Harvard: Democrats/Progressives/Liberals HATE the USA!

Harvard University did a study and have concluded that if you take your kids to a 4th of July parade, they are more likely to grow up and vote Republican. That being said, Republicans must love the U.S.A., and all that it has stands for; freedom, justice, etc.

On the flip side, the only other conclusion is that Liberals, Progressives, Democrats, etc. must hate the United States, since "patriotic" events run contrary to their political beliefs. If you don't go to patriotic events and you don't develop a love for your country, you will become a Democrat, and will hate America.

Interesting study, and it's about time the left admits what they truly believe and feel.

So, is this true? What are your thoughts? We can only have 2 possibilities of the truth here.

1) The Harvard study is accurate, and Democrats hate the U.S.A.
2) The Harvard study is wrong, and invalidates other studies in the process.

Which is is?

Harvard Publication

Not every child in America has the opportunity to attend Fourth of July celebrations, but those that do are prone to be more politically engaged and associate more closely with the Republican Party than their peers. Those are two conclusions in a new research paper co-authored by Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam.

The paper, titled “Shaping the Nation: Estimating the Impact of Fourth of July Using a Natural Experiment,” examines how important childhood experiences shape political views and behavior patterns later in life by investigating the impact of youth participation in Independence Day activities and adult engagement in the political process.

“In 2010, an estimated 144 million Americans age 18 or older celebrated Fourth of July by attending a barbecue. Another 98 million watched the fireworks or went to a community festivity, while more than 28 million saw a parade,” the authors write. “Beyond the immediate fervor of the festivity, however, do national day celebrations matter? Does participation in national ceremonies and parades have a deeper impact by affecting children’s political beliefs, identity, and behavior?”

Researchers face two main challenges when they examine how important formative experiences in childhood affect later-life outcomes. First, it is difficult to disentangle the causal impact of any particular experience – may it be the family, the education system, peers, or an event such as Fourth of July. Second, there is a lack of data linking childhood experiences to adult outcomes.

In their paper, the researchers use a simple but novel strategy to address these problems: they use historical data on rainfall on Fourth of July. When it rains children and their parents are less likely to participate and the events are often cancelled. Moreover, since rain is a random event, some children growing up experience nice weather and are more likely to celebrate, while others are hit by bad weather making it less likely that they join the festivities. This allows the researchers to isolate the effect of attending the celebrations from other important factors such as family background and education.

Key conclusions in the paper include:

• Fourth of July celebrations have a significant impact upon people’s political preferences;
• Attending one Fourth of July before age 18 increases the likelihood of identifying as a Republican by at least 2 percent and voting for the Republican candidate by 4 percent. It also increases voter turnout by 0.9 percent and boosts political campaign contributions by 3 percent.

“We were surprised to find that childhood experiences of Fourth July celebrations could have such persistent effects. The evidence suggests that important childhood events can have a permanent impact on political beliefs and behavior and that Fourth of July celebrations in the US affect the nation's political landscape,” concludes Yanagizawa-Drott.

David Yanagizawa-Drott is an assistant professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research interests include economic development and political economy, with special focus on civil conflict, health, information and mass media. He has explored issues such as the impact of hate propaganda on violence during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, the relationship between the government and the mass media, and how price information affects the functioning of agricultural markets in developing countries.

Andreas Madestam is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. His research focuses on development, finance, and political economy. Current work investigates the impact of school fees on primary education in Cambodia, whether there is gender discrimination in less developed credit markets, and the formation and persistence of trust in early twentieth century United States.

Uh I'm sure many Americans disagree with the U.S. for many GOOD reasons..

not just because their mommy and daddy didn't take them to see the grand finale!!!!omg

I'm not saying it, Harvard is. So, I take it you're going for #2 (The Harvard study is wrong, and invalidates other studies in the process. ) Correct?

Originally posted by sean369n
Uh I'm sure many Americans disagree with the U.S. for many GOOD reasons..

not just because their mommy and daddy didn't take them to see the grand finale!!!!omg

This study to me is kind of like "is the glass half empty" or "half full." Patriotic Americans will tend to look at their country and history in a kinder light, and seek the good things about their heritage and past. The forth of July celebration would imprint some of their nostalgic views in their childhood.

People the grew up without developing a strong respect or love of country, will look at the US with very discerning eyes and see all that is wrong with their country.

So, I would have to agree with the premise of the study as far as how it shapes people

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


I think you are simply looking for validation of YOUR hatred of Democrats/Progressives/Liberals.

Nice try though in bringing such ignorance to this place.

It's as if we didn't have ENOUGH liberal bashing, you just have to add to it with a link to this stupid study.

I'm not entirely sure you have identified the only two options. It seems to me that the Harvard study claims that those who watch Fourth of July events tend to become more Republican. If you want to say that Republicans love their country more than Democrats do, then the logic is cleaner.

I happen to believe that Republicans tend to love the country as it was created, and that Democrats tend to love the image of the country that they believe they can change the country into. (Excuse the confusion in that sentence, please.)

reply to post by charles1952


I think this study is just another garbage study. This time, because it comes from HARVARD, you think that it has more credibility.

C'mon people. Is this what we've been reduced to?

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3

No hiding now OP . You ARE saying it. I didn't read where Harvard said liberals HATE America. You did. You are taking this bland study and looking to use it to back up your own beliefs

I vote for option 3 Republicans and Democrats love America equally. Republicans just like fireworks more

Honestly, I'm not trying to validate anything. The reality is, I've never voted for a Republican president, but I did vote for Clinton in 1996. So, I don't hate Democrats. I just found this study to be interesting, in that they draw a conclusion that it's somehow patriotic people tend to be more Republican.

I'd be considered more of a Libertarian than anything. I think the big 2 are both working against the people. I formulated the original post to stimulate your emotions, so that you'd put your honest 2 cents in. That's all.

I'm merely making a point (even by giving only 2 choices) how the media and individuals can twist things, and narrow down their thought process to a finite point in hopes of swaying the debate. That's what this is all about. It's like the old question, "When did you stop beating your wife?" Make sense?

Edit: And, it's working, because everyone is getting spun up. THAT is the point!

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


Maybe liberals and progressives associate flag waving and parades with Republicans and celebrate the fourth of July in a different way?

Of course this must be the case, because people have never ever gone middle of the road with their opinions. The polarization of America means everyone falls into one of two categories: extreme left or extreme right ideology. Heaven forbid Americans ever become stricken with some genetic mutation that allows them to become Moderate thinkers. Oh, the horror! The horror!

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3

In their paper, the researchers use a simple but novel strategy to address these problems:

Novel as in... People flock to a false sense of security.

reply to post by charles1952

Charles

I happen to believe that Republicans tend to love the country as it was created, and that Democrats tend to love the image of the country that they believe they can change the country into.

On the money except I would include a "they believe" in front of " it was created".

Originally posted by lokdog
I vote for option 3 Republicans and Democrats love America equally. Republicans just like fireworks more

More along the lines of blowing things up... GWB style.

Article suggests that attending such event favors conservatism overall...it actually is a interesting study

What makes a child that experiences loud explosions, drunken flag waving, and fire become conservative...is it a feeding toward a primal fight or flight response going on here?

Anyhow, interesting article and study. As far as what the op suggests, not sure how he came to that conclusion...is the watermark of love or hate of a country dependent on your enjoyment of seeing stuff explode?

Or are you simply starting with the assumption that only conservatives love America and start from there...

Either way, the answer is...wrong, bzzzt

That being said, Republicans must love the U.S.A., and all that it has stands for; freedom, justice, etc.

If you think the U.S.A still stands for freedom, justice, ect you have more to worry about than Harvard studies ...

Take a look around you, my friend.

( I hope you're joking )

Personally, seeing as most American's celebrate Fourth of July to watch the pretty colors and listen to the loud booms, I don't think there's always a political agenda attached to participating or not.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


Hey you hi-jacked my opinion in the existing thread and turned it into a new thread.

J/K, but I did say the same thing, in the Existing thread on this study. It is all a matter of perspective. Plus, the study seems less than scientific. Are there really people that reach age 18 without ever attending at least 1 fireworks show? I find that hard to believe. I was travelling one year, and I just happened to cross over the river in downtown Montgomery, Alabama as their show was reaching its finale and it was amazing! How could someone live in the US for 18 years and not happen across at least one 4th of July celebration? The study has to be flawed.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
Or are you simply starting with the assumption that only conservatives love America and start from there...

That was the whole point of this exercise. To state things as "fact" that would actually be "opinion". Playing the role of a Glenn Beck, or Keith Olbermann, and seeing how people would react. I could have just as easily played the other side.

I found the article interesting as well, which is why I used it to spring my trap.

Originally posted by getreadyalready

Hey you hi-jacked my opinion in the existing thread and turned it into a new thread.

J/K, but I did say the same thing, in the Existing thread on this study. It is all a matter of perspective. Plus, the study seems less than scientific. Are there really people that reach age 18 without ever attending at least 1 fireworks show? I find that hard to believe. I was travelling one year, and I just happened to cross over the river in downtown Montgomery, Alabama as their show was reaching its finale and it was amazing! How could someone live in the US for 18 years and not happen across at least one 4th of July celebration? The study has to be flawed.

LOL, yeah I didn't even see that. I heard it being discussed on the radio this morning and thought I'd post it, and see if I could cause some controversy. I haven't been to a fireworks show for about a decade now. In fact, I haven't flown my flag outside my house since 2004. Sad, I know. Independence Day isn't want I romanced it being as a child, and a young adult. It's materialistic, and all about the BBQ (which I'll be having on Monday). Guess I'm a hypocrite. Anyway, I agree, the study is suspect. I think the author was trying to prove "something" to further their own personal political agenda, but sorely missed the mark.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Dont think there is.

I love a good show, even worked in a firework store a few summers when younger.

And yeah, I am one of those america hating liberals...so, perhaps the study itself may be a bit flawed.