Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

[Brother_Bliss]

By Stephanie Pappas | LiveScience.com – Thu, Jan 26, 2012

There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.

The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.

Read More: Yahoo News / Live Science

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What I though was interesting was this quote later on in the article...

"I think that lower cognitive capacity can lead to multiple simple ways to represent the world, and one of those can be embodied in a right-wing ideology where 'People I don't know are threats' and 'The world is a dangerous place'. ... Another simple way would be to just assume everybody is wonderful."

Is it just me, or is this a thinly veiled attempt to make it look like religious people of any variety (even ones as educated as us) are just stupid people?

[angel91604]

thx for this one. However,careful with those internet studies. Some are really flawed. I have been thought to discriminate good studies and bad ones. You should also!!!!

[angel91604]

one flaw i found in this study is this statement: "People who were poorer at abstract reasoning were more likely to exhibit prejudice against gays."

Are they saying that all those centuries of homophobia was because we were dumb. It is flawed. It makes no sense. Many variables were not taken into account. Just a 2 cents study !!!!!! Careful with those!!!!!

[Sheppherd]

Yeah, this is just another example of the long march towards breaking down the religious system. When I seen the title of the thread this is the first thing I thought of.

[Brother_Bliss]

one flaw i found in this study is this statement: "People who were poorer at abstract reasoning were more likely to exhibit prejudice against gays."

Are they saying that all those centuries of homophobia was because we were dumb. It is flawed. It makes no sense. Many variables were not taken into account. Just a 2 cents study !!!!!! Careful with those!!!!!

Apparently "abstract reasoning" is the equivalent of open-mindedness.

A guy can be as gay as he wants to be - I'll still study the Bible with him. But if he wants to be want of Jehovah's Witnesses, he must abandon the lifestyle. It's not prejudice, it's called a standard.

[sianrose]

You would think then... that universities and schools of higher learning would be a lovely resting place...but from..some of the many examples I found...it appears that it is not...

Black students say they feel left out by 'white cliques' at universities

Bias against foreign-sounding names can cost marks, warns NUS, which wants coursework to be submitted anonymously

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/22/black-students-feel-left-out

Homophobic bullies have not gone away

Stonewall's own research shows that homophobic bullying is rife in schools (nine in 10 teachers say their pupils currently experience homophobic bullying and 65% of pupils report experiencing direct homophobic bullying), and research by the Equality Challenge Unit finds that 49.5% of students in higher education have been treated in a negative way because of their sexual orientation.

Homophobic bullying doesn't just stop at university. Stonewall's own University Guide shows that many universities still don't do enough to tackle homophobia on their campuses.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/07/homophobic-bullying-higher-education

[MlleJulie]

You would think then... that universities and schools of higher learning would be a lovely resting place...but from..some of the many examples I found...it appears that it is not...

This prejudice also transfers to and among students and professors. I have known professors and students to keep their religious and political beliefs secretive if it does not fall in line with the status quo. Like the originally referenced article alludes to, if one were to differ from standard opinion they would be ostracized by their peers as less intelligent. It is such a paradox to think that institutions of higher learning that supposedly encourage abstract thinking are the very ones that snuff it.

[Brother_Bliss]

Welcome Julie! Your first post ---->

This prejudice also transfers to and among students and professors. I have known professors and students to keep their religious and political beliefs secretive if it does not fall in line with the status quo. Like the originally referenced article alludes to, if one were to differ from standard opinion they would be ostracized by their peers as less intelligent. It is such a paradox to think that institutions of higher learning that supposedly encourage abstract thinking are the very ones that snuff it.

Your comment made me think of Ben Stein's Expelled - a fantastic documentary on how those who support the possibility of Intelligent Design are often fired or forced to resign from the institutions where they work. I can recommend this video with a good conscience to anyone.

[angel91604]

i heard of that documentary also because from time to time i visit the website Discovery. A good documentary indeed. But evolutionists tried to ban it.

[MlleJulie]

Thanks.

And I have not seen that documentary, but it sure piques my interest. It is unfortunate that the actions of scientific agencies and institutions work so diligently to silence their scientists/other professionals, and that belief in intelligent design disqualifies any of their achievements. It conveys the message that belief in creation is not scientific, not intelligent, and definitely not acceptable. This just demonstrates that just because a community may be more educated does not mean they are more open-minded, haha.