A 2019 study by the “More in Common” project found “the more educated a person is, the worse their Perception Gap” their distorted view of and tendency to attribute extreme positions to those on the “other side.” But the “one critical exception” is that it applies only to Democrats, not Republicans.

submitted by Chipit from perceptiongap.us

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    [–]Chipit[S] 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (22 children)

    Leftist, not liberal, please. How do you tell the difference between liberals and leftists? Easy. Liberals believe in freedom of speech. They might disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.

    Leftists, on the other hand, freely use censorship as a weapon of first resort. Their own positions are so weak that if people are allowed to point out the many problems, they would collapse.

    [–]NodeIndependent 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (21 children)

    Their positions are weak, but I believe it's more about them correctly perceiving normally abled people as their enemy, and choosing the winningist strategy to defeat them. It's been working for quite a while.

    What is wrong with them in the first place is a question with no easy answers.

    [–]ReeferMadness 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

    They are incorrectly perceiving white males as their enemy because they get brainwashed with that claim by schools and media.

    You can say they are correctly perceiving meritocracy as their enemy because they are losers in that system, but even that is an inaccurate way to frame it. In a meritocracy even those on the lower rungs are better off because those who are more capable build a more prosperous society in which all people are better off.

    Destroying the city and living in rubble is worse than having the smallest house. But they are too dumb to understand that.

    [–]NodeIndependent 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

    But that's the thing, perceiving white males as their enemy and trying to destroy them actually does make white males their enemy. At least that's the way I see it. Someone trying to destroy me is my enemy, no matter what their reasoning or basis.

    they are too dumb / they get brainwashed

    There's a strong argument for most humans being dumb, and most humans being 'brainwashed'. One only needs to glance at the form of our society. The question remains, why are leftists in particular susceptible to the anti-white meme? (; > ,?) Do they have a particular defect in their brain structure? Did their software get corrupted during early childhood development? Many get exposed to the manipulation (brainwashing, marketing, etc), but it doesn't take in everyone.

    [–]ReeferMadness 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

    why are leftists in particular susceptible to the anti-white meme?

    Firstly it is those who are susceptible to brainwashing who become leftists because the current brainwashing is leftist. However not all leftist believe the brainwashing, many simply seek to use it to further hidden agendas.

    As for why some people are more easily manipulated I think there are two primary factors. The first is IQ. The second is closely related but not entirely, and that is a trust in authority. And to anyone non white the anti white narrative is self serving.

    [–]NodeIndependent 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    it is those who are susceptible to brainwashing who become leftists because the current brainwashing is leftist.

    This is where I have to disagree. "Those who are susceptible to brainwashing" are almost all humans. (probably 'all') But sure, IQ and other factors could easily be enhancers.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (16 children)

    A leftist or liberal, lurking in your chats, and seeing themselves described as "weak" "dumb" and "brainwashed" might be forgiven for deciding that they have enemies amongst y'all. At least it doesn't seem very friendly.

    [–]NodeIndependent 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

    Destroying functional white society is the whole point of being a leftist or liberal. Seems they preemptively already made that decision.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

    Bold assumption. Ironic that you should feel that way, meanwhile destroying our democratic government seems to be the current agenda for the right, or rather loyal-to-the-narcissist side. Is it wrong to want a society that functions for everyone? Or do you believe, zero-sum fashion, that to be functional for white people requires that society be dysfunctional for everyone else? Asking for a friend.

    [–]NodeIndependent 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

    Classic redditor reply.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

    I am sincerely interested to know your answer to the question.

    [–]NodeIndependent 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

    Which question? I'm seeing:

    destroying our democratic government

    the current agenda for the right

    or rather loyal-to-the-narcissist side

    a society that functions for everyone

    to be functional for white people requires that society be dysfunctional for everyone else

    Topped off with the reddit classic: "Asking for a friend", snark.

    All of this is obviously pure troll. The way this appears is that you've spent too much time on reddit to continue being a functional human being.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    Two question marks denote two questions, which are two phrasings of the same piece of curiosity: Sincerely, do you believe that to be functional for white people, society must be dysfunctional for everyone else?

    [–]Chipit[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (9 children)

    Because the left does not understand the right, and makes shit up to make us look horrible, while we are nothing like their ridiculous caricature. That's the whole point of this topic.

    When faced with questions such as "One of the worst things a person could do is hurt a defenseless animal" or "Justice is the most important requirement for a society," liberals assumed that conservatives would disagree.

    http://theindependentwhig.com/haidt-passages/haidt/conservatives-understand-liberals-better-than-liberals-understand-conservatives/

    It is the left who have made enemies of us all. They don't believe in argument, they reject Western values like science and reason, and believe that the Enlightenment was the worst thing to ever happen in human history. Yes, they really believe this.

    See: https://newdiscourses.com/2020/07/woke-wont-debate-you-heres-why/

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

    "One of the worst things a person could do is hurt a defenseless animal" - see photos of well-known conservatives proudly posing with the dead elephants and lions that they just shot. "Justice is the most important requirement for a society" - why then the push-back on the BLM movement? They are only asking for justice. The confusing thing about conservatives is that they seem to tolerate a high level of cognitive dissonance. I hope you can understand that it is kind of hard to understand someone who can hold contradictory opinions simultaneously. Or maybe words like "defenseless" and "justice" have different meanings, that also would also make it hard to understand.

    [–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    see photos of well-known conservatives proudly posing with the dead elephants and lions that they just shot.

    Who? Never seen them. Sounds like you've been victim of a propaganda campaign.

    Hunting is for meat. Only rich assholes can afford a safari to shoot trophy animals. Fuck those assholes.

    why then the push-back on the BLM movement?

    They are trained Marxists. If black lives actually mattered, they'd be solving their own community's violence against itself. http://heyjackass.com Here's a dashboard that tracks violence. Police involved shootings are the only number in single digits on that page.

    Or maybe words like "defenseless" and "justice" have different meanings, that also would also make it hard to understand.

    It's because you have a cartoonish parody of what conservatives believe, as evidenced by your elephants and lions comment.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

    "They don't believe in argument, they reject Western values like science and reason, and believe that the Enlightenment was the worst thing to ever happen in human history. Yes, they really believe this." - Well, I don't reject science or reason, and I believe the Enlightenment was great. And I'll debate you. Ad hominem attacks are pretty low on the pyramid.

    [–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

    Well, I don't reject science or reason, and I believe the Enlightenment was great.

    The concept of "race" was birthed by the Enlightenment. Before that, there wasn't any racism, just Christians and heathens. But the white man came up with the idea there is "objective truth" and used it to oppress peoples of color. The Enlightenment's ontology, rooted in the new science of the 17th century, created a vision of human beings in nature which provided weapons to a new race-based ideology which would have been impossible without the Enlightenment.

    The entire idea behind today's Left-wing thought is that there is no objective truth, only differing points of view, all equally valid. For example, there is no valid genetic basis for human intelligence, there are merely different kinds of intelligence. Native Americans do poorly at intelligence tests designed for whites, but excel at tests designed to measure storytelling intelligence.

    White supremacy as enabled by the Enlightenment is most commonly conceptualized as a way for lower-class whites to feel socially superior to people from other ethnic backgrounds. More important, though, white supremacy is a tried-and-tested means for upper class whites to grow their wealth and power. This thought is all over the place on the Left and I am astonished that you are not familiar with it.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

    I have never heard of racism being tied to the enlightenment before. citations please.

    [–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

    Here you go: https://newdiscourses.com/2020/07/woke-wont-debate-you-heres-why/

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

    Ah, I see the confusion now. This article is about the "Social Justice Warriors" (SJW), a very vocal and radical subset of the left. I don't claim to represent them. The author of the article appears to be a liberal who is also frustrated by trying have a rational discussion with these SJW.

    There are lots of factions on the Left, and it is a mistake to assume everyone is locked into a common groupthink.

    As for blaming the enlightenment for racism, there may be some truth to it, or not, this article does not address that claim, which is what I was specifically asking for.

    [–]ReeferMadness 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

    People in school think they are being taught the truth when they are just being brainwashed. They are literally told lies about the right and just believe it all.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

    Hmm, I guess there are all sorts of experiences with education. The best education teaches a person how to think, rather than what to think.

    [–]ReeferMadness 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    Everyone believes that they think for themselves but the reality is they are too lazy, too stupid, too ignorant, too conditioned to trust authority. You can teach someone to fish and they will still get most of their fish from the store. Everyone was told some version of how to "think for yourself", not enough people do it.

    At the end of the day everything leftist think they know about the right came from a leftist teacher. And no, the same does not go for the right. Every day the right is bombarded by leftist media propaganda, they go to the same leftist run schools, and get fed leftist propaganda through social media algorithms.

    You can't be fine with colleges blacklisting conservative speakers and think that you are anything but ignorant. You can't go to these colleges and think you aren't brainwashed. If your entire life you are denied ever seeing a flower that isn't green and pink you will obviously "come to the conclusion with your own free thought" that all flowers are green and pink. You can't be anything but ignorant if all your information comes from mainstream sources.

    [–]madcow-5 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    I was left wing until like 2016, and realistically have probably been "moderate" since. But I basically identify as conservative because leftists go apeshit at the slightest disagreement with literally any of their views, and seem to write me off as a bible thumping evangelical redneck conservative. Which is just cringe inducing, because it makes them seem like they're just now on the political intelligence level I was at about age 13.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

    Ironic that you take an article that is calling for unity and give it such a divisive headline.

    [–]Chipit[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

    Would you like to address the premise and refute it? This is just a personal attack; the bottom of the Pyramid of Debate. You neither addressed nor refuted anything that was mooted.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

    From the headline I expected to find a bunch of liberal-bashing that would make me uncomfortable. When I read the article I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite balanced and not insulting at all. The article also shows: Republicans have in general a much wider perception gap than Democrats. People who share political articles on social media have a wider perception gap. Does that feel like an attack? Does it make you frightened or angry? do you feel like you have to lash out at me? Maybe, maybe not.

    "Each of us can play a role in bridging the Perception Gap. We can choose a wider range of news sources to better understand different perspectives. We can refuse to be manipulated into outrage by reducing our exposure to social media feeds that amplify the views of the partisan Wings, rather than the Exhausted Majority. And finally, we can seek to build connections with people who think differently from us. Directly engaging with people whose experiences and views differ from our own makes it harder for us to see them as the enemy."

    I hope that Saidit is a place where I can directly engage with people with different views.

    [–]Chipit[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

    From the headline I expected to find a bunch of liberal-bashing that would make me uncomfortable.

    This is because leftists (not liberals) do not know what conservatives think, and instead make things up and hate them for the things they made up. The research supports this. Higher education does not make you more tolerant, it is associated with being frighteningly less tolerant. Higher education teaches a deeply illiberal and intolerant moral philosophy which justifies silencing of critics as a moral good. Higher education has been captured by progressives and marxists who offer their students indoctrination in leftist propaganda rather than training in the liberal arts.

    How can you tell if you're a liberal or a leftist? Easy. Liberals believe in freedom of speech. They might disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it. Leftists, on the other hand, freely use censorship as a weapon of first resort. Their own positions are so weak that if people are allowed to point out the many problems, they would collapse.

    [–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

    I suppose it depends on what you study. Not a lot of moral philosophy in math and science courses.

    Well, I don't need you to tell me what I think or how I think. Bye.