Who really cares?

[allisnow]

A new book, titled "Who Really Cares"by Arthur C. Brooks examines the actual behavior of liberals and conservatives when it comes to donating their own time, money, or blood for the benefit of others. It is remarkable that beliefs on this subject should have become conventional, if not set in concrete, for decades before anyone bothered to check these beliefs against facts.

People who identify themselves as conservatives donate money to charity more often than people who identify themselves as liberals. They donate more money and a higher percentage of their incomes.

It is not that conservatives have more money. Liberal families average 6 percent higher incomes than conservative families.

[...]

Conservatives not only donate more money to charity than liberals do, conservatives volunteer more time as well. More conservatives than liberals also donate blood.

[...]

Those on the left proclaimed their moral superiority in the 18th century and they continue to proclaim it in the 21st century. What is remarkable is how long it took for anyone to put that belief to the test -- and how completely it failed that test.

Is anyone really surprised? I'm not.

Comments

[madjm.livejournal.com]

I saw a story about this book last week. And. Cracked. Up.

For some reason, the blood donation is what sent me over the edge, laughing my ass off.

[beatrice_otter]

Yeah. It's been pretty obvious to me for a while. The liberals, while claiming moral superiority, assume that nobody will actually donate time and money for a good cause unless the government makes them. That's the whole rationale behind high taxes to fund a welfare state--that people won't do anything if you don't make them.

I've always thought that ideology says more about the people who hold it than it does about society as a whole.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that ideology says more about the people who hold it than it does about society as a whole.

Sad, isn't it?