Why aren't Young Conservatives depressed?

[Alben Barkley]

The real question is why do young liberals (many of whom come from good, middle class families) complain about there being no hope or opportunity in this country and demand government handouts, all the while being oblivious to how truly awful the rest of the world is and why thousands of people risk their lives trying to cross the border into the US?

That raises the even realer question of, if conservatives such as yourself are aware of the horrific conditions from which refugees and immigrants are trying to flee and believe America is so much better, why don't you welcome them with open arms? "Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free."

The only conclusion appears to be sociopathy/a lack of empathy on the part of conservatives, as well as a fundamentally anti-American and anti-patriotic attitude; again, the words are literally inscribed on the Statue of Liberty herself. There is literally nothing more patriotic than supporting immigration, nor anything more toxic to the modern day GOP.

[Burke Bro]

The real question is why do young liberals (many of whom come from good, middle class families) complain about there being no hope or opportunity in this country and demand government handouts, all the while being oblivious to how truly awful the rest of the world is and why thousands of people risk their lives trying to cross the border into the US?

That raises the even realer question of, if conservatives such as yourself are aware of the horrific conditions from which refugees and immigrants are trying to flee and believe America is so much better, why don't you welcome them with open arms? "Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free."

The only conclusion appears to be sociopathy/a lack of empathy on the part of conservatives, as well as a fundamentally anti-American and anti-patriotic attitude; again, the words are literally inscribed on the Statue of Liberty herself. There is literally nothing more patriotic than supporting immigration, nor anything more toxic to the modern day GOP.

I don't disagree with anything you said here. I'm generally supportive of immigration- although support for immigration has generally fluctuated throughout American history. I was just pointing out a hypocrisy with the left.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It's very simple as to why.  Young conservatives hold to a philosophy that, by and large, suggests that life is what you make it, and a result of choices you, yourself make.  That's not to say that bad breaks can shift the projected outcome of one's life, but conservatism leads people to believe that they have power to affect their own destiny.  This belief holds whether or not the person starts out well off or starts out with little.

Young liberals, on the other hand, have a much more dependent philosophy.  It is a philosophy that leads people to believe that they have less self efficacy, less control of their own destiny, more dependent on other people coming through for them, whether that be the government or some other form of outside favor that they view as merited.  It's a philosphy that leads people to believe that people have less control of their life outcomes (and, perhaps, less than they actually have).

Maturity brings reasonableness.  Young conservatives come to see to some degree that they don't live in a vacuum, and that there are limits to rugged individualism.  But the more individualist philosophy of conservatism give people more optimism, even when most people are pessimistic.  Liberals may well have far more to be optimistic about in terms of politics these days, but the conservative philosophy and world view generates more optimism because it boosts a sense of self-efficacy.

[ponderosa peen 🌲]

bronz: [something dumb]

half a dozen smug democrats: conservatives are literally idiots

luv 2 post on this website :)

[Vosem]

Higher IQ is associated with depression and other mental health issues.

Apart from autism-spectrum illnesses, it is actually not; higher IQ is protective against virtually every mental illness unrelated to the autism spectrum. The introduction of that study links to multiple sources confirming that depression is, in fact, associated with lower IQ.

Ignorance is bliss.

e.g. Vosem

We have the smartest 16-year-old posters, folks.

[Anti-Penguin Tariff Voter]

Most young conservatives also come from a position where they are socially, economically advantaged. It’s easier to be happy when you’re not constantly stressed about finding housing or paying for food.

[100% pro-choice no matter what]

Higher IQ is associated with depression and other mental health issues.

Apart from autism-spectrum illnesses, it is actually not; higher IQ is protective against virtually every mental illness unrelated to the autism spectrum. The introduction of that study links to multiple sources confirming that depression is, in fact, associated with lower IQ.

Ignorance is bliss.

e.g. Vosem

We have the smartest 16-year-old posters, folks.

I used to have similar views to you on economics. But a few years ago my synagogue hosted several homeless families, and I learned that the government should have a role in ensuring that people in vulnerable situations have the resources they need to become productive & tax paying citizens. Giving a multi-billion dollar corporation another tax break won't give these people food and clothes.

The fact that I, a dumbass & sheltered 16 year-old poster on an electoral cartography forum, have a clearer perspective on this than you (a lawyer IIRC) is indicative of at least some ignorance on your part, yes.

[Suburbia]

Most young conservatives also come from a position where they are socially, economically advantaged. It’s easier to be happy when you’re not constantly stressed about finding housing or paying for food.

Not every young conservative is like that, there are a lot of young rural and poor conservatives, why are they still happy?

[Anti-Penguin Tariff Voter]

Most young conservatives also come from a position where they are socially, economically advantaged. It’s easier to be happy when you’re not constantly stressed about finding housing or paying for food.

Not every young conservative is like that, there are a lot of young rural and poor conservatives, why are they still happy?

Young poor conservatives are small, and not the majority, so there’s no guarantee they are happy. As for rural, being rural myself it is kind of rude for you to assume rural ≠ poor. Sure rural people have less wealth, but in their context it means a lot more. Also, most rural environments have a population that is composed of fewer young adults then other places. If you provide a reputably poll that shows me otherwise I’ll believe it, but until then I feel safe in assume the average young conservative is economically and socially richer then the average young liberal.

[Vosem]

Higher IQ is associated with depression and other mental health issues.

Apart from autism-spectrum illnesses, it is actually not; higher IQ is protective against virtually every mental illness unrelated to the autism spectrum. The introduction of that study links to multiple sources confirming that depression is, in fact, associated with lower IQ.

Ignorance is bliss.

e.g. Vosem

We have the smartest 16-year-old posters, folks.

I used to have similar views to you on economics. But a few years ago my synagogue hosted several homeless families, and I learned that the government should have a role in ensuring that people in vulnerable situations have the resources they need to become productive & tax paying citizens. Giving a multi-billion dollar corporation another tax break won't give these people food and clothes.

I am part of a subculture that hosts yearly retreats whose main leader is a woman who was homeless for a long period, and which has other prominent ex-homeless members. It is decently politically diverse (...or, well, it has people that by American standards would be classified as anywhere from center-left to far-right); people with a homeless background universally have hard-libertarian views, though.

I really don't want to derail this thread because I think how and why the reported rates of mental illnesses for people with different political identities are different is a fascinating subject and probably something virtually everyone on Atlas could think more about, but I think there is substantial evidence that tax cuts for multibillion-dollar corporations will provide them food and clothing; it is the multibillion-dollar corporations that actually produce food and clothing, after all, so by taxing them you're really just passing on the costs to...whoever wants food and clothing. This feels like a very clear-cut example.

...but even if it's false, why should you have changed your opinions like this after meeting people "a few years ago" (when you were 12-14)? Why should the government have such a role? Do you never question what you learn?

The fact that I, a dumbass & sheltered 16 year-old poster on an electoral cartography forum, have a clearer perspective on this than you (a lawyer IIRC) is indicative of at least some ignorance on your part, yes.

(I am a self-taught software engineer, although I have legal training). See, I am much less sheltered. I have friends that never went to college and friends who are Ivy Leaguers; I am fluently trilingual; I have the benefit of much more formal education; and even besides people who've experienced homelessness I've spoken to people who've experienced famine, and who practice subsistence agriculture, or who've participated in revolutionary protests. As a consequence of these experiences, not in spite of them, I am a hard-libertarian.

This is not to say there aren't people smarter than me who disagree. There are people who are smarter than me who are socialists or neoliberals or religious fanatics (for every religion on the planet) or hard-libertarians or any other worldview under the sun. We do not actually have any kind of consensus on the best way to organize society; democracy would be pointless if we did. You should know, if you are 16, that there are people who are frankly orders of magnitude smarter than you who disagree with your ideals; that this will be true no matter what your ideals actually are; and that the only solution is to keep an open mind, keep speaking to and interacting with people who think differently, and maybe not believe that you learned everything you need to know at 12.

(Nor does this mean to throw out everything you thought at 12, actually. Every person has a soul, and if you are the kind of person who likes to think at a deep level about how the world works, you might have fairly inflexible ideals by the age of 12. I think on a deep level I've been a hard-libertarian since my earliest childhood memories. But it does mean accepting that you probably did not know how best to enact your ideals, or what the associated pitfalls were, at the age of 12.)