Some recent studies have suggested that Republicans have lower IQs than their Democratic counterparts. Another study even likened being Republican to being drunk. These have always made me scratch my head, because the Republican platform is the one of self-sufficiency. We believe that anyone can do anything, and that the safety net of welfare should never become a hammock. Plus we freed the slaves, led the civil rights movement, and demanded equal voting rights for women.
Studies may show Republicans as stupid or drunk, but gosh darn it; history shows that we’re the more open-minded party. Now several surveys have backed this thought up. Not only that, but those of us on the right side of the aisle “know more about politics and political history than Democrats.”
More from The Stir: 50 Dumb Liberal Quotes
Winston Churchill famously said, “If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” As a lifelong conservative, I’ve always countered that quote with, “I guess I got my brain early.”
According to a Pew research study titled Partisan Differences in Knowledge:
GOP-sympathizers are better informed, more intellectually consistent, more open-minded, more empathetic and more receptive to criticism than their fellow Americans who support the Democratic Party.
Democrats are more likely to disengage with people they disagree with, as a much higher percentage of them will block members of the opposite party on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter than Republicans.
More from The Stir: Top 50 Dumbest Conservative Quotes
Side note: I was personally blocked by Keith Olbermann on Twitter last year for calling him out on his tasteless, classless comments about how conservative commentator S.E. Cupp’s mother should’ve taken advantage of Planned Parenthood.
The idea that conservatives are more open-minded and better aware of history makes sense. Most humans try to be decent people; we do our best to live moral lives, and help those in need when we can. Liberals want to believe that the government can take care of us -- that Uncle Sam has our back. Conservatives take a look at history and learn that socialism never, ever works.
Conservatives look beyond the concept of the government helping people, and understand that the government can’t give something to someone without taking it away from someone else first. Who is the government to decide who is deserving of the earnings of another person? Let communities help each other. Americans are generous people, and I’ve never heard of one truly sad case that people didn’t rally around. Just because I don’t want to pay your health insurance so you can afford an iphone doesn’t mean that I want to deny anyone access to health care.
More from The Stir: 8 Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives
Conservatives don’t believe in a cradle-to-grave society because we believe that people are capable living their own lives and making their own decisions. We don’t believe that people need special treatment because of race or gender or sexual orientation. Conservatives take the premise of caring and flesh it out, noting what works and what doesn’t, and moving forward from there.
I guess we’re just more open-minded.
Image via DonkeyHotey/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 77
Are you serious?
This is seriously a joke right?
So where is your open-minded mentality when if it doesn't go with the conservative stance then the next step it make it illegal for everyone! Yea that sure sounds like being open-minded to me. I guess conservatives are only-minded when it's something they agree with.
Yes, she is serious. I have seen liberals behave in ways that make me cringe. Before everyone jumps on me, I am a liberal. But I do not see why being a liberal has to mean that I should abandon common courtesy. I would not withdraw from someone just because they have different political views than I do, that would mean I would lose out on what they might have to teach me. If we could not discuss politics civilly, I would hope that we could agree to leave politics out of discussion topics and talk of other things. But I think name-calling and other juvenile antics are out of place for both conservatives and liberals. I genuinely believe that everyone has a right to their opinion, and if you don't like it, you don't have to listen. Therefore, I am one of the liberals who think that Mr. Limbaugh, for instance, should not be forcibly removed from the radio for his comments. I think that if enough people decide that they do not wish to listen to him, the ratings would go down and then he would lose the radio spots. She is serious, but I believe she is wrong. I'm entitled to my opinion, too.
"As a lifelong conservative, I’ve always countered that quote with, 'I guess I got my brain early.' Or maybe you just never got your heart...