skin color, gender, ethnicity, religion, and wealth. The weight to each axis varies but skin color, gender, and wealth are close to the top at all times. The way that conservatives seek to structure society is to promote hierarchy, with Wealthy, White, Men (typically Protestant Christian thrown in) at the top, and then the various other groups in subservient roles.

Conservatism in general serves only the very wealthy, or those at the top of the hierarchy, so in order to maintain hold on people who are ill served by the ideology and policies, the use of racial bigotry, sexism, jingoism, and religious intolerance is necessary. People of "lower status" but who fall within some of the parameters of people needed to maintain this hierarchy are taught to fear and hate people who are different.

I cannot say with any certainty whether there is anything innate that makes someone conservative, but there are discernable qualities, even within structures and function of the brains of people who are conservative and who are liberal. People who are conservative tend to be more attracted to authority, to certainty, and tend to be more fearful and prone to anger. Conservatives tend to think in binary fashion rather than understand and accept the nuance of the human condition. This is where we can see the "hard heartedness" that you speak of.

The qualities I mentioned above are certainly not the sole purview of Conservatives of Conservatism, but there is more expression of those qualities within the ideology. All of us are capable of cruelty, indifference, and violence, it is just that some of us seem drawn more to pro-social aspects of humanity (curiosity, tolerance, openness to change, etc...) while others have such a need for security, certainty, etc... that they are willing to allow others to suffer to maintain those ideas.

[JHB]

38. Conservatives have spent decades nuturing a culture of grievance and outrage

Pricks are drawn to it like flies to dead flesh.

[StarfishSaver]

41. I don't think that they're pricks because they're Republicans

They're Republicans because they're pricks. When pricks are deciding what party they want to join, they find that the Republican is a natural, comfortable, and welcoming habitat for them.

[treestar]

42. Either/or thinking

Everything has to have an answer. They have to be in control. Gray areas make them panic.

They did OK in school so far as they knew the answers to the questions. They memorized the answers. So they felt secure in knowing the answers. Anything that made it a gray area, questioned the answer, made them feel insecure and at sea. They hate that feeling more than anything.

Creativity is beyond them. They don't like anything that doesn't boil down to black and white, yes or no. It's why they can have contempt for people who are smart, because they may not know the answer exactly. Anything without an exact answer is a question to be avoided.

There is a saying you sometimes see from them: God said it, I believe it, that's the end of it. That satisfies them, because it requires no further thought. It reflects their authoritarianism.

[GoodRaisin]

43. They don't possess a sense of empathy. This makes them cruel and insensitive

pricks.

[PurgedVoter]

44. LBJ signed a paper

That paper lit a signal flare that said, calling all jerks in the Democratic party, switch parties.

So while they sang, "If your a hater and you love it vote Republican" they all switched parties. An election or two later the remaining folk with more compassion than hate that had previously been Republicans for the tax breaks said, I gotta run and became independents. When they found out that the Green Party, Libertarian party and independents were all jerks or fools they quietly became Democrats.

That is how the prick majority became Republicans. I am not saying we don't still have a few pricks. There are still logical, honest or compassionate pricks that can't quite fit into the Republican fold so we get to keep a few. But in general pricks are the Republican base.

[Irish_Dem]

45. Pricks gravitate to the GOP which is a party of sociopaths, narcissists, and the ignorant.

Ask the question the other way around, why are pricks Republican?
Then you have your answer.