How Do Progressives “Happen?”
I have to say that I love this meme; perhaps one could say it’s a summary of what it means to be a progressive/liberal.
Obviously, it’s possible to argue against it, which is why there are lots of conservatives out there. There IS danger; we DO need laws.
Yet I can remember from the time I was three or four years old, wondering how it was possible that people could treat one another so poorly. This planet is chock full of bullies, greed, extreme privation, injustice, violence and hate…though progressives believe that it’s within our power to change that and feel a sense of responsibility to use that power.
Let’s study this a bit from the perspective of early 21st Century science, in which we know that progressives and conservatives are basically wired differently in terms of their brain chemistry and structure. Here’s something to chew on: conservatives, who, by definition, dislike change and repel societal elements that may cause it, in comparison to their counterparts, have physically larger amygdalas. This, of course, is the part of the brain that provides the immediate stimulus/response fight-or-flight mechanism that is vital to survival in extremely dangerous conditions, like those that pervaded the lives of the hominids in the early history of the human race.
On top of that is the emerging study of epigenetics, i.e., inheritance by mechanisms other than through the DNA sequence of genes. It’s believed that we receive information that somehow tells certain of our genes to express themselves and certain others to lie dormant.
In the end, though whatever physical or spiritual mechanism, we all feel perfectly natural and comfortable with our belief systems, and have a hard time understanding why everyone doesn’t agree. But where some people are angry with their political/philosophical opponents, I try not to be, for the reasons expressed above: such beliefs are largely out of our control. 
Rational people aren’t angry with compasses because they point north.
So, next time you run into the dude on the right, you can let your heart fill with anger, or you can think to yourself, “Man, check out the amygdala on that guy!”
Craig,
Curious,…! You write proudly of you ability to think calmly and rationally, condemning bullies, greed, extreme privation, injustice, violence and hate… etc.
But, in the following paragraph you write in a condescending manner of any person not adhering to your philosophic/ideological/political beliefs as being immoral, inferior etc. You even advance a distorted pseudo-scientific theory as to why your opponents are less worthy (sub) humans due to some physical defect in brain structure!
What’s truly amazing, is you can do this with a straight face !
What next, eugenics ? Phrenology ? People with red hair are more like to….? Are you trying to invent a new apartheid based on the size of the amygdalas ?
“conservatives, who, by definition, dislike change and repel societal elements that may cause it, in comparison to their counterparts, have physically larger amygdalas ”
First of all, by whose ‘definition’ ? Who defines “conservatives” ? By starting with your own assertion as if it were an indisputable fact, you guarantee your own conclusion.
Secondly, no legitimate studies exist to support such absurd theories.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793824/ ]
These peculiar “studies’ gained a lot of currency with the rise of a Populist President, Donald Trump and became “pop science” in the popular progressive media to justify attacking opponents.
Any impartial and objective examination of the claims by exponents of this nonsense, such as , New York University’s Professor of psychology and neural science, Dr Jay Van Bavel reveals his methods to be more about his own political beliefs than any dedication to science.
In recent times a plethora of these “studies” undertaken, each more bizarre than the last, and all attracting wildly erroneous distortions in the popular press have emerged.
One common word is predominant in all these studies, the term “may”. The word is commonly used to indicate and qualify all “research” conclusions which contain a large potion of speculation and questionable methodology..
In the popular press, and among eager leftist “progressive” adherents, the cautionary word “may” becomes rapidly translated into “is” and any degree of error or uncertainty, ignored.
Even more curious is the do=ogged adherence by the majority of leftist “progressives” to long out-dated political dogma and agenda. (I guess by their own definition, that makes them conservative!:))
People are not so easily defined. As a species, we are amazing chameleons, each human being capable of a myriad of contradictory opinions and changing values. We react to different circumstances based not solely on some preconditioned brain chemistry, but on a wide combination of factors, including experience, education, training, resources etc.
While all humans may have much in common, we are all unique individuals.