There's No Arguing With Conservatives ... No, Seriously, Scientific Studies Prove It

A new study out of Yale University confirms what argumentative liberals have long-known: Offering reality-based rebuttals to conservative lies only makes conservatives cling to those lies even harder. In essence, schooling conservatives makes them more stupid. From the Washington Post article on the study, which came out yesterday:

Political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler provided two groups of volunteers with the Bush administration's prewar claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. One group was given a refutation -- the comprehensive 2004 Duelfer report that concluded that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded in 2003. Thirty-four percent of conservatives told only about the Bush administration's claims thought Iraq had hidden or destroyed its weapons before the U.S. invasion, but 64 percent of conservatives who heard both claim and refutation thought that Iraq really did have the weapons. The refutation, in other words, made the misinformation worse.

A similar "backfire effect" also influenced conservatives told about Bush administration assertions that tax cuts increase federal revenue. One group was offered a refutation by prominent economists that included current and former Bush administration officials. About 35 percent of conservatives told about the Bush claim believed it; 67 percent of those provided with both assertion and refutation believed that tax cuts increase revenue.

In a paper approaching publication, Nyhan, a PhD student at Duke University, and Reifler, at Georgia State University, suggest that Republicans might be especially prone to the backfire effect because conservatives may have more rigid views than liberals: Upon hearing a refutation, conservatives might "argue back" against the refutation in their minds, thereby strengthening their belief in the misinformation. Nyhan and Reifler did not see the same "backfire effect" when liberals were given misinformation and a refutation about the Bush administration's stance on stem cell research.

If you've ever gotten in an argument with your conservative friends (assuming you haven't offered each other a mutual Carville-Matalin-style political ceasefire to preserve the friendship), you've probably seen this "backfire effect" in action. The more you try to tell people that Sarah Palin is lying when she says she was against the Bridge to Nowhere, the more they believe she was telling the truth. The more you try to explain how similar McCain's policies are to Bush's, the more they maintain he's "the original maverick."

The typical mantra of the left is that we don't need to sink to the Republicans' level because we have the truth on our side. But if the other side is utterly immune to the truth -- and indeed, the truth only makes them dig deeper into their fantasy world in which the economy is fundamentally strong and the War in Iraq is a staggering success -- what's a leftie to do?

I ain't got the answers, ace, except to say this: When arguing with conservatives in front of on-the-fence independents, remember that you're not trying to convince the conservative to actually buy into silly notions like facts and reason. You're highlighting the differences between left and right for the outside observer. If the other guy insists on political views that belong only in Disney World's Fantasyland, other folks will realize what's happening.

But if there is no third party, do yourself a favor and save your breath. As the study demonstrates, you're only making matters worse. Consider that aforementioned ceasefire. It is football season, after all. There's plenty of other things to argue about. Go Mizzou!

Comments

[fedupinfl]

What a coincidence that I came upon this post today. I forwarded out a video from the defendersaction fund regarding aeriel hunting. In case you want to see: Warning, it is explicit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQobIUE1zTU

So I get a reply from one of my friends who I suspected was a Republican and sure enough, the reply she gives me is " Just to let you know, this footage was from Wild Kingdom in the 90s" like it wasn't legit or something! OK, so I try to explain that sure it may be footage from that show because they are trying to show actual footage of how it is done but that doesn't change the fact that Palin supports and encourages it. I guess she has to actually see Palin shooting the wolves in order to believe it. So, no, I don't think you can argue with Conservatives. They will just refuse to see the facts and truth when it is staring them in the face!

[timm0]

This is why the Obama campaign has to drown mccain in the accusations of lying all the way thru election day.

The piece that this study appears to leave out is the credibility of the sources of information. When someone they like (limbaugh, etc.) reaffirms a very conservative person's opinion on a matter, they believe it without question. Blind faith. The only way any of them can be convinced to reject their opinion is to attack the credibility of the source.

But in the end, this will only effect a small percentage of a 'true believer' republican voters. It's sad and pathetic, but that's just the way it is. We need to go after the votes that we can actually get.

John Stuart Mill was dead on when talking about "conservatives" - "Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservati­ve."

[LeftRight]

It's just a fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives want to be told what to think, when to think it, and that's it. Liberals want the truth. Even when it hurts to know that truth, you STILL want to know it.

That's why the conservatives who claim to decry "Government!" are VERY big on creating Big Brother!

[laocoon]

GO TIGERS. Sounds like some people I know. That is why they attack the messenger. if it disturbs their conclusion the source must be lyin'

[moAb]

Interesting stuff. I thoroughly agree having spent much of the past weekend experiencing the "backfire effect". The effect, from my experience in the past 6 months particularly, is much more intense in those Repubs/con­servatives who are also Evangelicals/Right wing Christians. Thus even pointing out the probable theological problems if not outright heretical beliefs that Palin and her husband hold does nothing to sway such people from rabid, staunch support of "Sarah".

As you pointed out "GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!!"

[Ulysse]

Well, if the Republican win this election, the I think that the American people should be registered at the Darwin Awards
http://www.darwinawards.com//)

for s t u p i d i t y to the max!