On Mon, 3 Nov 2003, mike larkin wrote:
> One thing I've noticed among 20 somethings I'm around is that Bush is
> tremendously popular among young people. His approval rating approaches
> 70 percent in one recent poll I saw. Even young people who disagree with
> most of his policies, and are struggling economically, say they plan to
> vote for him. That is totally ominous for the future of the "best
> country in the world." Noam may have to withdraw his comment in a few
> years.
>
Here's an anecdote from the "left coast" (Pacific NW): We were discussing anti-social personality disorder in my Psych class, and I emphasized that the major symptoms were manipulating or hurting others, having no guilt or remorse about it, and possessing above average intelligence. One student said, "Like Saddam, right?" I pointed out that casual psychological diagnoses of political leaders are often dubious; for instance, many people around the world would argue that Pres. Bush has the same "disorder". Without missing a beat another student interjected: "Yeah, but Bush isn't intelligent".
The class laughed. I tried to keep a straight face.
Miles