If that were true, I doubt he would have bothered to write such a lengthy essay on how miserable liberals truly are.
McGentrix wrote:If that were true, I doubt he would have bothered to write such a lengthy essay on how miserable liberals truly are.
this is why he wrote the essay; and why he's so extremely happy...
Will takes pride in criticizing both sides but making a socio-psychological profile in an obvious generalization is his own uninformed and pathetic opinion in this case.
this is why he wrote the essay; and why he's so extremely happy...
[/quote]
This is why any journalist writes -- to make a living. It often makes their punditry suspect as one can be certain they haven't received money or favors from outside their current employer.
This is a little off topic...but maybe why conservatives think they are happier than liberals. From my husband the nuclear med doc:
A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the
heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named
"Bushcronium."
Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons,
and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.
These 311 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are
surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since Bushcronium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be
detected, as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.
A minute amount of Bushcronium causes one reaction to take over 4 days
to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Bushcronium
has a normal half-life of multiples of 4 years; it does not decay, but
instead undergoes a reorganization in! which a portion of the assistant
neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Bushcronium's
mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will
cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.
This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe
that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in
concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical
Morass."
When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an element
which radiates orders of magnitude, more energy, albeit as incoherent
noise, since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
Bushcronium can spontaneously transmute into Pandemonium.
"nu-cue-lar , it's pronounced nu-cue-lar" -Homer Simpson.
Even the conservative Pollyannas which George Will points are are so very sappy, I mean happy, should laugh their heads off over that one.
Well run through all the posts from admitted liberals in the last few months and even those who won't admit they're liberal but take strong exception to any criticism of liberals, and you find:
1) Sniping/insults/name calling/innuendo/contempt/ridicule/condecension, etc. directed by liberals to conservatives. Incidents of this going the other way are infrequent.
2) Criticism of the current administration and Republicans in Congress to the point that, if justified by the facts, all should be put in front of a firing squad immediately lest the world be destroyed within a week.
3) Condemnation of all timeworn values that prdsent Conservatives hold dear.
4) Contempt for anything tried that hasn't met expectations; contempt for anything tried that has met or exceeded expectations; and contempt for any proposals or ideas for the future while offering few or no alternatives or demanding unacceptable leftwing wacko mandates.
More could be said here but everybody should get my drift from just this.
Now who are normally the most happy:
1) Those who are constantly accusing, complaining, bitching, griping, snarking, whining, or running around crying "the sky is falling", or those who see good along with the bad, who think things can be better, and who see difficulties as opportunities to overcome?
2) Those full of irrational hate and contempt, or those who can criticize the current administration and Congress while being able to see the positive things, and who know better than to throw the baby out with the bathwater?
3) Those who, in the name of freedom, support policies or practices that are harmful or produce unintended negative consequences, or those who share values that strengthen and solidify the community and improve the lives of the people?
4) Those who find something negative in everything or those who are capable of seeing even an imperfect situation as a half full glass with potential to be filled?
It's really quite simply. You can't be both a negative nabob all the time and also be happy. And you can't be appreciative and/or see good, possibilities, potential, and hope most of the time without being happy.
This is why conservatives are usually more happy than liberals IMO.
Sums it up nicely Foxfyre.
Unfortunately, the study doesn't say that conservatives or more happy than liberals, it says Republicans are more likely to be "very happy" than Democrats. When controlling for ideology, that correlation remains. So it appears to have more to do with party affiliation than actual ideology. But hey, don't let facts get in your way.
The facts are, however that conservatives are far more likely to be Republican than they are going to be drawn to the Democrat party these days and liberals are far more likely to register Democrat than Republican. So even though you can find anecdotal evidence of conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, the facts still pretty well bear out the thesis of the thread.
You know what they say about ignorance.
Is that why so many liberals think they're happier?
This thread reminds me of an old Peanuts cartoon, in which one of the boys (I forget whom) lists all the excellent characteristics of his gender: Boys are 92% smarter, 67% more likable, and so on. When one of the girls asks where this info is from, he replies that he made it all up.
And here we have George Will opining (and some others nodding their heads) on why his group is happier than the other group. Too much...
But it's George WILL, D'art! And Rush and Ann and Sean probably all AGREE! Can't you see the undeniable CERTAINTY of it!?!! They're a gay, er, HAPPY bunch!!!!
Good point, snood. Of course, I think some people confuse being smug with happiness...
Foxfyre wrote:The facts are, however that conservatives are far more likely to be Republican than they are going to be drawn to the Democrat party these days and liberals are far more likely to register Democrat than Republican. So even though you can find anecdotal evidence of conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, the facts still pretty well bear out the thesis of the thread.
Except that they specifically controlled for ideology, and found the same partisan gap for the "very happy" response. And they don't report the numbers for "pretty happy", so for all we know, Republicans may just be more enthusiastic about happiness than Democrats. Also, don't forget that the poll shows that Republicans are also "happier" than Independents, who are about as likely to report they are "very happy" as Democrats. Independents traditionally lean right. So what does that mean? Everyone is miserable except Republicans? Very happy people are drawn to the Republican party?
Don't get me wrong, I think it's very interesting. But that's about it.
Well, if happy people are drawn to the Republican Party which is more conservative than it is liberal, this only reinforces the idea that conservatives are happy doesn't it?
It is interesting though, how most of those debating against the concept do so solely by killing the messenger or dismissing the message as irrelevent. (Freeduck excepted from that group, however, as she is offering an intelligent debate.)
