Bad Movie Logo
"A website to the detriment of good film"
Custom Search
HOMEB-MOVIE REVIEWSREADER REVIEWSFORUMINTERVIEWSUPDATESABOUT
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 18, 2024, 10:05:49 PM
712916 Posts in 53040 Topics by 7722 Members
Latest Member: GenevaBarr
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Other Topics  |  Off Topic Discussion  |  Our brains are prewired to liberal or conservative? « previous next »
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 [5]
Author Topic: Our brains are prewired to liberal or conservative?  (Read 31322 times)
trekgeezer
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 0
Posts: 4973


We're all just victims of circumstance


« Reply #60 on: September 14, 2007, 09:29:15 AM »

Derf, I agree with a lot of what you said.  I love the way the Feds force the states to pass laws (55mph speed limit & 21 for the drinking age come to mind) by withholding funds. If you or I do that kind of thing it's called blackmail. 

I whole heartedly agree that the government should stay the hell out people's personal matters and not take on the role of morality police.
Logged




And you thought Trek isn't cool.
nshumate
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 80
Posts: 760



« Reply #61 on: September 14, 2007, 09:33:42 AM »


I may not have "explained" what I wrote, but I still believe it.  The purpose of the electoral college (particularly in the context of a poor 18th century backwater calling itself the United States of America where a majority could neither read nor write) was and is to safeguard the elite.  In colonial America, that would have been your gentleman farmer, the educated professional, and the businessman.  My thoughts are hardly a new idea.   

I still honestly do not understand.  How does or did the electoral college, then or now, promote elitism?  At worst, it reapportions electoral power among the states in more arbitrary proportions than a popular vote would, but it appears that the balance of power is always slightly skewed toward the less populated states, which would be seen as more rural and populist-oriented.
Logged

Nathan Shumate
Cold Fusion Video Reviews
Sci-fi, Horror, and General Whoopass
CheezeFlixz
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 496
Posts: 3747


Pathetic Earthlings


WWW
« Reply #62 on: September 14, 2007, 10:26:19 AM »


I may not have "explained" what I wrote, but I still believe it.  The purpose of the electoral college (particularly in the context of a poor 18th century backwater calling itself the United States of America where a majority could neither read nor write) was and is to safeguard the elite.  In colonial America, that would have been your gentleman farmer, the educated professional, and the businessman.  My thoughts are hardly a new idea.   


I still honestly do not understand.  How does or did the electoral college, then or now, promote elitism?  At worst, it reapportions electoral power among the states in more arbitrary proportions than a popular vote would, but it appears that the balance of power is always slightly skewed toward the less populated states, which would be seen as more rural and populist-oriented.


How? Look at the number of states it takes just to balance out the number of votes California has alone.


Logged

nshumate
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 80
Posts: 760



« Reply #63 on: September 14, 2007, 10:47:15 AM »

Still not getting you.  What do you think the population of the other states is?

Let's take an extreme example.  California's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 36,457,549; California has 55 electoral votes.  Wyoming's population, for contrast, is 515,004 (unless that family of four moved.  TeddyR ); it has 3 electoral votes.

So although Wyoming's population is roughly 1.5% that of California's, its electoral college votes are worth roughly 5.5% of California's -- they have electoral weight out of proportion to their population.  A vote in Wyoming is worth more than a vote in California.

So unless you're complaining about those elitist Wyomingites, I can't see your argument.
Logged

Nathan Shumate
Cold Fusion Video Reviews
Sci-fi, Horror, and General Whoopass
Allhallowsday
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 2280
Posts: 20724


Either he's dead or my watch has stopped!


« Reply #64 on: September 14, 2007, 11:08:20 AM »

Still not getting you.  What do you think the population of the other states is?
Let's take an extreme example.  California's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 36,457,549; California has 55 electoral votes.  Wyoming's population, for contrast, is 515,004 (unless that family of four moved.  TeddyR ); it has 3 electoral votes.
So although Wyoming's population is roughly 1.5% that of California's, its electoral college votes are worth roughly 5.5% of California's -- they have electoral weight out of proportion to their population.  A vote in Wyoming is worth more than a vote in California.

So unless you're complaining about those elitist Wyomingites, I can't see your argument.
Hey, now you're responding to Cheezeflix, not me.   That's not my argument. 
I will say both Wyoming and California were not states until much later than the creation of the U.S. electoral college, and I have no comment about the weight of any single electoral vote.  My point was that in some states, the members of the college, though expected to vote as guided by the populace,  may vote as they wish.  Many states over time have rejected that idea, but of course must work with the electoral system.  The idea of not electing a president by popular vote, but by an electoral college, was intended to give the powerbrokers the opportunity to have ultimate control over who gets elected.   Such electors who vote their conscience as opposed to the candidate they are committed to are now called "faithless electors." 
Logged

If you want to view paradise . . . simply look around and view it!
nshumate
B-Movie Site Webmaster
Bad Movie Lover
****

Karma: 80
Posts: 760



« Reply #65 on: September 14, 2007, 11:16:39 AM »

ah, okay, NOW I getcha; I was overlooking the "pass-through" of the votes via the actual elector.

(And sorry I conflated your arguments with CheeseFlixz's.)
Logged

Nathan Shumate
Cold Fusion Video Reviews
Sci-fi, Horror, and General Whoopass
ulthar
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 368
Posts: 4168


I AM serious, and stop calling me Shirley


WWW
« Reply #66 on: September 14, 2007, 11:21:32 AM »

Still not getting you.  What do you think the population of the other states is?

Let's take an extreme example.  California's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 36,457,549; California has 55 electoral votes.  Wyoming's population, for contrast, is 515,004 (unless that family of four moved.  TeddyR ); it has 3 electoral votes.

So although Wyoming's population is roughly 1.5% that of California's, its electoral college votes are worth roughly 5.5% of California's -- they have electoral weight out of proportion to their population.  A vote in Wyoming is worth more than a vote in California.

So unless you're complaining about those elitist Wyomingites, I can't see your argument.


The real issue is ALL of those 55 votes for California going to one party regardless of how the vote shakes down by district - your original point.  If you look at the county results maps for the 2000 and 2004 elections, you can see that the urban centers are basically HEAVILY biasing the country.

2000 (Red is Gore, Blue is Bush):



2004 (red is Kerry, blue is Bush):



Shoot, even if you look at the total state results (ie, not by county), it is very clear that a few states have the potential to determine the political landscape of the whole country.

Now, it might be argued that population-wise this is "fair," but I happen to be in the 'let's get back to decentralization' camp and believe that why on earth should California "govern" Oklahoma, Nebraska or Wyoming, for example, just because CA has more people?  This point is driven home even further when it is noted that not even all of California or New York voted D in these two "hotly contested" elections.

As I see it, there are only two or three NE states that are homogenous in the results.  These maps certainly emphasize, in my mind at least, that one government, far removed from the people governed, is not truly representative.
Logged

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Hathaway:  I noticed you stopped stuttering.
Bodie:      I've been giving myself shock treatments.
Professor Hathaway: Up the voltage.

--Real Genius
Psycho Circus
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 1531
Posts: 12049


Shake The Faith


WWW
« Reply #67 on: July 05, 2009, 03:48:54 PM »

Another spammer !!!!

Get HIM!!!!  Hatred


They're coming from all over the world! We need Chuck Norris.

Logged

Rev. Powell
Global Moderator
B-Movie Kraken
****

Karma: 3096
Posts: 26727


Click on that globe for 366 Weird Movies


WWW
« Reply #68 on: July 05, 2009, 03:55:16 PM »

Another spammer !!!!

Get HIM!!!!  Hatred


They're coming from all over the world! We need Chuck Norris.




I got him... removed the spam post & Dogget's reply, in case anyone's wondering what's going on.

Does that mean I'm Chuck Norris' equal?
Logged

I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...
Psycho Circus
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 1531
Posts: 12049


Shake The Faith


WWW
« Reply #69 on: July 05, 2009, 03:59:28 PM »

Another spammer !!!!

Get HIM!!!!  Hatred


They're coming from all over the world! We need Chuck Norris.




I got him... removed the spam post & Dogget's reply, in case anyone's wondering what's going on.

Does that mean I'm Chuck Norris' equal?


It surely does. Before he comes for you to restore the balance.
Logged

Jim H
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 314
Posts: 3668



« Reply #70 on: July 08, 2009, 01:32:21 PM »

Quote
If you look at the county results maps for the 2000 and 2004 elections, you can see that the urban centers are basically HEAVILY biasing the country.


Don't the majority of people live there?

What I find most interesting is that even in the supposedly extremely liberal or conservative areas, any place with a larger population usually has a percentage spread that often seems pretty minor to me.  IIRC, I remember them describing a place that voted 60% for Bush as basically a landslide.  I think that really shows how evenly divided most places are in the US, even if in that example a republican nominee would almost always win.



Blue is the democrats in this one.  I think this gives a better picture of how equal that election was.  You might notice there is more red, of course, but it's mostly because of less populated large geographical areas - and there's a lot of blue almost everywhere but in the west.
Logged
the ghoul
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 95
Posts: 677



« Reply #71 on: July 08, 2009, 10:41:55 PM »

The article's just psychobabble.  Liberals and conservatives ie Republicans and Democrats.  They are kind of like coke and pepsi.  One is a little bit sweeter, but they are basically the same thing.  The country is going down the toilet fast and these people are all part of the same problem regardless of which club they belong to.  Obama is taking us down the same path as Bush and those before him, and eventually the U.S. may, for all intents and purposes, become little more than a colony controlled by a greater economic power.  One amusing thing (you've gotta laugh to keep from crying) I've noticed is that the conservatives are usually correct when they are talking about the liberals, and the liberals are usually correct when they are talking about the conservatives.  Personally, I don't follow in lock-step with any group that espouses a list of beliefs on a wide range of unrelated topics.  Doesn't it make more sense to form your own opinions on an issue by issue basis?   
Logged
Frogger
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 14
Posts: 214


« Reply #72 on: July 11, 2009, 07:39:19 PM »

That article is complete rubbish.

Any way to start with pointing out a few major flaws.

Its a classic its all genetics argument. Women are inferior because of our genes, of course this ignores examples of cultures that have produced reversed gender roles even equal gender roles (an easy to read book on the subject is "The Myth of mars and Venus" by Deborah Cameron). Racism is in our genetics, ignoring the fact that studies on children have proved that racism is learnt and not natural (like all views and ideas).

We are social creatures. The party you most likely vote for is the same your parents vote for. As they have brought you up and installed their values into you. Of course this differs as there are a lot of other factors in your development. For example if you grow up seeing the damage capitalism creates then your view of capitalism greatly differs from someone born into a rich family, gaining the benefits of mass exploitation and suffering.

I also like how socialism has been left off, not too shocking as the media likes to ignore its existence and then only reports on the large scale anti globalization movements if they happen in the USA or violence takes place (but as the majority are peaceful).

So journalism is in a poor state, well at least we still have some great people, such as John Pilger. I personally only trust the BBC for domestic news and Al Jazeera for the rest. Newspapers I normally go for the independent as it takes everything case by case. 
 
Logged

"We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view."Mao. "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality." Ernesto Che Guevara. "A lie told often enough becomes the truth" Lenin. "Religion is the opium of the masses." Marx.
Nukie 2
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 121
Posts: 1141


I did it all for the...


WWW
« Reply #73 on: July 12, 2009, 08:40:55 PM »

I'm hardwired Nihilist, I dunno about you.
Logged


Watch Nukie on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wab1Y713tN0
"Like" International Fans of the Movie Nukie and Sias Odendaal on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Fans-of-the-Movie-Nukie-and-Sias-Odendaal/135820159771783
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 [5]
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Other Topics  |  Off Topic Discussion  |  Our brains are prewired to liberal or conservative? « previous next »
    Jump to:  


    RSS Feed Subscribe Subscribe by RSS
    Email Subscribe Subscribe by Email


    Popular Articles
    How To Find A Bad Movie

    The Champions of Justice

    Plan 9 from Outer Space

    Manos, The Hands of Fate

    Podcast: Todd the Convenience Store Clerk

    Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

    Dragonball: The Magic Begins

    Cool As Ice

    The Educational Archives: Driver's Ed

    Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

    Do you have a zombie plan?

    FROM THE BADMOVIES.ORG ARCHIVES
    ImageThe Giant Claw - Slime drop

    Earth is visited by a GIANT ANTIMATTER SPACE BUZZARD! Gawk at the amazingly bad bird puppet, or chuckle over the silly dialog. This is one of the greatest b-movies ever made.

    Lesson Learned:
    • Osmosis: os·mo·sis (oz-mo'sis, os-) n., 1. When a bird eats something.

    Subscribe to Badmovies.org and get updates by email:

    HOME B-Movie Reviews Reader Reviews Forum Interviews TV Shows Advertising Information Sideshows Links Contact

    Badmovies.org is owned and operated by Andrew Borntreger. All original content is © 1998 - 2014 by its respective author(s). Image, video, and audio files are used in accordance with the Fair Use Law, and are property of the film copyright holders. You may freely link to any page (.html or .php) on this website, but reproduction in any other form must be authorized by the copyright holder.