7 ms·

> One possibility is that Republican family/friends/coworkers were more public about their political views, compared to Democratic family/friends/coworkers. I

by chomp 4y ago

> One possibility is that Republican family/friends/coworkers were more public about their political views, compared to Democratic family/friends/coworkers. I live in the South. You learn very quickly as a Democrat to keep your mouth closed about politics. I know everyone in my life who votes R consistently, but the D's are harder to pin down. Election polling is even harder than weather forecasting these days. At least cold fronts follow general patterns.

Overtonwindow 4y ago
When I lived in Redwood City, CA I learned to keep my mouth shut that I was a conservative. If it had gotten out then my job would’ve been under threat, and maybe my own personal safety.
- taolegal 4y ago
  wonder why this is getting downvoted, cause I know people would think differently about me if I said I was conservative, they're all about diversity until you don't agree with them
tjs8rj 4y ago
Everyone said the reverse of this when the polling failed in 2016 - that Republicans were afraid to share their political affiliation for fear of being cancelled etc
- theprincess 4y ago
  It's pretty simple. In Democratic areas you don't speak out about being Republican and in Republican areas you don't speak out about being a Democrat. I'm from the South, lived in Oregon and New York for a while, and now live in the South again so I've seen the dynamics play both ways. Social ostracism is more vicious from Democrats but I've known of Republicans to spread outrageous rumors about Democratic voters and in places like where I grew up, if you're a man, you'll be called gay/pedo and possibly beaten (usually not jumped, but aggressively taunted with slurs until a fight ensues from what I've seen IRL) unless you're well liked for some other reason like that you're well connected, have money, or are really masculine/served in the military. Overall I'd say it's better to be a Republican in a Democratic area than the opposite since the looming threat of physical violence is worse than people just thinking you're a bad person. The main reason why Republicans in Democratic areas would have to worry would be if they work in a creative industry where being known as a bigot of some kind would cause people to not like to collaborate with you but even then you're relatively safe as long is you're only bigoted against one of the less protected minority groups like trans people (probably why trans people are the culture war topic du jour).
  - reitanqild 4y ago
    > where being known as a bigot of some kind would cause people to not like to collaborate with you but even then you're relatively safe as long is you're only bigoted against one of the less protected/liked groups like trans people Is this some kind of underhanded smear or did you write something other than what you were thinking? Or did I read it wrong? The way I read what you write that Republicans are always bigoted, the question is only about how many groups they are bigoted against.
    - ifyoubuildit 4y ago
      This was my reading as well. As someone who has zero (or even negative) party loyalty but has friends and loved ones all over the spectrum, it's really disappointing to see these kinds of casual assumptions. Edit: Though maybe a more charitable reading is that whether or not the assumption is fair, you have to acknowledge that people out there do make it, and so republicans would be wise to not advertise their affiliation.
    - cwmma 4y ago
      There are many people on the left who belive that since the republican platform these days includes anti gay rights, anti trans rights provisions, and provisions suppressing voting rights for African Americans, that the party is this bigoted and supporting said party is thus a bigoted choice because even if you don't intend to harm marginalized groups supporting Republicans will cause harm to marginalized groups.
      - reitanqild 4y ago
        By anti trans rights, do you among other things include being against doing irreversable surgeries on vulnerable teens?
        theprincess 4y ago
        > irreversable surgeries on vulnerable teens In the latest scare about this in Nashville, TN it came out that they were doing about 5 breast reductions a year on trans men who were 16-17 years old. This is a surgery that is commonly performed on cisgender boys who have gynecomastia because, surprise, boys feel awkward about having large breasts. They were only allowed to do this after counseling between them and their parents. Trans men are given these surgeries as minors from time to time because many have a habit of binding their breasts so tightly that they damage their bodies, cracking ribs etc.... Genital surgeries are not performed. https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tennessee-nashville-vanderbilt-university-6deb93f7dea92f1b2082c39f72b59766 https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tennessee-nashvil... > On average, VUMC has provided five gender affirming surgeries to minors every year since its transgender clinic opened in 2018. All were over the age of 16 and had parental consent, and none received genital procedures. In Florida they are attempting to ban SOCIAL transition which is just someone male being able to wear girls' clothes or someone female being able to wear boys' clothes. https://www.them.us/story/florida-trans-youth-transition-care-ban-ron-desantis https://www.them.us/story/florida-trans-youth-transition-car... In Tennessee they are attempting to classify "female and male impersonators" alongside strippers as being unfit to be seen in public. The law is vague enough that it would give police leeway to persecute anyone who is gender non-conforming including gay and lesbian people. Anti-crossdressing laws were the main way that gay and lesbian people were harassed up through the 70's FYI and were directly related to the Stonewall uprising. https://www.advocate.com/law/2022/11/09/bills-introduced-tenn-ban-drag-shows-gender-affirming-care https://www.advocate.com/law/2022/11/09/bills-introduced-ten... Even mentioning the existence of transgender adults around children is being legislated against and called "grooming" -- you can't make someone trans any more than you can make them gay so the idea is ridiculous. When Matt Walsh, a very notable conservative catholic anti transgender activist who works under Ben Shapiro, appeared on Joe Rogan last week he was fact checked after he claimed MILLIONS of kids are being put on puberty blockers. The actual figure, as pointed out on the show, is under 5000 in the past five years. Not even a thousand a year. He recently released an anti transgender film called "What is a Woman?" which leads one to believe that his wildly inaccurate figure was an attempt to enrage Joe Rogan's audience with a lie rather than inform them with the truth. That, or he somehow spent thousands of hours pouring over the topic and still managed to get a basic statistic wrong by two orders of magnitude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lG7Y_8bVU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lG7Y_8bVU Matt Walsh has also said that his goal is for transition to be banned for everyone including adults: https://archive.ph/mi8jc https://archive.ph/mi8jc This all adds up to one obvious conclusion, which is that the talking point you just shared is a scare tactic meant to turn people against supporting the tiny minority of trans people in this country and instead treat them as a danger to themselves and others. It's cruel and misinformed and it won't work in the long run because it's based on irrational hatred, lies and half truths rather than genuine concern about people's wellbeing.
- taeric 4y ago
  Not everyone said the reverse. And this is too close to "whataboutism" that is typically not in good faith. When you have some legitimately bad leaders on one side, it is hard to take it serious that folks are afraid "of being cancelled" when they are not afraid of the very real harm being threatened by their political affiliation of choice.
mijowi 4y ago
I live in California and it’s the same with the parties switched.
helloSirMan 4y ago
Seconded. I lived in Texas and learned to keep the peace and blow with the wind. Now, I'm in PNW, I'm similarly unsure how to proceed here. I'd fail any purity test administered.
- travisgriggs 4y ago
  Fellow PNW’er here. Welcome! I think it’s actually pretty easy. Look at any county voting map. Prevailing party vote tracks population density without fail. American politics has turned into “The country mouse and the city mouse”. Besides that, there’s a general sub vibe (e.g. Dog whistle effect) that usually signals the predominant opinion in an area.
chasd00 4y ago
No one wants to talk politics in the real world. Now on the internet it's a very different matter.
jjulius 4y ago
I'd be a bit more careful to paint such a large region with such a broad brush, there's nuance within. I grew up in the PNW, but lived in Atlanta and East Cobb in my 20's from 2010-2016. I never minded being the person in the room with an opposing viewpoint (and, importantly, never felt like I couldn't/shouldn't be that person), and know plenty of people who vote D consistently.
- taeric 4y ago
  Agreed on being careful, but I also have to ack that a broad brush works way better than you seem to be implying. Yes, there is nuance. But, also yes, GA has a runoff happening with a candidate that is bonkers. I am not at all clear I see any nuance helping explain that one.
notadev 4y ago
I’m in the inverse position, a conservative who lives in one of the most progressive counties in the country, and I work in Tech. I’m basically politically agnostic as far as anyone is concerned.
andrew_ 4y ago
I live in the South. It's nothing like that where I live because I'm in a large city in the South. The Rs are as loud and as proud as the Ds. And then there are a ton of people who are tired of the tribalism and politic ruining friendships and just choose not to care or talk about it. There isn't any fear about it in my corner of the South - we choose those we associate with wisely.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
tablespoon 4y ago
> I live in the South. You learn very quickly as a Democrat to keep your mouth closed about politics. I know everyone in my life who votes R consistently, but the D's are harder to pin down. That's polarization for you. In other places, it's the exact opposite.

by chomp 4y ago

Overtonwindow 4y ago

When I lived in Redwood City, CA I learned to keep my mouth shut that I was a conservative. If it had gotten out then my job would’ve been under threat, and maybe my own personal safety.

taolegal 4y ago
wonder why this is getting downvoted, cause I know people would think differently about me if I said I was conservative, they're all about diversity until you don't agree with them

tjs8rj 4y ago

Everyone said the reverse of this when the polling failed in 2016 - that Republicans were afraid to share their political affiliation for fear of being cancelled etc

theprincess 4y ago
It's pretty simple. In Democratic areas you don't speak out about being Republican and in Republican areas you don't speak out about being a Democrat. I'm from the South, lived in Oregon and New York for a while, and now live in the South again so I've seen the dynamics play both ways. Social ostracism is more vicious from Democrats but I've known of Republicans to spread outrageous rumors about Democratic voters and in places like where I grew up, if you're a man, you'll be called gay/pedo and possibly beaten (usually not jumped, but aggressively taunted with slurs until a fight ensues from what I've seen IRL) unless you're well liked for some other reason like that you're well connected, have money, or are really masculine/served in the military. Overall I'd say it's better to be a Republican in a Democratic area than the opposite since the looming threat of physical violence is worse than people just thinking you're a bad person. The main reason why Republicans in Democratic areas would have to worry would be if they work in a creative industry where being known as a bigot of some kind would cause people to not like to collaborate with you but even then you're relatively safe as long is you're only bigoted against one of the less protected minority groups like trans people (probably why trans people are the culture war topic du jour).
- reitanqild 4y ago
  > where being known as a bigot of some kind would cause people to not like to collaborate with you but even then you're relatively safe as long is you're only bigoted against one of the less protected/liked groups like trans people Is this some kind of underhanded smear or did you write something other than what you were thinking? Or did I read it wrong? The way I read what you write that Republicans are always bigoted, the question is only about how many groups they are bigoted against.
  - ifyoubuildit 4y ago
    This was my reading as well. As someone who has zero (or even negative) party loyalty but has friends and loved ones all over the spectrum, it's really disappointing to see these kinds of casual assumptions. Edit: Though maybe a more charitable reading is that whether or not the assumption is fair, you have to acknowledge that people out there do make it, and so republicans would be wise to not advertise their affiliation.
  - cwmma 4y ago
    There are many people on the left who belive that since the republican platform these days includes anti gay rights, anti trans rights provisions, and provisions suppressing voting rights for African Americans, that the party is this bigoted and supporting said party is thus a bigoted choice because even if you don't intend to harm marginalized groups supporting Republicans will cause harm to marginalized groups.
    - reitanqild 4y ago
      By anti trans rights, do you among other things include being against doing irreversable surgeries on vulnerable teens?
      - theprincess 4y ago
        > irreversable surgeries on vulnerable teens In the latest scare about this in Nashville, TN it came out that they were doing about 5 breast reductions a year on trans men who were 16-17 years old. This is a surgery that is commonly performed on cisgender boys who have gynecomastia because, surprise, boys feel awkward about having large breasts. They were only allowed to do this after counseling between them and their parents. Trans men are given these surgeries as minors from time to time because many have a habit of binding their breasts so tightly that they damage their bodies, cracking ribs etc.... Genital surgeries are not performed. https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tennessee-nashville-vanderbilt-university-6deb93f7dea92f1b2082c39f72b59766 https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tennessee-nashvil... > On average, VUMC has provided five gender affirming surgeries to minors every year since its transgender clinic opened in 2018. All were over the age of 16 and had parental consent, and none received genital procedures. In Florida they are attempting to ban SOCIAL transition which is just someone male being able to wear girls' clothes or someone female being able to wear boys' clothes. https://www.them.us/story/florida-trans-youth-transition-care-ban-ron-desantis https://www.them.us/story/florida-trans-youth-transition-car... In Tennessee they are attempting to classify "female and male impersonators" alongside strippers as being unfit to be seen in public. The law is vague enough that it would give police leeway to persecute anyone who is gender non-conforming including gay and lesbian people. Anti-crossdressing laws were the main way that gay and lesbian people were harassed up through the 70's FYI and were directly related to the Stonewall uprising. https://www.advocate.com/law/2022/11/09/bills-introduced-tenn-ban-drag-shows-gender-affirming-care https://www.advocate.com/law/2022/11/09/bills-introduced-ten... Even mentioning the existence of transgender adults around children is being legislated against and called "grooming" -- you can't make someone trans any more than you can make them gay so the idea is ridiculous. When Matt Walsh, a very notable conservative catholic anti transgender activist who works under Ben Shapiro, appeared on Joe Rogan last week he was fact checked after he claimed MILLIONS of kids are being put on puberty blockers. The actual figure, as pointed out on the show, is under 5000 in the past five years. Not even a thousand a year. He recently released an anti transgender film called "What is a Woman?" which leads one to believe that his wildly inaccurate figure was an attempt to enrage Joe Rogan's audience with a lie rather than inform them with the truth. That, or he somehow spent thousands of hours pouring over the topic and still managed to get a basic statistic wrong by two orders of magnitude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lG7Y_8bVU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lG7Y_8bVU Matt Walsh has also said that his goal is for transition to be banned for everyone including adults: https://archive.ph/mi8jc https://archive.ph/mi8jc This all adds up to one obvious conclusion, which is that the talking point you just shared is a scare tactic meant to turn people against supporting the tiny minority of trans people in this country and instead treat them as a danger to themselves and others. It's cruel and misinformed and it won't work in the long run because it's based on irrational hatred, lies and half truths rather than genuine concern about people's wellbeing.
taeric 4y ago
Not everyone said the reverse. And this is too close to "whataboutism" that is typically not in good faith. When you have some legitimately bad leaders on one side, it is hard to take it serious that folks are afraid "of being cancelled" when they are not afraid of the very real harm being threatened by their political affiliation of choice.

mijowi 4y ago

I live in California and it’s the same with the parties switched.

helloSirMan 4y ago

Seconded. I lived in Texas and learned to keep the peace and blow with the wind. Now, I'm in PNW, I'm similarly unsure how to proceed here. I'd fail any purity test administered.

travisgriggs 4y ago
Fellow PNW’er here. Welcome! I think it’s actually pretty easy. Look at any county voting map. Prevailing party vote tracks population density without fail. American politics has turned into “The country mouse and the city mouse”. Besides that, there’s a general sub vibe (e.g. Dog whistle effect) that usually signals the predominant opinion in an area.

chasd00 4y ago

No one wants to talk politics in the real world. Now on the internet it's a very different matter.

jjulius 4y ago

I'd be a bit more careful to paint such a large region with such a broad brush, there's nuance within. I grew up in the PNW, but lived in Atlanta and East Cobb in my 20's from 2010-2016. I never minded being the person in the room with an opposing viewpoint (and, importantly, never felt like I couldn't/shouldn't be that person), and know plenty of people who vote D consistently.

taeric 4y ago
Agreed on being careful, but I also have to ack that a broad brush works way better than you seem to be implying. Yes, there is nuance. But, also yes, GA has a runoff happening with a candidate that is bonkers. I am not at all clear I see any nuance helping explain that one.

notadev 4y ago

I’m in the inverse position, a conservative who lives in one of the most progressive counties in the country, and I work in Tech. I’m basically politically agnostic as far as anyone is concerned.

andrew_ 4y ago

I live in the South. It's nothing like that where I live because I'm in a large city in the South. The Rs are as loud and as proud as the Ds. And then there are a ton of people who are tired of the tribalism and politic ruining friendships and just choose not to care or talk about it. There isn't any fear about it in my corner of the South - we choose those we associate with wisely.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

tablespoon 4y ago

> I live in the South. You learn very quickly as a Democrat to keep your mouth closed about politics. I know everyone in my life who votes R consistently, but the D's are harder to pin down. That's polarization for you. In other places, it's the exact opposite.