Serious question, why are today's so-called 'conservatives' and GOPrs all assholes?

[misanthrope]

19. Most all of my relatives are conservative Republicans

I'm a white guy from Alabama so the odds could tell you that much. Not all of them are "assholes" or "mean."

If you know Southern culture you're expecting this next part: they're pretty religious, socially conservative, averse to "rocking the boat" and always deferential to "tradition" and the status quo. Some are evangelicals. My wife's family is Roman Catholic but just as socially conservative. They all end up voting for the same folks.

Very few of them are outright venomous. Instead, fear plays too big a role in their lives. Some because they're narrow-minded or bigoted. Some because they are simply old. Some because they have authoritarian sensibilities.

Some have lived humbly and done good things, built houses for the unfortunate or fed the hungry. Too often it comes attached to proselytization but at least they tried to show their commitment to the messages of the homeless figure they worship.

There are a couple who fit the "asshole" description in ways, one in particular who is a nasty piece of work. Mostly though, they're average folks from a regional culture perfectly suited for keeping its denizens docile, servile and unquestioning.

Yes, they exasperate me. Yes, I have to limit my exposure to them. I don't agree with them in a lot of ways, but I don't hate them either. I think they're misguided and temporarily comfortable in their willful ignorance.