Beware of Gross Simplifications
by quill Wednesday, Dec 29 2010, 7:24pm
international /
social/political /
commentary
Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain
It could easily be said that biological simplifications are ultra-conservative world views; we all remember the Nazi 'master race' and the, ‘them or us’ simplification of dubya Bush, “you’re either with us or you're with the terrorists!” Banal and simplistic statements/logic are indeed the hallmark of CONSERVATISM. It would seem that the brain function -- or rather lack thereof -- associated with the fear response relates directly to LOW LEVELS of INTELLIGENCE rather than physiology, and as our readership is well aware, knowledge dramatically reduces FEAR; put simply, we are afraid of what we do not know -- IGNORANCE in other words, as stated many times on this site, is the ‘MOTHER OF FEAR.’
From the above we easily deduce that ideological determinates relate more to the environmental and SOCIAL rather than biological – and please, I am not a behaviourist, I am simply opening to wider scrutiny what ruling minorities and their ideological apparatuses (Corporations) would not have us view.
We are aware that men have various sized penises, and women’s breasts vary in shape and size, would anyone care to argue a biological behavioural disposition – unrelated to social factors -- as a result, I think not?
The ultra-right (conservatives) have always used biological/genetic arguments to ‘sell’ impose their perverse, authoritarian, philosophy. It usually ends in elite master race (Zionist and Nazi) arguments and genocide, remember? Refer to 20th century history and Deuteronomy to refresh your minds.
If we take the trouble to ALWAYS ask who FUNDS these clearly fascist researches, we find the CORPORATE SECTOR every time. Another question before I post the story for your perusal; which sector or group is primarily responsible for hijacking our democracies and instigating all the WARS of PLUNDER, and ACQUISITION raging in the world today? You guessed it, the CORPORATE! Should we also ask how many MILLION INNOCENT CIVILIANS have been killed in Corporate instigated wars in the past few decades? Better not, might be a bit too confronting for fear-ridden American dreamboats and Denialists.
Following very sound logic we are easily able to determine that the most fear-ridden western nation in the world today is AMERICA, but why? [The answer does not relate to brain physiology or dick size!] We are also aware that the American masses are extremely under educated -- high profile morons like Sarah Palin and George W Bush are products of their exclusive, user-pays system. The solution is simple, FREE or government subsidised EDUCATION should be a right not a privilege in any enlightened social democracy.
From Raw Story:
by Daniel TencerCopyright applies to inserted text.
Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one's opinions -- freedom of conscience -- is considered sacrosanct.
But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives' brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other "primitive" emotions. At the same time, conservatives' brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate -- the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
"It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes," Geraint Rees, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the media.
Rees, who heads up UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, was originally asked half-jokingly to study the differences between liberal and conservative brains for an episode of BBC 4's Today show that was hosted by actor Colin Firth. But, after studying 90 UCL students and two British parliamentarians, the neurologist was shocked to discover a clear correlation between the size of certain brain parts and political views.
He cautions that, because the study was carried out only on adults, there is no way to tell what came first -- the brain differences or the political opinions.
But evidence is beginning to accumulate that figuring out a person's political proclivities may soon be as simple as a brain scan -- or a DNA test.
In a study published in October, researchers at Harvard and UC-San Diego found that a variant of the DRD4 gene predisposes people to being liberal, but only if they had active social lives as adolescents. The "liberal gene" has also been linked to a desire to try new things, and other "personality traits related to political liberalism."
For his part, actor Colin Firth, who hosted the BBC show that revealed the results of the brain scans, has said he wants to see brain scans on politicians to find out if they are telling the truth about what they believe.
Questioning the "liberal" credentials of the head of Britain's Liberal Democratic party, Nick Clegg, Firth said: "I think we should have him scanned."