Everybody Knows That Democrats Stand For Liberty!
How often have we heard that white people vote republican- conservative? What exactly is with those guys, why would people vote for backwards, religious people who want to keep women, minorities and anyone else who does not look like or act like them? Jonathan Haidt in his blog post, What Makes People Vote Republican? Demonstrates on various levels why a certain demographic vote for conservative ideas and politicians. Haidt does focus on the religious right, he does not seem to spend a lot of time using reason and Enlighenment ideals to support his claims as they would not fit. Haidt does though claim that the Republican ideals are more black and white or more cut and died, hence easier for people to digest, hence easier to understand and identify with, hence more Republican voters. He asserts that Democrats use a vastly more complex model to describe the problems as well as the solutions that are involved in modern society.
Haidt in his Essay-Blog uses many devices to explain the gap between Democrats and Republicans; one of thes devices is the simple way in which Haidt posits that Republicans view morality. He again asserts that Democrats have a much broader view of what is moral and more open view of what is ethically correct. Interestingly, the way he describes the Democratic view of Republicans is: narrow minded, racist and dumb. Which is a little confusing as in the same paragraph and the previous Haidt is almost gushing on how much more intellectual and open minded the Democrats are.
Interestingly Haidt, a psychologist undertook his own research immersing himself in India to study and help learn how conservatives think, act and live. This is akin to the field Research a sociologist would perform, gathering primary data to support his findings. In his trip to India, Haidt began to have a much deeper understanding of a conservative society, although only after his initial culture shock had subsided. Haidt from his findings tried to find a redefine the emphasis of morality, on what morality does not on what morality values. Haidt then had come to he conclusion that he might have a better way:
“Here’s my alternative definition: morality is any system of interlocking values, practices, institutions, and psychological mechanisms that work together to suppress or regulate selfishness and make social life possible” (Haidt Blog).
This view that Haidt takes is basically communism or socialism. I do not think that, as educated as he may be, has occurred to him. Marx and Engles had figured this out over 150 years ago, but resulting from a different formulation. Nevertheless it is Haidt has made it clear that he is at least on some level a conflict theorist. Believing that we use our morals and values to oppress others for the benefit of our selfishness. Haidt does go further to describe other mechanisms, which seem to pervade the group dynamics of those with conservative beliefs and the reason that Democrats seem to be scaring away potential voters as a result of their well meaning but ill advised behavior of not recognizing the importance of the collective of ideal the conservatives hold dear.
My Opinion on Haidt’s Essay-Blog:
This was a lengthy blog and it is fairly clear that Haidt view society through a conflict theorist lens. His arguments are well developed but are missing much of what consists of conservative ideals and values despite the research that he has carried out. What Haidt does not take in to account is the track record of the two systems of ideals that is being compared, whilst denigrating conservative views as simple and without complexity. Personally I believe his arguments trying to persuade a conservative thinker into a Democrat frame of mind is just as condescending as he makes the Republicans out to be in the beginning of his blog post. I would definitely not dissuade people from reading this article however, it is not something I would recommend to someone trying to discern why people vote Republican as most of the arguments are not convincing either way. I would give this post a good score of trustworthiness, but it is largely written out of conjecture and the arguments that he poses on to support conservative thinking are facile.
Works Cited:
Haidt, Jonathan. “What Makes People Vote Republican?” HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? | Edge.org, 10 Aug. 2018, http://www.edge.org/conversation/jonathan_haidt-what-makes-people-vote-republican.
Breakdown - Socio-Political Commentary 