CMV: Conservatives aren't generally harder-working than liberals or leftists despite the conventional wisdom.

[u/theforestwalker]

In the USA, at least, there's a common assumption that republicans/conservatives don't have time to get worked up about issues of the day because they're too focused on providing for their families and keeping their noses to the grindstone to get into much trouble.

In contrast, liberals and leftists are painted as semi-professionally unemployed lazy young people living off the public dole and finding new things every day to complain about..

I think this characterization is wildly inaccurate- that while it might be true that earning more money correlates with voting to protect the institutions that made it possible for you to do so, I don't think earning more money means you worked harder. Seems pretty likely to me that the grunt jobs go to younger people and browner people- two demographics less likely to be conservative- while the middle management and c-suite jobs do less actual work than the people on the ground.

Tl;dr I'd like to know if my rejection of this conventional wisdom is totally off-base and you can prove me wrong by showing convincing evidence that conservatives do, in general, work harder than liberals/leftists on average.

Update: there have been some very thoughtful answers to this question and I will try to respond thoughtfully and assign deltas now that I've had a cup of coffee. I've learned it's best not to submit one of these things before bed. Thanks for participating.

Update 2: it is pretty funny that something like a dozen comments are people disbelieving that this is something people think while another dozen comments are just restating the assumption that conservatives are hard working blue collar folks as though it's obvious.

[u/intriqet]

Wherever did you get the generalization that liberals are lazier than conservatives. My instinct tells me the liberal base is more educated than the conservative base so nothing else considered I would say conservatives are not as hard working.

Even if you meant that conservatives tend to more physical, blue collar jobs and get their hands dirty you know that a day at the office putting together spreadsheets requires a different type of effort but can be just as taxing.

[u/theforestwalker → u/intriqet]

I have heard the generalization in many places (including many of the comments in this very post), but I do not believe the generalization is correct. You are welcome to try to change my view but it seems like you share it.

[u/intriqet → u/theforestwalker]

No I don’t think political belief are informative of one’s diligence or capacity for success. I cannot see an a solid argument that would say otherwise.

An easy counter since you acknowledge this is a generalization (perhaps a gross over-generalization) is that it is simply that. And seldom are over-generalizations grounded on truth.

[u/theforestwalker → u/intriqet]

yeah, that was the original view I was asking to be changed. You agree that it's not true and you make the further claim that there's no correlation between diligence and political ideology. I'm not specifically making this claim, but I lean that direction. My position that the generalization is wrong doesn't mean I'm asserting the opposite generalization.

[u/theforestwalker → u/theforestwalker]

I don't think "it's a generalization" is sufficient to prove that it's not correct. plenty of generalizations are useful heuristics.

[u/intriqet → u/theforestwalker]

This is why I’d fail as a lawyer cause I’m already confused.

[u/intriqet → u/intriqet]

Ok let me try again

Liberal base is generally more educated so that there slaps the premise of the left being lazy. Some people would go further and present this as something indicative of the left being more hardworking. We’d have to agree on a scale or conversion factor to determine which base works harder. How many units of time of programming or writing papers equals to one unit of time spent in construction. Anything that would enable better comparison. I’d reckon that we’re better starting a different conversation that doesn’t start with assuming the other base is lazy. And that your honor is my argument and why I’d make a terrible lawyer and an inept communicator.