Article

2010-10-29 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Harvard, UCSD Researchers Identify Genes Related to Liberalism Disorder

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by gorb 2010-10-29 00:54|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 Maybe we should have a telethon or something.

Posted by DMFD 2010-10-29 06:00|| 2010-10-29 06:00|| Front Page Top

#2 Sounds like a genetic disorder requiring abortion - if detected in utero, right, frothing leftys?

Posted by Frank G 2010-10-29 08:46|| 2010-10-29 08:46|| Front Page Top

#3 Sounds like the first goal for gene therapy.

Liberalism: We can defeat it! Get your vaccination today!

Posted by DarthVader 2010-10-29 08:58|| 2010-10-29 08:58|| Front Page Top

#4 Don't give them ideas, Frank. They'll mandate testing for the gene under Obamacare, and abort those who don't have it.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-10-29 09:01|| 2010-10-29 09:01|| Front Page Top

#5 Sounds like a gene for neoteny.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2010-10-29 11:44|| 2010-10-29 11:44|| Front Page Top

#6 I don't like these studies.

Liberalism is a cultural deal. When a person gets past the slogans and sales pitches and slander-of-others at its core is the personal transfer of self reliance towards reliance upon others. *The military lifestyle may sound similar but is a completely different ends. It is giving the title of specialist academic onto those who generally have no real world expeience but justified by these people spend all day having great thoughts so I'll do what they say and free up my critical thinking time for my personal day to day chores and recreations.

And in doing so accept the will of others over their own free will. It is taught as well as is not taught; that is if a person does not learn the tools necessary to suffer or benifit their consequences of choice the default is to lean on and blame others, making them ripe to fall for the slogans and sales pitches and peer pressures of the pitch men. The true believers will at some point have to face that and then decide how to live (I wish I could have seen Mr. Williams' face when he discovered that he was just being used) and the go-alongs can be shown another way. So it isn't a permament philosophy unless the individual makes an active committment to do so, ironically taking more mental effort to agree and tow the line than if that person just thought for themself in the first place.

And it can work well enough for the first generation, but as the second generation takes the reigns everyone has forgotton how to think for oneself and become more and more reliant upon those who become less and less knowledgable either grown in a classroom lab or nominated by family prestiege. And that creates the ruling class, elitist class, which when it comes down to it just does not give a hoot about the polis so long as they stay in line.

And when the incompetence of that class shows, the ruling class has a couple of options - buy them off or purge and that depends on the culture and history of said polis.

At least that is what I have learned and unlearned.

Posted by swksvolFF 2010-10-29 13:08|| 2010-10-29 13:08|| Front Page Top

#7 Sounds like a gene for conformism to me.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-10-29 13:34|| 2010-10-29 13:34|| Front Page Top

#8 The ROOT CAUSE for the tragedy of Recto-Cranial Inversion Syndrome...

Posted by mojo 2010-10-29 14:38|| 2010-10-29 14:38|| Front Page Top

#9 The title for this article is unfortunate. Describing liberalism as a disorder rather than a morally repugnant affectation gives liberals yet another excuse to hide from the consequences of their misguided philosophy.

The study, like most of these things that hit the popular press, is about correlation not causation and is probably wrong. Even if it turns out to have some merit, it would only mean that some people would have a harder time overcoming liberalism because of their unfortunate circumstance.

Posted by rammer 2010-10-29 17:15|| 2010-10-29 17:15|| Front Page Top

#10 So, what explains it when a college liberal graduates and has to pay all those taxes he/she/it once agitated for, and goes conservative?

Don't know of any genetic disorder that resolves itself that way....

Posted by Swamp Blondie 2010-10-29 17:30|| 2010-10-29 17:30|| Front Page Top

#11 Exactly rammer. Just because a person is tall does not automatically mean that person will be good at basketball. Frank is not bringing up anything new; the ruling/elitists (who do not necessarily have to have money) will look and see that they have teh mutant x gene. Many a glorious purge has been based on the genetics or stock of a group being superior.

It is a cultural/spiritual question. It is why the smarties are always having to explain or justify their actions; the concept of the uber man. Are some people smarter than others sure, and stronger, and faster, so forth that is human nature, even twins are different on account of environment. The thing is that the flag thinkers of liberalism say that is reason enough to be a ruler by whatever name. The bobbleheads feel superior as well comfortable that they are smart enough to recognize the billiance of their ruler therefor making them smarter than those who do not recognize the authority. In reality that person has already lost their free will by voluntarily surrendering their critical thinking.

And these uber men by any means necessary must remain infallable. If that is tarnished the facade falls loose and the uber man bleeds like Joe Mortal. That is when it gets interesting and when the proponants of liberalism are most likely to break ranks and learn that by following the uber man does not make themselves elevated to the position of vice-uber but gave up their individuality and free will to match the current conformist demands of said ruling class, that they voluntarily found themself the lowest common denomenator. That instead of following Socrates they were following The Pink Panther and would have right off the damn cliff whistling official tunes all the way down.

Posted by swksvolFF 2010-10-29 18:06|| 2010-10-29 18:06|| Front Page Top

#12 Hello All in burgerland.
I don't like this study and why now we hear about it- then from of all places Harvard and at UCSD. The brain maps information in the left and right and processes information in the central portion. Some are more left or more right and more equal in working the information. Right side is how you feel about things the left is the logic of things. Example: lose hearing in one ear and you can't locate sound direction. Lose sight in one eye you don't have depth perception. Born with one ear working or one eye you can locate sound and have depth perception. The brain maps input and can be modified as programed in varying degrees. Sounds to me like someone wants grant money. A right dominate brain will act with emotion. That is why they can be manipulated,for example cool aid drinkers.

Posted by Dale 2010-10-29 18:55|| 2010-10-29 18:55|| Front Page Top

#13 A schematic of the effects of the gene on the liberal's brain

Posted by tipper 2010-10-29 19:40|| 2010-10-29 19:40|| Front Page Top

#14 On the subject of liberalism, it's always good to re-read Tom Wolfe's
IN THE LAND OF THE ROCOCO MARXISTS

Posted by tipper 2010-10-29 19:54|| 2010-10-29 19:54|| Front Page Top

22:31 anonymous2u
22:28 Frank G
22:25 JosephMendiola
22:14 JosephMendiola
22:06 JosephMendiola
22:01 JosephMendiola
21:57 JosephMendiola
21:54 JosephMendiola
21:52 JosephMendiola
21:51 Anguper Hupomosing9418
21:45 swksvolFF
21:35 JosephMendiola
21:27 Nimble Spemble
21:13 JosephMendiola
21:08 OldSpook
21:05 Barbara Skolaut
20:29 Martini
20:18 Alan Cramer
20:07 Rambler in Virginia
19:54 tipper
19:48 Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division
19:40 tipper
19:21 tu3031
19:20 JosephMendiola