According to this piece from Robert Roy Britt, "happiness is being old, male and Republican."Folks, of course, don't have much control over their age or their gender but political affiliation is voluntary. That's the piece most interesting to me. Why are Republican's happier than Democrats? Even these days when our party has virtually no power in American politics?
Casual readers may, at first, answer that Republicans are "the rich" so, of course, they are happier because they have more money. Not so. The survey behind Britt's piece adjusted for income and found that poor Republicans are happier than poor Democrats; rich Republicans are happier than rich Democrats; and everything in between.
So, what gives?
I think religion might be a factor. I think that Christians are more likely to be happy than non-Christians for obvious reasons like hope of eternal salvation, etc. (Reasons obvious enough to Christians anyway.)
I also think that Republicans are more likely to be self-reliant. Republicans aren't typically looking to others - like government - to provide them with anything, happiness included.
Any other theories out there? Why are Republicans happier than Democrats?
4 comments:
Republicans tend to be kinder and more polite in general. The difference between the treatment of people we disagree with is a good example. When I went to the St. Louis Tea party it was so unlike any of the hate-filled, anti-something rally's that the Democrats are always putting on.
Maybe you can say, "The truth will set you free!"
I have an idea. Democrats aren't used to having to use their higher reasoning faculties, and therefore cannot analyze objective factors in their lives that would cause them to say, "Hey, I have it pretty good."
Or maybe the unhappiness is a product of a 1960s LSD bad-trip.
Democrats are always angry about something the government or somebody else is doing "to" them. Union members are angry about what their companies are "doing to them". African Americans are angry about what the cacasians are "doing to them". Atheists are angry about what the religious are "doing to them". Feminists are angry about what the men are "doing to them".
On the flip side, you have Rush Limbaugh and Anne Colter who are just angry about everything :-)
Seriously, those who do to themselves tend to be Rebulican and happy with what they've achomplished. Those who want everything handed to them tend to be Democratic and are angry because they aren't given more.
Democrats are "do it for me".
Republicans are "let me do it myself".
And, by the way, you're not that old yet.
All good points. I just had another idea, though.
Maybe the Dem's are unhappy because of the guilt weighing them down over their own complicity in the deaths of millions of unborn children.
Post a Comment