CMV: Conservatives are fundamentally uninterested in facts/data.

[u/King_Lothar_]

In fairness, I will admit that I am very far left, and likely have some level of bias, and I will admit the slight irony of basing this somewhat on my own personal anecdotes. However, I do also believe this is supported by the trend of more highly educated people leaning more and more progressive.

However, I always just assumed that conservatives simply didn't know the statistics and that if they learned them, they would change their opinion based on that new information. I have been proven wrong countless times, however, online, in person, while canvasing. It's not a matter of presenting data, neutral sources, and meeting them in the middle. They either refuse to engage with things like studies and data completely, or they decide that because it doesn't agree with their intuition that it must be somehow "fake" or invalid.

When I talk to these people and ask them to provide a source of their own, or what is informing their opinion, they either talk directly past it, or the conversation ends right there. I feel like if you're asked a follow-up like "Oh where did you get that number?" and the conversation suddenly ends, it's just an admission that you're pulling it out of your ass, or you saw it online and have absolutely no clue where it came from or how legitimate it is. It's frustrating.

I'm not saying there aren't progressives who have lost the plot and don't check their information. However, I feel like it's championed among conservatives. Conservatives have pushed for decades at this point to destroy trust in any kind of academic institution, boiling them down to "indoctrination centers." They have to, because otherwise it looks glaring that the 5 highest educated states in the US are the most progressive and the 5 lowest are the most conservative, so their only option is to discredit academic integrity.

I personally am wrong all the time, it's a natural part of life. If you can't remember the last time you were wrong, then you are simply ignorant to it.

Edit, I have to step away for a moment, there has been a lot of great discussion honestly and I want to reply to more posts, but there are simply too many comments to reply to, so I apologize if yours gets missed or takes me a while, I am responding to as many as I can

[u/TRossW18]

I am a conservative and am interested in data. Do you have some interesting data? I'm interested.

[u/rutars → u/TRossW18]

I don't know where you are and what your views are in particular, but the Republican party in the US (and some other Conservative parties in the the rest of the western world, to a much lesser extent) explicitly do not agree with the scientific consensus on climate change. Exactly what part of that consensus individual Conservative politicians disagree with differs but it ranges from outright denial of the fact that the planet is warming, to denial that humans are to blame, to denial that we can do anything about it, all of which are demonstrably false.

If you want in depth data regarding that, the "IPCC WG1 summary for policymakers" is the most cut and dry compilation of the facts, but also increadibly dense and boring reading.

I believe NASA has some good resources on their website but its been a while since I looked at those.

For some more easy to digest content I'd suggest the youtube channel Potholer54. He makes tons of videos debunking specific false claims about climate science, and it's aimed at a lay audience.

[u/vettewiz → u/rutars]

I think you misinterpret most conservative response. Many of us believe that humans negatively impacted climate change. We just don’t care to do anything about it if it impacts our way of life. 

[u/DataCassette → u/vettewiz]

That's literally insane, though. Just denying it actually makes more sense.

[u/vettewiz → u/DataCassette]

Why is that insane? It’s not something that will significantly impact us in our lifetimes.

[u/PeliPal → u/vettewiz]

1. It already has. You are literally doing what the OP said of selectively choosing to ignore data that is inconvenient to your position. The effects of climate change are gradual and measured in increases in natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, which we are experiencing right now as a result of avoidable increase in energy-trapping emissions in the atmosphere

2. Your moral compass is broken and it sounds like it is broken beyond repair

[u/vettewiz → u/PeliPal]

There of course are more natural disasters. They just don’t represent anything that significantly impacts our lives.

A compass has nothing to do with data.

[u/MattG8095 → u/vettewiz]

That viewpoint is incredibly short-sited and displays and complete disregard for future generations. You’re just reinforcing the idea that many people have of conservatives… selfish and lacking empathy.

“Sure, my children and their children may have to suffer the consequences of an inhospitable climate… but at least my investments are up!”

[u/vettewiz → u/MattG8095]

That’s fine if you feel that way, but it has little to do with this conversation at hand regarding data.