I foresee great things for this thread:
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Originally Posted by Dictionary Rationalization - the process of constructing a logical justification for a belief, decision, action or lack thereof that was originally arrived at through a different mental process. It is a defense mechanism in which unacceptable behaviors or feelings are explained in a rational or logical manner; this avoids the true explanation of the behavior or feeling in question. |
Rationalizations are not good things, and in fact, are tools used by those who cannot admit to why they think the way they think.
The article itself states that liberals are indeed more in touch with reality, because they cannot create an excuse for things that conservatives glaze over.
This quote is telling:
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liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light
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For the physical differences in people, inequality is indeed a neutral or positive thing, depending on your view of genetics, eugenics, or any myriad of "health of the species" topics.
However, when the vague term "inequalities" is applied to areas such as academic opportunity, healthcare coverage, or other important societal and economic factors, inequalities tend to become more of a problem than a neutral or positive factor towards a system. For instance, inequality in pay between women and men of the same education level exists today, and is not a good thing. Where a conservative will rationalize it away, the liberal will be cognizant of the problem. This contributes to an overall decline in "happiness" due to being more aware of social problems than their conservative counterparts.
In closing, "liberals" and "conservatives" are shown to either give a shit or not, based on how good they or their friends have it.
What a shocker.
