The worst name you can call a conservative is “flip-flopper.”
Why is that? I think it has something to do with the conservative disposition. Most who are right of center take pride in the immutability of their positions. Changing one’s mind on something, for a conservative, signals a lack of commitment, a pitiable vulnerability to the influence of others, and/or simple political opportunism. At least that’s my anecdotal, totally unempirical take on reality.
When the LA Times reported on a recent study that said that conservatives think differently and are less willing to change their minds when supplied with new information, I thought, “Yeah, that pretty much jibes with how reality appears to me.”
Many people critical of the study reduced the story to “researchers say liberals are smart and conservatives are stupid.” And in fact, some liberals thought the study was unfair and overly critical of conservatives.
That’s not what I took away from it, and I wonder how conservatives reacted. I’m tempted to say that they’d agree, with pride, with the study’s findings, because what liberals disparage as close-mindedness, conservatives tout as steadfastness. I don’t think a study that says conservatives are less likely to respond to new information would be offensive to someone like George Bush. In fact, for many religious conservatives, the older, more antiquated the information is, the better.
Think about the average conservative from Kansas, who thinks the latest science text book ought to be replaced by the Old Testament. New information has no bearing on his world view—and he finds that a source of pride and strength.
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