What are the non-political differences between conservatives and liberals? Personality, jobs, demographics.?

Question

This is a serious question.

Please don't say one side is stupid, and the other never has a job. None of that, please.

Answer 1

I think, and this is just from observation, that liberals are more laid back about life, more carefree, almost to a fault. Conservatives are more uptight and concerned about things. It's not necessarily stress, it's just a need to be in control. I notice that more liberals are fashion designers, interior decorators, history teachers, art teachers. Liberals tend to be left brained people with arts and sciences. Conservatives are accountants, mortgage brokers, managers, things of that sort. Postions of authority. Liberals tend to live in more foward areas while conservatives are more likely to live in areas with more traditional people and values. Liberals are more often involved in long term relationships vs. marraige while conservatives often marry younger.

I want to say as a last note that this is not the case for everyone, this is just a generalizations and while it's not necessarily one for me to make, it's just observation and I feel that these observations allow for a generalized statement.

Answer 2

Very interesting question. I think that one big difference tends to be education. This can be illustrated by looking at the blue states and the red states. The coasts tend to be blue and the center of teh country tends to be red. The blue states also match where the greatest concentration of more highly educated reside. Liberals tend to see things in greys - whereas conservatives tend to be more black and white in their view of the world. Liberals tend to be more open minded to novel ideas, conservatives tend to appreciate well established ideas. Liberals have a tendency to be more sympathetic to the plight of others, conservatives tend to percieve the world from a more selfish perspective. Conservatives decide from their gut and then struggle to reason out a justification, liberals tend to weigh too many factors in making a decision, making the process overly complex. Liberals see the world as being much more complex than conservatives. Conservatives are really good at taking simple attractive ideas and communicating them to others thru slogans or simplistic metaphors. Liberals arent satisfied until they have written a treatise on every issue and then expect people to read it.
Conservatives tend toward authoritarian jobs where there is a clear and powerful chain of command, because its simplifies their world - the military, the police, old established businesses like banking. Businesses that emphasise tradition over creativity. Such as thr religion business
Conservatives tend toward positions that control people rather than serve them. Hence their disinterest in refining equality of opportunity, at all levels they tend toward ideas and policies which will protect priveledge, to protect their own priveledge
Liberals on the other hand tend more towards positions that require creative thought, that requires open minded search for best solutions. Positions that require at least some degree of idealism and selflessness because their primary function is to serve individuals and the community. Teacher is good example of this tendency.

A conservative would say an 'eye for an eye' a liberal would respond I am not sure those two eyes are exactly comparable for these 10 reasons and in the interests of fairness .............

Your choices are between quick to judge, appearing decisive, simplistic morality and fast to blame and often wrong or out of date and the liberal alternative appearing indecisive, long winded and boring, profoundly nuanced morality, and more often right, that is ultimately when they have considered all 10 thousand rationales and solutions. It is a choice between self righteous messianic meglomania and the liberals tortured angst

If I had to choose - I would definitely choose the angst

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Conservatives are more into the the 'old' ways, and saving up of money. Liberals want reform...fast and now. They don't care for money as much as people. Well, both are a huge group, so telling you on their personality, jobs, and demographics would be extremely stereotypical.

Answer 4

conservatives - white, male, protestant, usually a college degree, although often lower-level education. rarely a liberal arts education. rural. orthodox jews. small-business owners. middle aged and increasingly older, military, doctors (on account of wanting to limit medical malpractice claims), Cubans, children of conservatives

liberals - minorities (except cubans), women, catholics, non-orthodox jews, HS degrees and graduate degrees (unknown why less education or more, but not just college makes you more likely to be liberal, interesting question), urban, young and the very old (Roosevelt democrats), labor unions, attorneys (although this is included in the graduate degree field), children of liberals, people who have travelled extensively or lived abroad

obviously, these are generalizations. they are characteristics which, statistically, increase your chances of being of a political persuasion

one interesting psychological study i read found that conservatives tend to prefer explanations that settle things in black and white, while liberals are discomfited by this and prefer nuance and shades of grey, rather than absolutes.

another analysis has argued that conservatives adhere, psychologically, to a notion of a strict, authoritarian father that lays out hard fast rules and severe discipline, this is how they conceive of a proper family, while liberal conceptualize family in terms of a nurturing mother figure that rewards positives rather than punishing negatives, being a source of safety rather than judgment.

P.J. O'Rourke says repubs are the scum off of business & dems are the scum off politics... When Republicans ruin the environment, destroy the supply of affordable housing and wrech the industrial infrastructure, at least they make a buck off it. The Dems just do these things for fun.

I think this only goes to suggest that the dems are more fun.

Answer 5

Liberals do not like rules and hygiene (I go to school with plenty of them to make that statement). They want to GIVE other people's money away but not theirs. Menial work because they think hard work is unneeded.

Conservatives are smarter in business and cleaner. They have morals and go to church. They tend to have more money and live in the suburbs with a minivan or an SUV.

Answer 6

I HELLBENT have noticed that even though I am liberal to the core - I like Conservatives and their way of living better. It is more genteel and refined and I HELLBENT am all about that!

Answer 7

People tend to be more liberal where there is high population density.

Answer 8

Conservatives usually are scientists, mathmaticians, soldiers, small business owners

Liberals usually are teachers, news reporters, global warming "scientists", UN ambassadors, and French

These are generaliztions except for the French part

Answer 9

conservatives drive chevys, and higher end vehicles, and liberals drive prius', subarus and saabs