I have always sensed a deep disconnect between liberals and conservatives on this forum. Not just on the issues, but on how things are interpreted. A liberal and a conservative on this forum can look at a political "fact" and consume the information in completely different ways.
Take the issue of gay marriage.
A liberal will look at it as purely a civil rights issue. We are Americans, all Americans deserve equal rights. So legalizing gay marriage is a no brainer.
A conservative looks at the same issue and sees legalizing it as unraveling the traditional moral fabric of our country, and thus making our nation weaker. It may not even be based on homophobia, they just see it as an issue that will change, divide, and weaken our nation.
Well, I did some research and there might be some truth to this theory.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/culture/is-there-a-%E2%80%98liberal-gene%E2%80%99/It might even be manifested in our body language
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101209074403.htmThis is crazy. In the above article, researchers found that liberals follow "gaze cues" more frequently that do conservatives- that is following someone's gaze when they are having a conversation. If someone talks to a conservative and looks away, they are actually more likely to maintain eye contact with the person. They say it's due to conservatives' natural desire for personal autonomy that prompts them not to follow someone's gaze.
So, does this theory make sense?