Sorting Us All Out

IT IS OBSERVABLE, and has been observed by many, that extreme political conservatism and extreme religious devotion go together. People who are devoutly religious generally tend to be far to the right, politically. Such people embrace tradition, which is manifested in ancient, widespread, long standing religions, and long standing political institutions and beliefs, the hallmark of conservatism. Research shows that the actual brain structures of liberals and conservatives are different, and that the two political types can be identified by preferences and behavior ranging far beyond mere political policy issues. Liberals tend to embrace innovation experimentation, and change, conservatives prefer tradition. Liberals flock together in cities; conservative live in suburbs, small towns, and rural areas. Liberalism and conservatism are styles of thought, and life. The two types can be sorted according to what cars they drive, the houses they live in, and the clothing they wear. This has all been confirmed by extensive surveys and scientific analysis. Other patterns emerge. Conservatives are more attuned to threats and danger. They tend to see they tend as a dangerous place, while liberals tend to view the world as full of mystery and beauty. imaging of the human brain reveals more. People who are extremely religious and extremely conservative have abnormal structures in the cerebral cortex, brain damage. This brain damage impels such people to reject creative thinking in favor of received knowledge from authority figures, and to reject exploration in favor of rigid dogma. Liberals and conservatives think fundamentally differently. The extensive research and its results regarding this topic are widely disseminated, comprehensively verified, and easy to access. Conservatives, in large numbers, refuse to acknowledge climate change, evolution by natural selection, and many of the discoveries of modern science. President Trump not long ago said "they say that windmills cause cancer". At least one Republican politician, a conservative, announced that sea level rise is caused by too many rocks being thrown into the oceans of the world. Another conservative politician claims that windmills slow the wind down, and therefor cause global warming. People who say such ridiculous things are either trying to get a laugh, defend an indefensible political agenda, or suffer from brain damage. Nearly all the violent mass murder terrorism in the United states is inflicted on society by people who harbor these sort of beliefs. Nearly all the incredible conspiracy theories, including the theory that something called 'the deep state' is attempting to overthrow Trump, that the world economic system is controlled by a small elite group of elite, secretive oligarchs, and that the Mueller investigation was a deliberate attempt to oust President Trump in a coup d'etat, organized and orchestrated by the "deep state' (Which does not exist), emerge from the ultra conservative, ultra religious segment of society. When communicating with people who hold such beliefs, one should take into consideration that people who have brain damage cannot be blamed for their illness, and must, if possible, be treated with humane compassion, difficult though that often is when listening to them.