Do republicans suffer from an inferiority complex?

[kayell]

From the outside, it looks like they feel superior to the rest of the world. I'm beginning to wonder if most of them actually are overcompensating for feelings of inferiority. This may not be so much the case for those repubs who are in the top 10% of income, who have a financial incentive to be repubs. On the other hand believing that there is no such thing as rich enough may cover a lot of inferior feelings too.

I am especially concerned though with those republicans who seem to go against there own clear self interests by voting republican. Are they motivated by a need to feel superior to someone (blacks, women, foreigners, gays, atheists, other religions, the poor, etc) in order to not feel so low themselves? Is some of this inferiority caused by the religions many hard core RWs beong to? These religions tend to brow beat their followers, loading them down with their own sinfulness. Could this be why they are so desperate to find people more sinful than themselves to compare to?

Why would a woman vote repub against her own self interest? While I don't know a lot very well, most of those seem to be in rather down trodden relationships. I can't imagine that gay repubs feel too good about themselves, though most gay repubs seem to be very well off. But why does a white working class guy vote repub? The need to feel superior to someone else is my theory.

Another thought - RWers don't have to deal with the endless discussion and thought involved in being left. It's simply easier intellectually. They don't have to face the struggle and pain of learning, of periodically adnmitting you don't know, of facing up to mistakes that lefties do. It's pretty easy to be a RW as far as thought process, usually someone else will tell you what to think.

So this is as far as I've gone along this train of thought. Any comments?

Added: if this is a primary motivator of many repubs, is there anything useful we can do about this? What techniques would work best to convert a repub with this problem?

[TrogL]

1. Republicans feel the need to be part of a group

with strict boundaries, rules and norms.

They will do anything (there's even a subset called "broken glass Republicans") to stay in the clique.

They so fear the process of individuation (see Jung) that they cling to the group even when it isn't in their best interests.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[JohnKleeb]

9. heres one I think from a democrat

"Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ... It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
about how one person can make a difference
Those quotes are fine IMO because I think we should think what is best for all of us not just us.

[JackSwift]

10. It is polite to include the entirety

of a quote and provide context. And it is the only accepteable thing to do from the point of intellectual honesty. "Who cares what you think?" by George Bush is a great example of why.

[mjb4]

2. yes, especially with black/gay repugs

it is a self hate.

[T Roosevelt]

3. I've always wondered that myself

Self-preservation is a strong instinct. Why would anybody vote against it, unless there was something stronger pushing them to do it. They must understand (or do they?) that Republican policies do not support them in any way, shape or form. It's amazing the number of people I see driving POS cars with a * sticker on them. :wtf:

[whoYaCallinAlib]

4. Repukes are usually driven by one issue.

If they have money, they vote repuke to lower taxes.

If they don't have money, they are either religious and vote repuke to outlaw abortion or they are defense extremists who vote repuke to go around the world tackig down "bad" people.

[lcordero]

5. nope, its penis envy(cuz they lack one)

[poskonig]

6. The rural ones do.

They talk about liberal "elitists" as if everyone who lives in a city is super rich or something.

[tom_paine]

7. Does it really matter what their motivation & psychology is?

I guess about as much as Nazi motivations mattered in 1935.

Of course, we can all be thankful that the Busheviks haven't replicated Nazi violence, only propaganda strategy & execution of methodology.

[JackSwift]

11. I've noticed for many years

that if you engage them in conversation, there is always an unter menschen that conservatives look down on in comparison to their views. I know of only one exception, and he left the Reps to be a very conservative libertarian. But he is utterly secure in who he is.

[sam sarrha]

12. ever see ZARDOZ a 60's flick ,,MUST SEE..sean conery

[sam sarrha]

13. anybody here have the Defination of a Republican? i lost it...

didnt click into my bookmark..need to find it...........thanks