Friday, July 1, 2011

Warning: the following content may be cause for conservatism




Here's some red meat to serve up going into the 4th of July weekend...


Bad news, libs... Don't let your kids anywhere near those gosh-darn xenophobic, John Phillips Souza-playing and flag-waving July 4th parades and celebrations.




Harvard: July 4th Parades Are Right-Wing
Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend's July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.

"Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation's political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party," said the report from Harvard. [See political cartoons about the 2012 GOP field.]

"The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans," write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam.
(italics, ours)

Leave it to a bunch of egg-heads from Harvard to think that unabashed celebrations of the birth of this country can be more politically biased as celebrated by Republicans.

And leave it to a bunch of egg-heads from Harvard to misinterpret their own findings. We don't think 4th of July parades turn you into an (R) per se. It's probably more a case of right-leaning folks are more apt to turn up at the pie-eating and apple-bob contests on the 4th. Whaddya want? We're simple-minded folk. If you think yourself to be more patriotic than the other guy, you're more likely to go to events that celebrate the birth of this country, right?

And compounding this, we know as anecdotal fact that many liberals are extremely uncomfortable with open displays of patriotism. Therefore, it is actually they who politicize these 4th of July events by their mere non-attendance.

The solution: hug a liberal this weekend. Seriously. Let them know that it's cool to be happy that they live in the greatest nation on earth and enjoy freedoms that nearly every other person on this planet does not. We just don't get it. How could you simply not be bursting with joy, pride and gratefulness all this weekend?

Here's to a great 4th of July weekend!

3 comments:

B-Daddy said...

The difference in political affiliation comes in at 2%. So these idiots were just looking for a way to bash patriotic displays. There's nothing to this so called study at all.

Harrison said...

This post is as Right Wing as apple pie.

K T Cat said...

The ironic thing is that these academics worship the Euros who themselves are extremely patriotic. I think it's a case of devotion to something you don't really understand.

Whatever the case with the eggheads, all through out trip to Italy, I wished I'd had American t-shirts to wear, particularly something on the order of the Che-takeoff shirt with Reagan's image that B-Daddy has.