Red vs. blue states, looks like the blue states really ARE nuts

[glenn1]

Should make for an interesting thread

Story link

Blue state madness
January 15th, 2005


Steve Sailer and others have developed lists of factors that appear to correlate fairly strongly with voting patterns in the most recent Presidential election and prior ones (white birth rates, among them). The February 2005 edition of Chicago Magazine (not yet online at www. chicagomagazine.com) offers a new insight.

The ten states (including the District of Columbia ) with the highest ratio of psychologists per 100,000 residents, were, with the exception of Colorado, all blue states which supported John Kerry (D.C, Vermont, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, in rank order from one to ten). The ten states with the lowest ratio of psychologists per 100,000 residents, all were red states supporting Bush (Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Indiana). Louisiana with the lowest ratio is listed first.

Economists will tell you that the number of psychologists per 100,000 residents is related to the percentage of the population who make use of their services. Psychologists, after all, do not work for free. Are there a higher percentage of people with mental health problems in blue states than red states? The listed red states have much higher regular church attendance ratios, by and large, than the listed blue states. Could religious affiliation be a factor in preserving mental health? Will Michael Newdow sue me for suggesting this?

Undoubtedly, some sociologists would proffer that the level of psychologists per 100,000 in a state is really a factor of income, and the top ten states in this ranking tend to be higher per capital income states than the bottom ten. But the per capital incomes for the top ten states with high psychologists per 100,000 residents are on average perhaps 1.5 times the per capital incomes for the bottom ten, and the psychologists per 100,000 ratio is almost 4 times as high for the top ten states as compared to the bottom ten, even excluding D.C, which is in another orbit entirely with a ratio that is more than twice as high as that in any state. Something other than income differential is going on here.

The well publicized story of angry and unhappy Kerry supporters in Florida receiving treatment for the newly named ?post-election distress syndrome? suggests that even in the red states, the patients who need mental health treatment may be disproportionately blue. And after November 4th, even more so.

 

[yllus]

People all over are nuts. Perhaps the people in blue states simply have the smarts to realize they need to get help.

(I'll play for the blue side today, since they seem to need help coming up with good quips lately. )

 

[jpeyton]

Blue state economies can actually support extraneous fields like psychiatry. The red staters need to worry about their cattle and the harvest first. "No monay fer silly thangs liek fancy smancy dokturs."

 

[dmcowen674]

Great opportunity to assimulate the RRR's :laugh:

 

[yllus]

Stepping back into neutrality for a sec: Actually, if you buy into the sociological theory of compartmentalization and what its effects have been like on the human psyche, it is quite possible that urban dwellers need the facilities of shrinks more than rural landowners. Personally I thought of the whole theory as junk, but YMMV.

 

[gutharius]

Actaully I don't think it has to do with anything more than popluation densities. A large portion of the US popluation is crammed into these blue states. In the red states people are more spread out and life is more relaxed because of it. That is pretty much it in my mind.

 

[illustri]

we must be godless and guilt ridden

 

[Martin]

Choose your favourite:

1. Blue staters are richer, and thus can afford more luxuries than red staters
2. red staters live in the middle of nowhere, and no smart, educated person, like a psychologist, would go there.
3. Red staters are actually more crazy, they just can't afford shrinks because they're poor dumb yokels.
4. Red staters deal with it through guns and physical abuse.

Oh yes, when duty calls I too can spin

 

[miketheidiot]

nm

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: yllus
Stepping back into neutrality for a sec: Actually, if you buy into the sociological theory of compartmentalization and what its effects have been like on the human psyche, it is quite possible that urban dwellers need the facilities of shrinks more than rural landowners. Personally I thought of the whole theory as junk, but YMMV.

I Googled for "Rat Syndrome" and didn't find what I was seeking. There is a theory that as people get more crowded, they will suffer behavioral changes that will drive them to psychosis and even to killing each other. They will be acting like rats in captivity that are crowded into small spaces, thus the name of the effect. Most cities exemplify this effect to some degree. The blue cities have done so for years. I did find an interesting link though:

rat syndrome

Canadians should follow careful procedures when reading this article. It could be harmful.

 

[Steeplerot]

Funny people are usually friendly and we know our neighbors. Whereas out in the burbs everyone is peeping into one anothers business. (Watch what happens when someone with a mohawk walks through a suburban street alone at 3 am) Shaking their fists and being pissed at other commuters. And buying into hate based off of lack of exposure to diversity.
Being in close situations if anything else I have seen helps learn new coping skills with the unknown.
BTW my rats take offense to that..they are doing fine, no psychosis and their not even killing each other.

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
Funny people are usually friendly and we know our neighbors. Whereas out in the burbs everyone is peeping into one anothers business. (Watch what happens when someone with a mohawk walks through a suburban street alone at 3 am) Shaking their fists and being pissed at other commuters. And buying into hate based off of lack of exposure to diversity.
Being in close situations if anything else I have seen helps learn new coping skills with the unknown.
BTW my rats take offense to that..they are doing fine, no psychosis and their not even killing each other.

Have you ever been to the 'burbs'? Doesn't sound like it.

 

[Steeplerot]

Yeah we have suburb, we call it "Oakland" or just the "east bay". Red staters would call it a state capitol. (Or 3 red states altogether lol)
Wouldn't it suck if we gave the red staters their actual electoral votes... The east bay by itself would trump the whole middle of america I bet! And they call us marginalized hehe

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
Yeah we have suburb, we call it "Oakland" or just the "east bay". Red staters would call it a state capitol. (Or 3 red states altogether lol)

I've been to California. I wasn't impressed.

 

[Steeplerot]

That's like saying you went to one side of the US... we have lots of flavors here. sorry your visits have a sucky itinerary.

 

[Velk]

Originally posted by: glenn1

Economists will tell you that the number of psychologists per 100,000 residents is related to the percentage of the population who make use of their services. Psychologists, after all, do not work for free. Are there a higher percentage of people with mental health problems in blue states than red states? The listed red states have much higher regular church attendance ratios, by and large, than the listed blue states. Could religious affiliation be a factor in preserving mental health? Will Michael Newdow sue me for suggesting this?

Having a problem, admitting that you have a problem, and trying to seek help for said problem are three completely different things.

That being said, while the article is making fairly amusing jabs that have no reliance on basic logic, the question is still an interesting one regardless.

Thinking about it, I would suggest that religious devotion probably is a factor is preserving mental health. It provides a lot of outlets for obsession and destructive emotions like guilt and self hatred. I would suggest that it is entirely possible that confession provides many of the same benefits that psychologists do.

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
That's like saying you went to Half of the US we have lots of flavors here. sorry your visits have a sucky itinerary.

I spent time in 37 states last year. The only one I didn't regret leaving was California. I spent four days there in LA, Venice Beach, Hemet, San Diego. The place is nice, but the pretentious people living there drive me insane. Maybe that's why you like it so well.

 

[Steeplerot]

LA is on the other side of the united states. A desert.
I do agree I hate LA and having to be in a car all the time to get anywhere which is why I live 700 miles away.
(Thats about 12 votes for bush in red stater mileage.)
And if your trying to imply I am a elitest californian for having pride in my state and my home then so be it.
I love CA OMGWTFBBQ!

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
LA is on the other side of the united states. A desert.
(I do agree I hate LA and having to be in a car all the time to get anywhere which is why I live 700 miles away.) (Thats about 12 farm houses voting for bush in red stater mileage.)

You're just so much better than me. I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now.

 

[SwissArmyBilly]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
That's like saying you went to Half of the US we have lots of flavors here. sorry your visits have a sucky itinerary.

I spent time in 37 states last year. The only one I didn't regret leaving was California. I spent four days there in LA, Venice Beach, Hemet, San Diego. The place is nice, but the pretentious people living there drive me insane. Maybe that's why you like it so well.

why were you in 37 states in one year?

 

[Steeplerot]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
LA is on the other side of the united states. A desert.
(I do agree I hate LA and having to be in a car all the time to get anywhere which is why I live 700 miles away.) (Thats about 12 farm houses voting for bush in red stater mileage.)

You're just so much better than me. I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now.

That's ok man, we liberals understand and care......*pats you on the back*

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: SwissArmyBilly

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
That's like saying you went to Half of the US we have lots of flavors here. sorry your visits have a sucky itinerary.

I spent time in 37 states last year. The only one I didn't regret leaving was California. I spent four days there in LA, Venice Beach, Hemet, San Diego. The place is nice, but the pretentious people living there drive me insane. Maybe that's why you like it so well.

why were you in 37 states in one year?

Hehe... Many reasons. Visit a friend for New Year's in NC, wedding in VT via RI to pick someone up at the Providence airport (only 150 miles out of the way ), visiting grad schools every which way, drove a friend to CA from OH (made it in two days, plus one for a night in Las Vegas ), and so on. I like road trips.

 

[illustri]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
That's like saying you went to Half of the US we have lots of flavors here. sorry your visits have a sucky itinerary.

I spent time in 37 states last year. The only one I didn't regret leaving was California. I spent four days there in LA, Venice Beach, Hemet, San Diego. The place is nice, but the pretentious people living there drive me insane. Maybe that's why you like it so well.

haha and you talk about pretentious
theres more people in LA proper than all of Missouri, its no surprise there'll be more assholes in california than in most other states -- its just statistics

but hey, one less when you left

 

[CycloWizard]

Originally posted by: Steeplerot

Originally posted by: CycloWizard

Originally posted by: Steeplerot
LA is on the other side of the united states. A desert.
(I do agree I hate LA and having to be in a car all the time to get anywhere which is why I live 700 miles away.) (Thats about 12 farm houses voting for bush in red stater mileage.)

You're just so much better than me. I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now.

That's ok man, we liberals understand and care......*pats you on the back*

And here I thought cons were supposed to be the arrogant bastards.

 

[Steeplerot]

Traveling is great seriously try nocal sometime.
It's a unique beauty you don't find in the south side especially up in the mountains.
When you see those huge redwoods you will rethink the tree-hugger idea and all that.
Matter of fact drop in for a beer sometime in SF while your at it.
We promise not to make you gay or something
(And everyone knows the hottest women hang out where the gay guys are anyhow.)
oops I wasen't suppossed to tell the red-staters that!