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I will be waiting on your validation your preposterous theory.
Dredging up a study to support your point works pretty well if you are discussing something with a person who is easily intimidated or impressed by an organization of fact. Of course, you don't mention that there have been, literally, hundreds of studies done and that many of them disagree with one another. In fact, you get into hot water when you try to use as many as *two* studies to support your point- as they usually disagree in some very significant details. Example: Take your premise that Republicans are smarter than Democrats, (based on the dubious assumption that one becomes progressively more intelligent with additional time in school. Is the guy who takes 15 years to graduate high school more intelligent than the kids with whom he started kindergarten? Why not? He spent more time in school) Your "R's are smarter than "D's" has a few studies to support the idea. For instance: In the 1994-2002 General Social Survey, the results reflected that the average Republican has 6/10ths of one year more education than the average Democrat. This study showed that there was not really any statistically significant difference in intellect between the most liberal democrats and the most intelligent rebublicans....what was interesting is that the working class democrats, who tend to be more centrist or conservative, were deemed to be less intelligent than the liberal democrats or the conservative republicans. OK, all well and good, but wait! Oh no! Here's another study called the "National Election Survey" of 2000. Not to rock your boat too badly, it also claims that R's are smarter than D's......but oh, look. The "National Election Survey" subjectively rates intelligence on a 31-point scale, places D's 3.3 points behind R's on that 31-point scale, and says the difference represents "several years of formal education." Well, crap. Seems your studiers and surveyors can't get their spin coordinated, doesn't it? One guy says the difference in education is 6/10th of a year (about one semester in a 16-17 year education).......and the other guy says the difference is "several years." So, how do we reconcile these two studies? Do we use the one study that claims the average R has 6/10th of a year more education than the average D, that the most liberal democrats are as smart as the most conservative republicans, and that the dumbest bricks in the load are the moderate or conservative democrats? Or do we use the study that says the difference is "several years of formal education."? I would suppose it depends entirely on what you hope to "prove" by using the study, doesn't it? It's like a civil or criminal trial. One side brings in charts, graphs, studies, and sworn experts to support its position- and then the other side brings in charts, graphs, studies, an sworn experts to support the opposite side of the question. For anybody to say, "I've got this one survey that says what I want it to say and you're an idiot for not blindly accepting it or for considering other data" might indicate that the idiocy is not confined to the party being called "idiot" in the discussion. |
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