We don't need a scientific study for this; just watch FOX for five minutes, or count the misspelled racist signs at Teabagger demonstrations; or read the Daily Caller or a Ron Paul newsletter, for that matter ... But
here 'tis:
There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.
The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.
No wonder these people are anti-science — it's like a primitive defense mechanism that rejects any complexity that rocks their simple world; like evolution and global warming:
[T]here is reason to believe that strict right-wing ideology might appeal to those who have trouble grasping the complexity of the world.
"Socially conservative ideologies tend to offer structure and order," Hodson said, explaining why these beliefs might draw those with low intelligence. "Unfortunately, many of these features can also contribute to prejudice."
Okay, I understand these people need help, but why do we allow them to run the show and set policy? Because they're armed and dangerous?
of you have sat, and perhaps thought, with us!
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