Why are rethugs so stoopid?

[BushOut06]

There's stupid, and then there's bang-your-head-against-the-wall STOOPID. The latter are those who, even when confronted with the facts, insist on holding onto their misguided beliefs. I classify most rethugs into that latter category. Many of these still believe that Saddam had WMDs, that they are buried somewhere in the desert or that Syria has them. Many of them still believe that Saddam was involved in 9-11. Despite the fact that Al Qaeda typically spaces their huge attacks several years apart, they insist that it is Bush and his anti-American policies that have kept us safe. They think that border security is as simple as putting up a wall. They believe that creationism is a valid scientific theory that should be taught in schools. They think that freedom of religion means they can display the Ten Commandments on government property, yet deny Wiccan symbols on fallen soldier's tombstones. They believe that Iran is a grave threat to our country, yet Saudi Arabia is a staunch ally that should not be trifled with. They refuse to acknowledge global warming exists, despite overwhelming evidence.

Have you ever seen a bunch so profoundly stoopid?

[Lex]

1. Limited reasoning ability and little critical thinking skills.

It's sad really.

[redqueen]

3. No critical reasoning at all, wouldn't you say?

Wouldn't you think even the slightest amount would cause them some pretty severe cognitive dissonance?

[BushOut06]

4. That might explain why there are so many EX-rethugs

Once they start thinking for themselves, they usually cease to be rethugs.

I think a lot of this has to do with religion, especially the more evangelical churches. When you're taught that it's a sin to think a certain way, it does tend to cramp logical thinking.

[redqueen]

2. The flat-earther's come close. n/t

[BushOut06]

6. I would classify many Rethugs as modern Flat-Earthers

A good percentage of these people believe that the earth is only 6000-10000 years old, that dinosaurs either coexisted with man, or never existed at all. Those fossils? They were planted in the ground by God. I'm not kidding, I've been in churches that actually preach this nonsense. I was raised a very fundamentalist church, thank God I began questioning what I was always taught and began thinking for myself.

[rhiannon55]

5. No I haven't

Those people "Deliverance-level" STOOPID! :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

[jgraz]

7. They're not stupid, they're faithful

Most of the staunchest Repug/Conservative/Freepers have spent years training their minds to think the way they do. They have weekly training sessions every Sunday and an instruction manual that's thousands of years old. It is impossible to believe what they've been taught without carefully shutting down key parts of your consciousness -- much in the same way that someone who practices meditation can quiet their mind and effectively stop thinking, albeit momentarily.

Once the faithful learn this technique, they spend the rest of their lives in a semi-conscious fugue state, characterized by blind adherence to authority and an absolute resistance to cognitive dissonance. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they also feel compelled to share their "thoughts" with anyone around them, and to attack those who have chosen not to surrender their higher brain function to authoritarian superstitions.

There really is no functional difference between their religious beliefs and their political beliefs. The same mechanism that allows one to believe that it's a good thing that their god had his son tortured to death also allows them to believe that waterboarding innocent Iraqis is just fine as long as it has the approval of their chosen leader. And once you accept your own creation myth as truth, is it really that difficult to believe global warming is just a liberal conspiracy?

These people have spent their entire lives defending their fragile, nonsensical world view against the mountains of the evidence that pour through their senses on a daily basis. If you think that typing a few paragraphs or speaking a few facts will change their minds, you're as delusional as they are.

[Kahuna]

8. Because they're sheep.

:shrug: