Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?

[mjr]

I actually found this video quite interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9txz6_61QnI

Honestly, it should say "slightly happier", because it's only a "half point" difference, but I still found this interesting.

[Greenday]

From that video "Because they (Republicans) think there's an equality in opportunity".

So basically, the Republicans are happy with the status quo that benefits themselves (a.k.a. Republicans tend to be of the demographics not being discriminated against).

[mjr]

That would be true if mostly Democrats were discriminated against.

[s_stabeler]

except that's a non-sequitur. It's not that democrats are necessarily discriminated against themselves, it's that they aren't happy the discrimination exists. On the other hand, Republicans don't tend to be as bothered by the existence of discrimination- in that they tend to see other things as higher priorities.

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

You can add to that, once you get into the "discrimination exists and is something you have to deal with" concept, you get double unhappiness if you're a liberal primarily because there is disagreement about (by and large) what forms are ok if any.

White Dude's(tm) for example may have a huge issue with the current iteration because they came to the fight from an "equality first" mindset which doesn't really fly with what are now more ethno/sex-centric orientations b/c for starters they're not in those ethnicities, they look like the problem, and many of the arguments they used to fight with other white dudes are in fact undercut by their allies which often are ethnic or sex essential.

But it's really not just them - the issue is as you start peeling that onion it's an incredibly complex issue where (if you're honest) a large majority are transparently looking out for themselves (not a problem and expected) but blind to what they inflict on others (the problem). So once you start looking into it, happiness is harder to come by - you realize areas where you were the problem and where others are blind to their contribution to the problem and it's just not a recipe for happiness. And when you see allies obstinately ignoring groups of people, it's irritating.

There's also some other contributions there - conservatives more often than liberals are prone to the "just world fallacy" which is fairly apparent in their attitudes towards welfare, taxation schemes, supply-side bias, which frankly makes it a lot easier to go "nothing's wrong here, go back to your business."

But that's my two cents on it. I have my feet in both worlds and this is just what I see first person (and even from myself at times.)

[mjr]

D_Yeti, I think you're leaving out the important (although possibly implied) fact that everyone discriminates.

It's just a matter at what level and what type. Anyone who says that they don't discriminate is simply lying to themselves. Period.