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The fact is, a lot of people who describe themselves as "middle of the road" are, in fact, quite conservative. They just don't perceive that they are.
Liberals and leftists usually understand they are in a minority. But it is a long-standing tenant of conservative ideology that they represent the views of "average" Americans, aka "real" Americans, the people Nixon called "the silent majority." They don't, of course. But they believe they do, so that is what they tell people.
This, this, this.
I am very liberal and I would never label myself as "middle of the road." It seems like every time I talk to someone who claims to be "independent," they start spouting off the Fox News lines about Benghazi, Kenya, IRS, etc.
The fact is, a lot of people who describe themselves as "middle of the road" are, in fact, quite conservative. They just don't perceive that they are.
Liberals and leftists usually understand they are in a minority. But it is a long-standing tenant of conservative ideology that they represent the views of "average" Americans, aka "real" Americans, the people Nixon called "the silent majority." They don't, of course. But they believe they do, so that is what they tell people.
This is a two-way street. I know plenty of liberals who describe themselves as middle of the road but have values and positions that are decidedly liberal. I think it comes down to this: a lot of people see themselves as average and this sort of just applies to political leanings as well. People think where they stand is the "norm" and therefore middle of the road, despite where they actually fall on the spectrum.
Just about every elected official in the last 20 years should be serving 2 terms: 1 in office and 1 in jail. If I had to put that on a hypothetical dating profile I wonder how many hits I'd get?
I feel sorry for the spooks they'd assign to follow me. I'm a pretty boring guy in my day to day life. Maybe if I knew I had a shadow (cool spy term, I'm glad I finally got to use it) I'd purposefully not come to a full and complete stop at stop signs and not leave tips in the Starbucks cup next to the register. After a couple days filled with egregious crimes of such nature they would no doubt declare me public enemy #1.
The "moderate" people probably hang out with the short men and tall women who list their height as "average," and the overweight people who list their build as "average."
LOL. In my experience, overweight men often list their built as "athletic and toned."
OK...maybe their biceps are toned from lifting heavy mugs of brewski, but that is about it.
Anyway, did not expect this thread to take up 3 pages of bandwidth. In any event, I am grateful that I made this discovery before I ended up meeting this guy.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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I'd date a conservative before a libertarian myself, but I'd probably prefer neither. I dislike both parties, but as far as values I'll get along better with liberals.
I really don't run into many conservatives though, not socially. I live in fairly affluent, highly educated areas (generally) so they're not super common. When I do meet some (it happens in my profession) they're fiscally conservative (which I am myself, but the Republicans are not), and not socially conservative.
Lots of this is regional though. I'm often considered conservative and have been called a Republican to my face, though in the sphere of the U.S. spectrum I'm not. But in places like Cambridge MA, or Burlington VT, I'm not to the left... drop me back in IN or KY and I'm very much a flaming liberal.
So Match.com gives the option of describing your politics with "ultra conservative", "conservative", "very liberal", "liberal" (that's me!) or "middle of the road."
I'd been chatting with a guy from Match who was self-described as "middle of the road." Fine, as a bona fide kale-juicing, intellectual NPR-listening librul I would prefer a Democratic-leaning guy, but I live in South Florida and the pickings are already slim for my demographic. So a moderate isn't out of the question. I would, perhaps (depending on his other nice qualities) consider dating a fiscal conservative, an educated and independent voter who can hold a reasoned argument based on factual substance.
I find his Facebook, and, there we are - the offensive jokes, Fox News quotes and Obama-bashing (some of which was very poor taste and racist) did not end. It was really over the top. It is clear to me that he was describing himself as "middle of the road" just to give himself better odds by appealing to women on both ends of the spectrum. Also, we are not Facebook friends (all this stuff was on his public news feed), so I find it evidence of very poor judgment that he would put all these offensive posts out there for all the world to see if they search for his name in FB.
Next!
It sounds to me like you are very liberal in your political view.
So are you sure that someone who is "middle of the road" would look middle or moderate to you. When you get far enough to one end of the spectrum (liberal or conservative), even the moderates begin to look rather radical.
Obama is a terrific example. Conservatives (and maybe even some conservative leaning moderates) paint him as an ultra liberal. Meanwhile, the really ultra liberals hate him almost as much as the conservatives... because they feel he is too middle of the road and conservative leaning.
Anyway, being compatable in political view is very important for some, not so much for others. Depends on how you treat politics in your life and interactions with those around you.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,981,862 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Checkered24
Obama is a terrific example. Conservatives (and maybe even some conservative leaning moderates) paint him as an ultra liberal. Meanwhile, the really ultra liberals hate him almost as much as the conservatives... because they feel he is too middle of the road and conservative leaning.
True, I don't know a liberal that likes Obama. He was just a better choice than the alternatives. Having lived under a Romney Governorship it is not hard to see why, but Obama, like almost all the heads of the major parties are pro status quo, pro big business, insert profanity here.
Though I don't know what NPR listening says about politics. I never got that.
So Match.com gives the option of describing your politics with "ultra conservative", "conservative", "very liberal", "liberal" (that's me!) or "middle of the road."
I'd been chatting with a guy from Match who was self-described as "middle of the road." Fine, as a bona fide kale-juicing, intellectual NPR-listening librul I would prefer a Democratic-leaning guy, but I live in South Florida and the pickings are already slim for my demographic. So a moderate isn't out of the question. I would, perhaps (depending on his other nice qualities) consider dating a fiscal conservative, an educated and independent voter who can hold a reasoned argument based on factual substance.
I find his Facebook, and, there we are - the offensive jokes, Fox News quotes and Obama-bashing (some of which was very poor taste and racist) did not end. It was really over the top. It is clear to me that he was describing himself as "middle of the road" just to give himself better odds by appealing to women on both ends of the spectrum. Also, we are not Facebook friends (all this stuff was on his public news feed), so I find it evidence of very poor judgment that he would put all these offensive posts out there for all the world to see if they search for his name in FB.
Next!
I think a person's "political" views are important when it comes to dating, especially if someone appears to be racist, homophobic, sexist, or otherwise hateful or excessively paranoid. Those aren't politics, folks.
Don't go out with him.
Someone who is moderate in their beliefs is someone you can get along with, regardless of who they might vote for.
I am very liberal and I would never label myself as "middle of the road." It seems like every time I talk to someone who claims to be "independent," they start spouting off the Fox News lines about Benghazi, Kenya, IRS, etc.
Own up to what you are, folks.
Hey, I'm pretty left-wing, but I still describe myself as "Independent" - everyone seems to think that means I'm some sort of raging libertarian, but really, it just means I have a visceral aversion to joining any kind of group.
ADDED EDIT: What freaks me out about conservatives is that I know a few former gang members (most of whom never got caught) who are now very right-wing Republicans. So when they talk about self-reliance and all that stuff, I'm thinking "Oh, like when you were being a small-time drug dealer because you had no education, hopes or prospects?" They also happen to be very vocally pro-gun, which freaks me out even more, because I know in their younger days they were involved in stuff like drivebys. And then both of my parents, who are hardcore Republicans, are also pretty much full-blown narcissists. Some of the most morally bankrupt and most damaged people I know are conservatives. And some of the most ignorant people I know are conservatives, which I find alarming - we're talking about people who don't watch the news or don't care about what's going on in other countries, who have never willingly picked up a book. When I was in college, the sole conservative publication was incredibly juvenile and mean-spirited - it was stunning to read it and think that I was at an Ivy League institution with people who were this awful. Overall, the vast majority of my direct personal experience with conservatives has not shown me much to recommend conservativism as a worldview.
Meanwhile, the kindest, most ethical and most intelligent people I know are generally liberals. There are some major exceptions in my experience to this statement, and I certainly realize it doesn't apply globally, but this has been my general personal experience. Add in that my views on abortion, religion, health care, poverty, gay rights, etc. are direct reflections of my personal morals, and as a result, when I date, that means I tend to gravitate towards left-leaning folks because of my personal experiences.
Last edited by JrzDefector; 03-18-2014 at 07:22 AM..
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