I wonder what the education level of your typical freeper is

[Swede]

seriously. Is there any stats.

[BBradley]

1. ohh the irony (n/t)

[monobrau]

2. Yeah - not off to a good start here

-nt

[lebkuchen]

9. Americans are fossilizing Bush's grammar errors

Bush has not created peace and harmony in the world, but we can credit him with a new dialect.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/561/4130790.html

"There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks."

[jiacinto]

3. You'd be surprised

You really would be.

[Swede]

5. The hatemail DU gets is probably

written with crayon.

[Dagaz]

7. agreed

The poor aren't for tax cuts.

[Clark Can WIN]

4. Education

does not equal knowledge.



Just ask Pickles.

[Friar]

16. Education is similar to knowledge

but has nothing to do with wisdom.

[schultzee]

19. Most liberals either have liberal arts educations or read a lot of

come from a background where their parents were liberal. Most freepers I know are either uneducated or tech types or people who do not read.

[punpirate]

6. I doubt that anyone's done a careful study...

... after all, there are better ways to employ science.

But, I would hazard this guess, based on the recent analysis done by education and political perceptions and comparing those to where people predominantly get their news.

The average freeper is probably not average, in the sense that the membership is at least two-tiered. There's likely a fairly broad blue-collar bottom without a great deal of education, and an upper tier of reasonably well-educated people who believe in the libertarian side of the right's arguments. No taxes, individual responsibility, strong belief in social Darwinism--those are arguments the better-educated could somehow embrace because there's a resemblance to fact behind them.

There was a study released recently about conservatives and their tendencies, but I'm not sure it was statistically broken down by education level.

The other issue is certainly a scientific one--what is meant by "freeper?" Dyed-in-the-wool rampant survivalist, or the person in a Brooks Brothers suit and a good job who also happens to believe everything the John Birch Society tells him?

One can't do any statistical sampling without defining the sample.

Cheers.

[Swede]

8. Well us posters at DU are far from monolithic

but we don't ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room like the freepers do.

[schultzee]

20. What do you think of the authortarian personality type that has been

connected with conservative thought?

[punpirate]

21. I haven't read the entire study...

... so I can't speak to it, except the results which have been published (and that is the study I reference in my post).

Have I met people with those characteristics that were conservatives? Certainly, as must have you.

But, trying to tie an ill-defined set of opinions and beliefs of the "freeper" to educational level is probably difficult, as I mentioned. Clarence Thomas is a devotee of Rush Limbaugh, as are freepers. Are they all racists because they listen to the gasbag? Possibly not. Do they all fall into a general level of education because they're conservative as hell? Certainly not. David Duke is reasonably well-educated, and by no means stupid, but, he's clearly a racist.

Trying to pin the problem on lack of education isn't a fruitful avenue to explore. I think there's a galaxy of traits that incline someone to become a fascist personality--either as a leader or a follower.

If you really want to understand the mind of the freeper, my advice is to read Eric Hoffer's _The True Believer_. I don't think that statistics on education will help much in that understanding, nor will a study tying conservatism to authoritarian personality traits... after all, we all know that truth already in a general sense from personal experience.

Cheers.

[lebkuchen]

10. All freepers I personally know are racists

Ignorance goes hand in hand...

[Tom Kitten]

11. As a friend, I'd suggest editing your post...

"Is there any stats" should be written as "Are there any stats"...

After all, isn't Bush the one who we claim say "is your children learning well?"...

I hope I haven't offended you.

[Swede]

13. Your grammar is atrocious.

It are?

[Journeyman]

14. I believe that's the point of Posts 1 & 2. . .

n/t

[Swede]

18. You are Canadian,not you are?

[Friar]

17. I thought he was making a joke...n/t

[Gringo]

12. I dunno, but...

Dumbya proves that one can attend Yale and Harvard, and still be a blithering idiot (if somewhat cunning in certain ways)

They're probably not far off from average in credentials, but in actual learning and comprehension, they are pathetic, obviously.

[Swede]

15. One freeper posted

How much honor Bush brought to the whitehouse. They must be able to read the local paper surely.