Why are ALTRUISM, COMPASSION and EMPATHY So Frightening to Freepers?

[Stephanie]

Is there any school of psychology that can explain it? Why is it beyond their comprehension that we help others when we can, because we can?

Somewhere I heard this line: A Republican is someone who climbs the ladder, and then pulls it up after him. A Democrat is someone who climbs the ladder, and then reaches down to help the next person up.

What are they afraid of?

[saltpoint]

1. It's because they were never properly potty-trained.

When that happens, you tend to turn out like John Bolton.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

4. Sounds like they were potty-trained 'way too young

I have a cousin - she's nuts - her mother always boasted about how she was toilet-trained by 9 months of age.

It shows. Believe me, when she starts prattling at me about how I'm going to hell because I haven't been accepted JC as my personal lord and saviour, I tell him I will if he'll dress in black leather and high heels.

Oh, and she's also a rabid Republican. Big surprise.

[saltpoint]

9. Hi there, good person.

I think your strategy with your cousin is perfect. A pushy Christian and a Bushy voter. Not a good combo. I'm just now thinking of how many of my neighbors I can NOT tell about what you tell her about JC in black leather and high heels.

But I think you may have a screenplay on your hands!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

12. Hi there, better person

Life doesn't imitate art, my friend.

Life imitates melodrama.

When I wrote my first novel, I settled a shitload of family scores. Their silence was deafening. And then we sold the film rights to Bette Midler. HA!

There are all kinds of revenge and ways to get people to shut the hell up, right?

[saltpoint]

18. A good point. A strong novel like that can come at people like a --

-- side-windin' curve ball. I'm glad you settled the scores that needed settling.

To Bette Midler? Really? I LOVE Bette Midler.

I'm having a pretty good week this week, watching Bolton getting kicked around and the courts turning up the heat on DeLay and Bush.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

Atta boy

Enjoy small victories while we can - oh, yes. Yes!

June 6 on Bolton. Remember when nominees backed out after a long delay or an embarrassing investigation? I suppose the days of such an old-fashioned concept as "shame" are long gone.

I never in my life thought I'd find myself longing for the days when shame was appropriate, but here I am.

You hear about DeWorstLayIEverHad's letter to NBC, objecting to the wisecrack made about him on "Law and Order"?

[saltpoint]

27. I didn't watch the program, but some DUers posted it.

Poor Tom. He's clinging to branches along the stream as the current grows swifter every day.

I'm encouraged by the Bolton vote, too. If the info is that confidential, why not hold a closed-door session? It doesn't HAVE to be on Paula Zahn!

[knowbody0]

2. they are constipated with hatred

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. They think kindness and compassion makes them seem weak.

Specifically, unmanly. Altruism, looking after other people, taking care of the weak is a "female" trait, and there's nothing worse for an insecure freeper with a little bitty wiener than the possibility that others will think he's a girly man. He has to be a tough he-man who's bigger, stronger and meaner than everybody else and can whup anybody's ass. Caring for others is for sissies.

[Tux]

32. That

And maybe it's the us vs them mentality of a 2 party system. If Democrats are for helping people, the other has to be against it. They're locked into a us vs them, black and white, absolute worldview.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. They are only frightening to them when they are expected to

demonstrate them..not when they need them...it's called selfishness

[leftofthedial]

6. because they are the EMOTIONAL non-values of weak

AMERICA HATING communist LIEberal SODOMITES

you cowardly hell-bound TRAITOR!

[burythehatchet]

7. because they all relate to an emotional sacrifice

that skill is not within the scope of their abilities.

[Lannes]

8. Lack of self confidence

Easily intimidated by others so they feel the need to put on the tough guy image to mask it.

[CrispyQ]

10. I think they look for anyone but themselves to blame

for their bad luck, their bad decisions, opportunities that they missed, & therefore their current unsatisfactory lot in life. It's a character flaw of not taking responsibility for themselves, for their decisions. They are so sure that 'someone else' kept them from becoming what they wanted to be, that they sure as heck don't want to help anyone else.

Basically, it's an "It's all about me, me, me" attitude.

[Sparkly]

11. They're afraid they'd have something to lose in caring about others.

They seem to think:

Women's rights take away from men's rights (or the status quo).

Gay rights take away from hetero rights (or the status quo).

Minority rights take away from white rights (or the status quo).

Non-Christian rights take away from Christian rights (arguably the status quo).

Workers' rights take away from corporate rights (the status quo, but they don't get it -- they just say, "Did a poor person ever give you a job?").

They seem to think healthcare for all, education for all, affordable housing for all, employment for all = a diminishment of their own healthcare, education, housing, and employment.

Poor deluded idiots.

[Tux]

34. My fundie uncle

And his church think that blacks in ghettos pay less taxes than whites by being poor and running down the quality of their homes.

[oasis]

That's about as un-Christian as it gets.

[silverweb]

70. My mother has said the same thing.

I don't know about her church, but she once told me, "Did you know that our property taxes went up to pay for those people in That Township?" The way she said it was absolutely indignant, as though she believed it was a direct pipeline of cash from her lily white super-suburbia to the ghetto.

[johnaries]

13. Because they didn't actually "climb" the ladder,

they stepped on the backs of everyone else to get up there. They're afraid if the people they stepped on get up there with them they'll get thrown off.

"Accountability" is for everyone else. Just look at Bush!

[Southsideirish]

14. They're the ones that tattled on the class when the nun left the room.

'Way too in awe of authority figures. Adult bodies, second grade mentalities.

[ThomWV]

15. This is Bullshit

Republicans are as altruistic, compassionate, and empathetic as anyone else.

There isn't a thing in this world wrong with a conservative Republican and we need them to keep the excesses of our own party in check. What we do not need is the criminals who are in charge now - but to call them Republicans is simply not fair to the honest and decent conservatives who's party they have hijacked.

It does no good to demonize every Republican because of the trash that has taken over their good name.

Thom - A Yellow dog Democrat and Damned proud of it.

[Stephanie]

17. I'm not actually speaking of honest and decent conservatives

I'm speaking of freepers, a different breed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. Not all Republicans are Freepers. There's a difference

between garden-variety Republicans whose party has been hijacked out from under them and the selfish, hateful, racist bastards that spew venom from their dank lair at Freerepublic. That's what this thread is about -- the nasty, ignorant a-holes who actually seem to like hurting people. I call them sado-conservatives.

[Zorra]

31. I disagree with you. IMO, no decent human being would have voted for

George Bush in 2004 after what he did in the previous 4 years.

Yes, their party was hijacked by really vile fascists, yet these wonderful "conservative republicans" still voted to keep them in power. I call that far above mere consent.

And these same conservative republicans will do it again in 2008.

Their very silence right now is consent.

It is these "conservative republicans" that are responsible for the irrevocable corporate takeover of our government.

Show me the excesses of the Democratic Party since 1932. What I see is Social Security, Environmental and Consumer Protections, Educational Funding, Healthcare funding, etc., etc.

These are excesses of good things, and are things that these wonderful conservative republicans fought against tooth and nail. Basically, the only thing conservatives ever want to fund are wars, because they make cash from them.

Conservative republicans have never done one good thing for this country, and if they have, please tell me what it is. As far as I can tell, all they do is prevent Democrats from doing good things for a majority of people.

I keep hearing about these wonderful, ideal, conservative republicans. But I'm not buying it.

Someone want to show me just what the hell they're any good for?

If they are as altruistic, compassionate, and empathetic as anyone else, why would they belong to a political party that has a philosophy that is completely contrary to these finer qualities that most decent human beings possess?

[Tux]

35. Er

I thought real conservatives jumped ship and joined the libertarians.

[tabasco]

48. Where were all these decent conservatives on election day?

Voting for Bush and his war.

Tell the dead Iraqis how great they are.

[VOX]

65. ???? "Republicans are...altruistic, compassionate, and empathetic..." ????

Good one. Their "altruism, compassion and empathy" must be the driving forces for their desire to trash social security, trash the environment, trash the electoral process, trash the judiciary, trash the UN, trash our healthcare system, trash education, etc.

Republicans desire to privatize *everything* is so freaking compassionate. Putting big business in charge of the average citizen's welfare is just so empathetic. Choking off free speech is just so altruistic.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[PATRICK]

67. Wrong heads and hearts

the decent Repugs I have known generally have their values mixed up. Libertarians are a louder example of what I mean. Also, some have been reacting to the bad things about Democrats(Vietnam) and our party has accepted many things for which we are paying now in ultimate tests flunked daily by the leadership.

It is best not to get into that even if the divisiveness has gotten so clear that a chunk of humanity hardwired to a form of socio-pathology and another to altruism are lined up on opposite sides. What are they doing? What are the results? This is how Christians were TOLD to look at appearances by their Founder. If they can pretend to be blind to the evil consequences of Bush voting then maybe they are blind and a threat to themselves and others. If they KNOW exactly what they are doing they are simply as guilty as Bush. If they AVOID this question they can just shut up entirely and get out since it must be one or the other.

Some Republicans I would not agree with in policy and attitude have made stands which many Democrats would NOT take against their party- and paid with their political careers. Which for now bolsters the complaint of the fall of the GOP AS a party, but there again we have problems with our own leadership.

Maybe the cure would be for everyone of all persuasions to set aside their emotional myths and fantasies of all types and get to work for both survival and quality of life as if(and it really is) they are working for their own immediate family. because in THESE times, maybe everything else is a criminal waste of time.

[depakid]

75. I completely disagree with you

based both on personal observations and some comments I made in post 74, below.

In addition- I would say that people who willingly choose to associate with freepers in particulr or Republicans in general are also suspect- based on some of the statements I made in the below post.

It may be unotuate- but what you're mom said to you was true- you're judged by the compny you keep.

[lady lib]

16. They're afraid that the Muslims are going to come to

America and take away their freedoms. Their only response to that fear is to behave like bullies and to elect people who also behave like bullies. They also tend toward an authoritarian mindset so anyone who questions their leaders is viewed as a traitor.

As for the fundies....how much compassion do you really need for people who haven't accepted Jesus as their lord and savior, and therefore, are going to hell anyway?

[Zorra]

19. A "reality challenged" person told me this long story the other day,

about how republicans are actually a shape-shifting reptilian race from another planet that have come to earth to prey on the labor and goodness of human beings.

[Stephanie]

20. sounds like David Icke

schizophrenic seer

[Zorra]

33. Yeah. The scary thing is -

he almost had me considering the possibility that it was true, given the actions of the freepers and their neocon idols.

[Stephanie]

45. it does seem to be the most logical explanation

[jokerman93]

53. David Icke is a leper but...

It could be argued that the reactionary "freeper" mentality actually is a product of an underdeveloped intellect coupled with the impetus of the unmodulated reptilian brain.

Icke however can't tell the difference between a metaphor, a biochemically induced state of consciousness, and an old 1980's television series called "V".

But then again, if you repeat something often enough it becomes true so they say...over and over again!

:shrug:

[silverweb]

22. I can't fathom it.

I know someone who is a hardcore, ideologic, Chicago Business School-type of fiscal Libertarian. The word "altruism" sends him into spasms of rage and he starts spouting incoherent nonsense about "evil" and "utopian totalitarianism" and "worshippers of death." A favorite line of his is, "Without profit, there can be no charity" and he thinks the age of the robber barons was our country's brightest. He likes to throw his money at sycophants who make him feel powerful.

At this point, he's so far gone that concerns about civil libertarianism aren't even an issue. We used to at least be able to commiserate about the erosion of civil liberties, the futility of the "war on drugs," etc. Not anymore. Now it's all about him not wanting to be "robbed" of his taxes. Yet he fully supports our wars of American empire building and hegemony. Go figure.

There are so many contradictions in his positions that it would take a week just to outline them. All he wants to do is "debate," but when I tried in the past, he immediately resorted to some very nasty name calling, couldn't or wouldn't source any of his arguments, attacked all my sources as "liberal" and therefore invalid, etc, so why bother? We can't have a normal conversation about anything anymore, so there's no point in even trying. It's really quite sad.

:shrug:

I like the definition of Dems versus reTHUGs. It's quite true, as far as I can tell. The only time reTHUGs give anything to anyone is when they can personally get something out of it or it promotes their agenda (ultimately the same thing).

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Sounds like the guy read too much Ayn Rand when he was in college

with the result that his philosophical development was arrested at the age of about 19 by that banal crap.

[silverweb]

28. Yup.

And rather than progressing beyond it, he sank deeper into the narrow-view mire.

I've read Ayn Rand, too, and Atlas Shrugged was one of my favorite books -- but we seemed to come away from it with entirely different viewpoints.

Everything he ever used to send me was from Milton Friedman, The Objectivist (anything but objective!), or the Wall Street Journal editorial pages.

On edit: Oh, yeah, and the Cato Institute. He once told me that he didn't need any other references besides these. That was after he told me he'd read anything anyone sent him, then rejected an entire suggested booklist I offered because they were "all liberal."

:crazy:

[Lannes]

41. I was partial to "The Fountainhead" myself

[silverweb]

72. I liked that one, too.

And Anthem. I viewed her characters and themes basically as caricatures for making her points, so glossed over what I'd have considered serious flaws otherwise.

It was only when I started reading her nonfiction that I realized Rand was entirely serious about herself and her extreme views. That's when she lost me completely.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. Compassion, altruism, and empathy

threaten their mythology of "everyone for himself." Republicans pride themselves on being "realists," and deep down, they're social Darwinists, believing that people who cannot or will not clamor to the top are either lazy or defective.

Helping an "unworthy" person, in their mind, either encourages such a person in his "laziness" and removes the necessity for such a person to "shape up" or advances an "unworthy" person into a position that he doesn't "deserve."

Note that one of the pinheads posting on Will Pitt's blog made a snide comment to the effect that "when we need something we get a job and pay for it." In order to maintain their sense of worth, rightwingers have to stereotype leftwingers as lazy people on welfare who want to "coddle" the "unworthy" and "destroy the moral fibre of the nation."

[trotsky]

39. Well put, LL.

That would be the overarching theme I've heard when debating Republicans. They are careful not to come right out and say it, or they use alternate terms, but that's exactly what they believe.

[demodewd]

25. re: Republican altruism

The Republicans are altruistic to their own egos.

[ThoughtCriminal]

26. Freeper view of growing rich/poor gap

Is that the poor are getting poorer because they are lazy. Next time I hear this, I'm going to ask why the poor have gotten "Lazier" since the republicans took over.

[applegrove]

29. How can they teach us to hate 'others' and non-Americans if we

have compassion? How can they triblaize us, and localize us, if we feel for people across the street who have less.

by forcing the burden of tax onto the middle class, they hope to make it into a group that will be tired of paying all the taxes and resent the 'welfare queens'. There is much on the agenda of the neocons. Like guest workers who keep wages of Americans down and end up with no citizenship when it becomes time to retire.

That is why they love, love that 19th century. If they don't put us into small groups - how will elites win elections? Because they are hypocrites. They don't want us talking to each other across lines. They want national economies to be dominated by corporations NOW. So it will be American corporations that dominate and not Chinese ones.

How will they get water from Canada when they need it in 30 years? How will they force Arabs to sell oil to the USA and not get the best market price from a hungry, hungry world?

When oil begins to really disappear, and if they have not replaced it with some sort of technology - things will be really, really ugly out there.

We cross lines using the INTERNET. We hear from people who are much like us but living outside of North America. No longer is there news for people in Britain, people in Canada, people in the USA, people in Afghanistan. It is all the same news.

They are terrified of not being 'the elites' in a world where India, China, Brazil and Russia will have economies 10 times bigger than that of the West.

They are scared. They want us to be scared. And when you are scared of the world..you loose empathy for things. You try and hold on to what you have. Your dreams. You live in a much smaller world. (A world without the national governments using monopoly powers to get the best prices for health care for example).

Because they are scared they have fallen for the shift shapers who fill their fears up with 'a plan'. But the 'shift shapers' will be beaten back. And the people will be left with the same fears they had in the beginning. And they'll have to face them with transparency and they will have to learn that empathy can fill you up like nothing else. And if you have enough to eat and a place to live and proper health care and a job - that is all you need. No amount of money will compare to how empathy can make you happy.

But the corporations don't know this because they wake up every year and have to compete.

[Yankee Blue Veteran]

30. Freepers abide by The Gospel According to Bush!

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO:
GEORGIE ‘Doh’BYA BUSH
DICKIE ‘Go F*ck Yourself’ CHENEY
DONNIE ‘Know-It-All Except Abu-Ghraib’ RUMSFELD
CANDY ‘Me So Yummy Horny’ RICE
ANNIE ‘The Bitch is Back’ COULTER
RUSHIE ‘Pills’ LIMBAUGH
BILLIE ‘Shut Up!’ O’REILLY

CHAPTER 5

1 And deceiving the multitudes, he went up into Washington : and when he was set, his disciples came unto him :
2 And he closed their minds, and taught them, saying,
3 “Damned are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of hell.
4 “Damned are they that mourn : for they shall be disconsolate.
5 “Damned are the meek : for they shall inherit nothing.
6 “Damned are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall starve.
7 “Damned are the merciful : for they shall obtain no mercy.
8 “Damned are the pure in heart : for they shall see Satan.
9 “Damned are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the children of Satan.
10 “Damned are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake : for theirs is the kingdom of hell.
11 “Damned are ye, when men shall praise you, and reward you, and shall say all manner of good for you truly, for His sake.
12 “Mourn, and be exceeding sad : for small is your reward in hell : for so rewarded us the prophets which were before you.”

SOURCE: The Bush Gospel, Sinner Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 1 through 12.

Every girlie-Bush I know has denounced Liberals according to Verse 9.

[newyawker99]

36. Hi Yankee Blue Veteran!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Yankee Blue Veteran]

47. Glad to be here in this sanctum of sanity!

Thanks for the welcome.
I have been posting comments and flaming freepers on another website for well over a year, now, seemingly to no avail. Perhaps here I will be able to have something akin to a dialogue. Regardless, the Freedom of Speech exercised here is like a breath of fresh air in the midst of all the freeper flatulence extant on the internet!
Again, thank you!

[trotsky]

37. Fascinating thread!

My favorite quote illustrating the difference between liberals and conservatives:

A liberal would rather see a few people cheat than let anyone starve. A conservative would rather see a few people starve than let anyone cheat.

[silverweb]

73. An interesting quote.

But I really don't buy it.

The biggest cheats of all, as we're seeing proven so often these days, are the most extreme conservatives!

[Pacifist Patriot]

38. Read "Escape from Freedom" by Erich Fromm

Fromm's psychological analyses are very intriguing in today's environment. And fortunately he's one of the more readable twentieth century pspychologists.

[Just Me]

49. I'll have you know,...

,...you are the only other person I've seen who's read that. It's been awhile since I read "Escape from Freedom"; but, it made a LOT of sense.

[Pacifist Patriot]

50. I think it should be required reading in high school.

[Pockets]

40. The question is not 'why'....

The question is how can their lack of concern for others be undone. I'm fairly sure that lack of empathy is primal. It exists in all of us, even many Dems. I think Freud would refer to this as the id, or our most primitive desire for gratification, irrespective of how it is obtained. The id includes gratification though sex (usually ok) and aggression (not usually ok). If everyone were control by the aggressive aspect of the id we'd utilize all our resources going to war and stepping all over one another competing for money and power. Sports and technology (e.g. video games) might help enable people to express these aggressive urges in fantasy but not in real life.

[JerseygirlCT]

42. Because they're at bottom completely selfish

and all of those require them to actually give something of themselves to someone else.

[Just Me]

43. Because their party believes humanity is limited by a "dog eat dog",..

,...quality or capacity of being. Altruism, compassion and empathy are vulnerable traits in a "rule of the jungle" perception of human existence. IOW they have little to no confidence in human beings' potential to sustain itself on reciprocal good will.

[newportdadde]

44. I don't believe they are 'afraid' of empathy.

They just don't understand it. To them it is a weakness to be exploited. They sort of operate like pack of wild animals, if one of the pack becomes injuried they never stay to help they will turn on it or let it go. To them if your not providing them personally some value then your not worth the space you take up.

Now some freepers can show empathy if its a very close love one. You see it now and then, when they experience a personal connection they may actually change position on homosexuality etc but it must be something that impacts THEM personally. They will never express it towards a stranger or read a story in a newspaper and place themselves there. They are unable to 'walk in someone shoes'.

The fact that it takes a personal event like this just shows that a lack of empathy is created from extreme underlying selfishness. But being selfish is not a good trait. Soo they hide behind things like church to make themselves feel better so they can lie to themselves. They go every Sunday and may have wads of cash but secretly they will NEVER give a 'hard earned' dime to those Tsaumni victims.

The worship social darwinism. Because they must believe in it to boost their own accomplishments. To admit they are were they are because of family, good looks, or just plain ass kissing is too much to take.

[Pockets]

46. So are they all 'Reptilian'?

I don't know who originated the term 'reptilian', but it seems to apply.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

56. Read "The Dragons of Eden" by Carl Sagan

Great layman's primer to brain physiology (among other things): http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=1579124313

[noiretextatique]

51. just world theory

those who are wealthy are deserving, and those who are not aren't. along the same line of thinking that people chose their destiny. of course there is a grain of truth to this, however one has to ignore social realities to embrace this as gospel.

[jokerman93]

52. there is some speculation

There's some speculation about a "compassion gene" which may represent a relatively new evolutionary pathway for our species.

Of course it's just a theory...

;-)

interesting:

http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Pinker_on_Wright_94.html

[DanCa]

54. Jung Psychology perhaps

They proclaim there christanity yet they tear people down who want to help any one other than there little click. Maybe its because "Liberals" have a better understanding of right and wrong than they ever will and there jealous. Jung said it best what truley disturbs you in others is a reflection of ourselves.
And to them I say I am rubber your glue whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. Lol sorry I am on psych medication and I wanted to lighten the mood. Humour and psych drugs are a bad combination :)

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

55. they wouldn't be freepers if they wouldn't feel odd about those words (eom

no text bozo

[converted_democrat]

57. Because they don't know what they are.....

And, no, I'm not being a smart ass. I grew up in a conservative household. I didn't learn about these things until later in life. I mean, you hear those words, but you don't see the actual deeds. So, they're just words.

[EFerrari]

58. British Object Relations theorist Melanie Klein wrote a book called

"Envy and Gratitude" that was pretty controversial. But her idea was, if a baby feels thankful or grateful for being fed, it's on the road to balance in relationship and love. If the baby reacted with a kind of primitive envy, well, baby was in for a world of hurt and also, to spreading that envious, projective internal world.

You asked. :)

[converted_democrat]

59. Because they don't know what they are.....

And, no, I'm not being a smart ass. I grew up in a conservative household. I didn't learn about these things until later in life. I mean, you hear those words, but you don't see the actual deeds. So, they're just words.

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FizzFuzz]

63. Shirley2004. Spamming. n/t

[SmokingJacket]

61. I'm pretty cynical, but the Freepers' reaction to Andy shocked me.

Why not be nice? Why go out of your way to be vile and nasty?

I used to try and wrap my mind around homophobia, racism, cruelty, etc., but I give up.

They must hate themselves...

[lulu]

62. People of the Lie

People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck explains it pretty well.

Here's a review at Yurica:

snip
There is today in America a disease, a sickness of hatred. It’s very existence is a universal form of group narcissism. Peck calls it, “enemy creation,” or “hatred of the ‘out-group.’” If a group does not have an enemy, “it will most likely create one in short order.” Peck wrote, “The groups become cliques. Those who do not belong to the group are despised as being inferior or evil or both.”

snip

http://www.yuricareport.com/RevisitedBks/How%20to%20Detect%20Evil.htm

[EFerrari]

64. Good read, and sadly, good application. n/t

[Stephanie]

69. I have read that book

And it's quite frightening.

[earth mom]

66. Freepers & Fundies remind me of sociopaths. There I said it.

:hide:

[triguy46]

68. because they aren't spelled "M _ E"

[grasswire]

71. I think it's the lack of unconditional love as a child

I've puzzled over this a lot. Those people who weren't given unconditional love as children often turn out to be afraid of generosity both of spirit and of material things. I'm no shrink, but I think I've seen a correlation.

[depakid]

74. For several very basic and valid reasons

1st, the vast majority of freepers are so undeducated and indoctrinated that they wouldn't recognize the merits of the concepts.

2nd- and this is abundantly clear by even a basic perusal of their site or others like it- you'll find a significantly higher prevalence of psychopathy than in the normal population. Their brains simply cannot understand or process these higher emotions.

Run 'em through PCL-R (the psychopathy checklist) and I can virtually guarantee that's what you'll find- not just among freepers- but Republicans in general.

Dr. Hare (the world's most renowned expert on psychopathy) calls these "subcriminal psychopath" and the chances are very good that you know one or work with one,

Finally, morale development- like kids' cognitive development has to pass through various qualitative stages. According Kohlberg- one of the most preeminent cognitive psychologists of the 20th century- most adults never reach the third level of moral development- they've stuck in level 2. To pass into level 3 (and these constructs an be observed and tested) one has to demonstrate (I would say "feel" an understanding of social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of others.

That's not a common republican trait, to say the least.

http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/kohlberg.html

Anyway- that's my psych post for the day....