Quote of the day
posted at 10:40 pm on May 5, 2008 by Allahpundit
“Half of the difference between conservatives and liberals is demographic. It has to do with religion and marriage, which is more frequent among conservatives. The real question is why is the other half unexplained? Conservatives have a different orientation. Conservatives think there is a lot of opportunity in America. A lot of liberals feel this way, too, but conservatives overwhelmingly believe if you go around and work hard and persevere, you’re going to get ahead, as opposed to you are a victim of circumstance or oppression and you are screwed in life. Again, that might be right, but it’s not happy.”
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
I was happy until I turned 50. Now I’m damed ecstatic.
leftnomore on May 5, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Well, gosh. I’m conservative and I’m certainly not gay….not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I know…lame.
malan89 on May 5, 2008 at 10:44 PM
FOTFLMAO!
Principles?
rockdalian on May 5, 2008 at 10:50 PM
The mag’s orientation revealed!
P.S. I’m jolly.
jgapinoy on May 5, 2008 at 10:51 PM
I’m pissed off cuz noone’s as happy as me
windansea on May 5, 2008 at 10:57 PM
For my money, our side has way more fabulous babes. THAT makes me smile.Daily.
bbz123 on May 5, 2008 at 10:58 PM
The article by Bret Schulte strikes me as mostly shallow psychobabble drivel.
MB4 on May 5, 2008 at 10:58 PM
They rely on government to make them happy….. disappointed every time……
Seven Percent Solution on May 5, 2008 at 11:00 PM
So you cant be happy unless your oppressed and upset about others keeping you down ?
So being disfunctional is functional ?
And who says Liberals dont stand logic on its head !
William Amos on May 5, 2008 at 11:00 PM
LOL…
Starts to sing…
I am the very model of a Modern Major Liberal
I think that things are horrible and that its all political..
Romeo13 on May 5, 2008 at 11:00 PM
And they (liberals) wonder why we are overall more happy (even polls took on this topic).
A scene from Malcom X says it best: “Has what you’ve been doing made your life any better?” Or something like that.
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:04 PM
Sorry, American History X.
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:05 PM
That’s some painful data.
deesine on May 5, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Many lefties are unhappy because they live locked up in a fantasy land of their own making. Their fantasy has no relationship to reality so no matter how hard they try they fail at everything because of their fantasy. They quit trying and blame those who live in reality and succeed for their failure.
allrsn on May 5, 2008 at 11:10 PM
whats your reasoning behind that? I thought he was dead-on.
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Interesting look. it is hard to solve any problem when your “fantasy” refuses to address the real causes. perhaps that is why liberal solutions seldom succeed, and when they do, it is only short lived with other problems caused by that solution popping up.
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:15 PM
Liberals are unhappy because they CHOOSE to be unhappy. That is part of what makes them a liberal. It is who they are. Rosie O’Donnell is a splendid example. Do people GET any unhappier than THAT?
My collie says:
Okay, I’m all for whatever makes you happy, pooch.
CyberCipher on May 5, 2008 at 11:17 PM
Get the monkey off your back and fly!
atxcowgirl on May 5, 2008 at 11:18 PM
With respect……. can you name one for me?
Seven Percent Solution on May 5, 2008 at 11:18 PM
So we’re happier, while at the same time being bitter and clinging to guns, religion, etc.? Wow, this is getting confusing. But even if all of that was (hypothetically) true, it would still require less cognitive dissonance than being a liberal.
ReubenJCogburn on May 5, 2008 at 11:19 PM
I’m a happy conservative christian who is bitterly clinging to my bible and gun!
Vntnrse on May 5, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Wait, what? But, but….so now we aren’t bitter anymore?
surrounded on May 5, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Anything environmental or “conservation” driven. Say hello to our soaring fuel and food prices, a result of their policies not allowing us to use our own resources. But it did succeed in helping the Caribou, so i guess that makes it all worth it. :-P
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:23 PM
lol.
People who drink seriously are usually dramatically happier too. At least until they sober up.
MB4 on May 5, 2008 at 11:24 PM
When I was in my late teens and full of leftist ideology, I was miserably depressed. Especially during the first Gulf War, which I thought was just horribly wrong at the time.
My viewpoints are far different now, and the understanding that I’m responsible for my own happiness and welfare has made me, well, pretty happy.
Iron_Chef on May 5, 2008 at 11:25 PM
Quit clinging to your happiness and become an oppressed minority, dammit!
lorien1973 on May 5, 2008 at 11:25 PM
We’re happier because we get to watch them make asses of themselves regularly. There isn’t much funnier than a liberal who is bummed out because his or her solution to some major problem turned out worse than the problem.
Buford Gooch on May 5, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Bingo.
CyberCipher on May 5, 2008 at 11:31 PM
I must admit, once i stopped being jealous of rich people and hating them because i was poor, and stopped whining and playing “victim” everytime something did not go my way or because i had to study or work harder/longer to get good grades or a promotion/raise, success became easy for me. But then people started calling me a brown noser, suck-up, teacher’s pet, etc.
Its like smoking. You never know how much you really smelled until after you quit and later notice the odor of other smokers (no offense to smokers). I never noticed how negative and naive liberals were until i converted myself and saw them from another perspective.
El Guapo on May 5, 2008 at 11:32 PM
Okay I think I might have the answer,if you were married to
a Hillary,Jane Fonda,Mrs.Heinz etc,and your a Liberal male,
you probably are unhappy because their B!tches!Jus sayin!
Oh wait a tick,the Liberal males probably don’t know that
they have been P—y Whipped!
Now if your a single Liberal and your unhappy,its probably
because that Liberal gal has you jumping hoops and doing
the Kabuki dance at her amusement!
canopfor on May 5, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Why are liberals so unhappy?
Simply put, while conservatives believe that through grit and determination they can get ahead, liberals know in their heart of hearts that they…
… will never be master of their own domain.
Scribbler on May 5, 2008 at 11:42 PM
I love his reference to the Democratic Party as “a coalition of the oppressed”. Has Dennis the Peasant written all over it.
thirtypundit on May 5, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Why are liberals unhappy? Most of them seem to think that human progress comes through government programs. Now take a look at how well government programs work and you will understand their distress.
Buford on May 5, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Here is why I’m so happy.
jgapinoy on May 5, 2008 at 11:56 PM
My son, the Marine, spent the weekend visiting us. We watched the Angels beat the Orioles from right in front of first base. He wore his Dress Blues to church. The whole family fell apart into teary laughter a few times. We prayed for our recently departed great aunt, who had Downs’ Syndrome but who lived for some 30 years beyond what anyone expected. He wrestled with his little brother, and teased his littlest sister until she was rolling on the floor giggling and barely able to breathe. He went back last night to willingly put himself in the most danger he will ever encounter.
What, exactly, is there to be unhappy about?
a4g on May 6, 2008 at 12:21 AM
They cared when Carter was Pres. and they’ll start caring again if the HillBill or SnObama make it the Oval office, they might even start if McJaun does.
Speakup on May 6, 2008 at 12:35 AM
The fact that liberals are unhappy is all George W. Bush’s fault…everything else is his fault why not this???
HawaiiLwyr on May 6, 2008 at 12:46 AM
Sympathizing with the imagined problems of the world (global
warming’sclimate change; drowning polar bears, etc.) and of others is endlessly depressing.Knowing that such problems are likely to be intractable is the black crepe around this self-appointed millstone.
The infinitely-concerned and paradoxically thin-skinned “extreme leftist” will always have a new problem to concern themselves with, so their possibility of happiness is an always-receding rainbow.
The “conservative” knows that people are often buggers, but you have to do the best you can of the material at hand, and cut the fantasies of utopia, and just built the damned adequate shelters that’ll keep people dry and alive.
The perfect-being-the-enemy-of-the-good is the curse of the “liberal” mindset.
The aw-hell-that’s-decent-enough, and break-out-the-beer-and-who-has-a-dobro-guitar? is the recuperation of the “conservative”.
To try to be practical in solving what actually exists keeps you from getting overwhelmed with an avalanche of dwarf owls and race horses and rice prices and carbon feetprint, and allows a sense of irony and humorous relaxation.
The always-defensive-because-they-are-always-crusading-for-Absolute Justice mentality will be constantly marching toward an Elusive Possibility and overlooking all the Luscious Actuality lying all around them.
The Endless Revolution is corrosive. And a drag.
You end up like Rachel Corrie or Rosie O’Donnell.
Screaming or sputtering inanities into the grave.
profitsbeard on May 6, 2008 at 12:58 AM
Liberals think that acknowledging how horrible things are makes them good people. They think that feeling bad makes them good.
Look in the comments on the article. The liberal is miserable because vets are committing suicide. Conservatives are upset when a vet commits suicide too, but this liberal commenter has internalized the issue. He has made it about himself and how bad he feels, rather than about the vets. He then has gone on to use that to make a point.
He feels bad for the vets and that makes him a thoughtful and good person. And since feeling bad makes the liberal feel like a good person they are going to look for the bad in everything.
A conservative, on the other hand, would feel just as bad but wouldn’t internalize the problem. The liberal would see this as hard-hearted and insensitive. Meanwhile, the conservative (since he doesn’t spend his day thinking about himself), would go and fix the problem; and, since his focus is not on himself, but on the problem at hand, would fix it in a way that actually takes care of things, instead of just making himself feel better.
29Victor on May 6, 2008 at 1:08 AM
I’d probably be happy if I representation with my taxation.
WisCon on May 6, 2008 at 1:23 AM
They – idealistic, Utopian, hypocritical, jealous, bitter, elitist, snobbish, multi-culti, philosophical, PC, ‘equality’, ‘progressive’, clueless about real living in Marxism, dreamers. Give others the fish. Get into everyone’s business. Regulate.
Us – no matter what, get our ars out of bed, and do something. Enjoy the fruit of your labor. Share, if you can. Help the really needy. Teach others how to fish. Be left alone, and leave others be.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 2:06 AM
What I find so great about Christianity is that it frees one up to think about other things. Not only that, but like Thomas Jefferson, who thought Jesus Christ was the world’s greatest philosopher, even if you don’t believe in his divinity, could you pick a better role model?
Connie on May 6, 2008 at 2:18 AM
Follow your bliss
Kini on May 6, 2008 at 2:27 AM
Very few things were discovered or invented by satisfied (happy) people.
Murphy9 on May 6, 2008 at 3:36 AM
:-) Dennis :-)
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 4:46 AM
It has to do with one word I didn’t read in that article:
Hope: There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
True believers in God, do not succumb to unfortunate circumstances, rather, they rebound, move on and fight back their road to success.
Indy Conservative on May 6, 2008 at 5:03 AM
You assume satisfied=happy.
But being happy doesn’t imply being satisfied. Very often, the pursuit of a worthwhile goal increases your level of happiness. Our founders were very wise when they wrote:
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
By the way, if you haven’t seen the move “The Pursuit of Happyness”, go rent it. It’s totally relevant to the topic of this post.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 5:05 AM
leftnomore on May 5, 2008
You think 50′s fun? Wait’ll you hit 60! I’m having the time of my life!
oldleprechaun on May 6, 2008 at 5:15 AM
True. In addition, if someone else put you in a hole, you need their permission and their assistance to get out of it. If, on the other hand, you realize that your own actions have put you in a hole, you can change your actions and get yourself out of the hole.
The first thought process is mental slavery. The second thought process is mental freedom.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 5:16 AM
Getting drunk != being happy
Sadly, getting drunk frequently is a sign of a very UNhappy person. And when they sober up, they are more unhappy than when they started. There is a hole in your heart that only God can fill, and trying to use alcohol to fill that hole will only make you more miserable.
Selah.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 5:26 AM
I’m still bitter and trying to get a gun permit (oh, and find a religion that isn’t head up by a dufus.
Lonetown on May 6, 2008 at 5:28 AM
We have somewhat similar stories. I was born and raised in a blue state Democrat family.
I am much happier now, but they are still as miserable as ever.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 5:36 AM
Bless your son and your family.
The study attributes half the differences to demographics, such as marriage and religion. But these demographics don’t fall from the sky–they are a reflection of the values held by those individuals. To simply call them “demographics”–a category that also includes race, sex, and age–is to treat them as though they are less a choice than a hopeful orientation. This is a rhetorical sleight-of-hand which downplays the fact that happiness is both a choice and a result of our choices.
DrMagnolias on May 6, 2008 at 6:01 AM
Guns, don’t forget the guns.
davidk on May 6, 2008 at 7:36 AM
Excellent.
davidk on May 6, 2008 at 7:37 AM
What he said.
Farmer_Joe on May 6, 2008 at 7:48 AM
It would only be guilt which would cause someone to take other peoples problems and promote government control as a way to salve some imagined ‘wrongs’ which caused those problems.
I think conservatives are happy because we realize that negative consequences are what makes progress possible, both at a personal and societal level. Until something happens to shake you out of your apathy you have little reason to better the world or yourself. Of course profits also make those advances possible, too bad leftists don’t realize this…
DavidM on May 6, 2008 at 8:29 AM
You have a remarkable perspective.
Esthier on May 6, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Mindset. Each person is either an individual, or Borg.
The latter have no hope.
OldEnglish on May 6, 2008 at 9:59 AM
I thought the article was wonderful. I thought the poster who went on about the school/halfway house situation. Hmm, just think, if the parents of these kids were more responsible, happy adults, maybe their kids would not be in an institutional situation. Maybe the parents would then be responsible for their own kids!
Remind me to never move to San Fran where 35+ kids in every classroom are all drugged up.
The Food Banks? Just think, if all the libs would take one item, the banks would be ready to feed the masses for a year. Their possible response: “Oh, but, that is not convenient for me to do right now. Isn’t that the government’s job?”.
chrisknits on May 6, 2008 at 10:06 AM
The most fundamental divide is that conservatives believe man is basically good and should be allowed to be free to pursue his/her good, while liberals believe man is basically bad, and needs government intrusion and support to keep him from becoming worse.
The litmus test? Ask a Dem what’s more important: liberty, or equality. They’ll say “both,” and you’ll say it’s impossible to have both, choose one. If they choose liberty, they’re more conservative than they think they are.
John the Libertarian on May 6, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Sweet! Thank you!
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 12:42 PM