Why are technical message boards overwhelmingly liberal?

[astralvoid]

It seems very odd to me that most technical forums tend to be overwhelmingly liberal biased. I typically assume that most technical people are deep thinking, logical persons. Unfortunately, I've noticed that political threads seem to contradict this assumption.

So many threads dissolve into "You're wrong!...No, you're wrong!" type arguments that never truly discuss whatever the topic happens to be. As a technical person myself, I try to gather as much information as possible before making a conclusion. Conversely, many others seem to base their conclusions on feelings of how they want things to be instead of basing them on the facts.

While I am not against anyone standing on their core beliefs, I find it disappointing that so many seem to toss all of their logical reasoning skills out the window when something political is mentioned. Mathematically, I would expect to find and somewhat even mix of opinions, so given the imbalance, I can only assume that many of you choose not to make use of your generally better skills in reasoning.

Regardless, if anyone answers I hope this will stir you to try to think about what you are supporting and base those beliefs on fact instead of theory and speculation, just as you would do if you were discussion an new super-cool CPU from one of the chip makers. No matter which side of the fence you lean towards, if you base your conclusions on the given facts, it's probable you'll see viewpoints that may differ from your initial stand.

 

[JD50]

Oh boy...

 

[Genx87]

I think if you look at most boards they break down the same way. Liberals tend to have a bigger mouth and are happy to use it. Rarely do you see conservatives out pissing and moaning about things like a liberal. We tend to piss and moan in private and damn the world!

Watch the conventions. RNC will be protested like there is no tomorrow. I dont know about the DNC, but I suspect if there are any protesters they will be ultra lefties pissed off at how centrist Obama has become.

 

[wwswimming]

liberals tend to be less afraid of thinking.

 

[StageLeft]

Crowd is younger, I would guess. Also some may be more educated

 

[PokerGuy]

Originally posted by: wwswimming
liberals tend to be less afraid of thinking.

:roll: Idiot.

Techno-savy people tend to be younger as they've grown up with the technology. Younger people tend to be more idealistic as well as liberal, thus the more left-leaning crowds on technology oriented boards.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: Genx87
I think if you look at most boards they break down the same way. Liberals tend to have a bigger mouth and are happy to use it. Rarely do you see conservatives out pissing and moaning about things like a liberal. We tend to piss and moan in private and damn the world!

Watch the conventions. RNC will be protested like there is no tomorrow. I dont know about the DNC, but I suspect if there are any protesters they will be ultra lefties pissed off at how centrist Obama has become.

Conservatives are content with the way things are. Liberals are always progressive. This is the drive of mankind. It's especially true in America, where we like to reinvent ourselves and see failure as an opportunity.

TBH, I like being around liberals. They're far more interesting and fun.

 

[dsity]

because everone here thinks their shit don't stink.

 

[Trianon]

to be involved in technology one is required to have good reasoning skills and use logic

 

[ProfJohn]

Young college grads = core liberal group

Come back in 20 years and see how many of them have changed sides.

Or if Obama wins and tries to turn the country to the left watch them change faster.
Most of them are to young to remember how liberals actually run the country. The last time this happen was 1993-94. Other wise liberals have been out of power since 1980.

 

[Mucho]

Maybe it's because conservatives are too busy listening to AM radio.

 

[astralvoid]

Originally posted by: Mucho
Maybe it's because conservatives are too busy listening to AM radio.

LOL! Although I might be guilty, I still think that was funny!

 

[Linflas]

You can't judge the political leanings of a tech board by the posters in the P&N section. The polls I have seen quoted indicate that tech people are somewhat libertarian tending to be financially conservative and socially liberal.

 

[Pliablemoose]

You know how to turn a liberal into a conservative?

Make them earn & save $100K.

Worked for me

 

[OokiiNeko]

Since we are "technical" about.

Define liberal.

Define conservative.

Is putting the country into the deepest debt it has ever been in, a liberal or conservative trait?



Edit; Great cartoon here. Scroll down past Captain Picard.

 

[fskimospy]

Most people don't change political affiliations with age. Usually what you are when you are young is what you remain your whole life, so this whole "come back in 20 years and see all the conservatives" isn't correct. I would say that in general people on technical message boards tend to be more educated than the average. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be liberal. (cue the "HURF BLURF LIBRUL COLLEGES!") Regardless of what you want to say about why, it's a fact.

I also think the split is far less then you think. Conservatives tend to have a persecution complex. I mean you see them making their own wikipedias and youtubes because somehow the entire internet is too liberal, you see them making their own museums because science is too liberal, etc. When I look at these boards I see a bunch of hyperconservative people, a few extremely liberal people, and a bunch of people who don't really know what they think.

 

[nageov3t]

afaik, the demographics on AT tend to skew relatively young and coastal.

also, being conservative on P&N requires a pretty thick skin to survive the onslaught from a dozen people after posting anything that goes against the norm.

 

[Atreus21]

Originally posted by: Dari

Originally posted by: Genx87
I think if you look at most boards they break down the same way. Liberals tend to have a bigger mouth and are happy to use it. Rarely do you see conservatives out pissing and moaning about things like a liberal. We tend to piss and moan in private and damn the world!

Watch the conventions. RNC will be protested like there is no tomorrow. I dont know about the DNC, but I suspect if there are any protesters they will be ultra lefties pissed off at how centrist Obama has become.

Conservatives are content with the way things are. Liberals are always progressive. This is the drive of mankind. It's especially true in America, where we like to reinvent ourselves and see failure as an opportunity.

Can't believe it, but I agree with you on this one.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: Genx87
I think if you look at most boards they break down the same way. Liberals tend to have a bigger mouth and are happy to use it. Rarely do you see conservatives out pissing and moaning about things like a liberal. We tend to piss and moan in private and damn the world!

Watch the conventions. RNC will be protested like there is no tomorrow. I dont know about the DNC, but I suspect if there are any protesters they will be ultra lefties pissed off at how centrist Obama has become.

Rush Limbaugh
Ann Coulter
Bill O'Rielly
Sean Hannity
Newt Gingrich

yep, liberals are the ones who piss and moan all right...:roll:

 

[jjzelinski]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Most people don't change political affiliations with age. Usually what you are when you are young is what you remain your whole life, so this whole "come back in 20 years and see all the conservatives" isn't correct. I would say that in general people on technical message boards tend to be more educated than the average. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be liberal. (cue the "HURF BLURF LIBRUL COLLEGES!") Regardless of what you want to say about why, it's a fact.

I also think the split is far less then you think. Conservatives tend to have a persecution complex. I mean you see them making their own wikipedias and youtubes because somehow the entire internet is too liberal, you see them making their own museums because science is too liberal, etc. When I look at these boards I see a bunch of hyperconservative people, a few extremely liberal people, and a bunch of people who don't really know what they think.

Persecution complex, is it something like this?

Originally posted by: loki8481
afaik, the demographics on AT tend to skew relatively young and coastal.

also, being conservative on P&N requires a pretty thick skin to survive the onslaught from a dozen people after posting anything that goes against the norm.

 

[jjzelinski]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: Genx87
I think if you look at most boards they break down the same way. Liberals tend to have a bigger mouth and are happy to use it. Rarely do you see conservatives out pissing and moaning about things like a liberal. We tend to piss and moan in private and damn the world!

Watch the conventions. RNC will be protested like there is no tomorrow. I dont know about the DNC, but I suspect if there are any protesters they will be ultra lefties pissed off at how centrist Obama has become.

Rush Limbaugh
Ann Coulter
Bill O'Rielly
Sean Hannity
Newt Gingrich

yep, liberals are the ones who piss and moan all right...:roll:

Oh man, I missed Genx87's comment; I couldn't disagree more. In my experience it's the conservatives who think everyone else is stupid and greedy and won't shut up about it.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: astralvoid
Why are technical message boards overwhelmingly liberal?

For the same reason that a Toby Keith fan forum is full of conservatives who still have W '04 stickers on their F-250s.

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: loki8481
afaik, the demographics on AT tend to skew relatively young and coastal.

also, being conservative on P&N requires a pretty thick skull to survive the onslaught from a dozen people after posting anything that goes against logic.

Whine whine whine.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: astralvoid
Why are technical message boards overwhelmingly liberal?

For the same reason that a Toby Keith fan forum is full of conservatives who still have W '04 stickers on their F-250s.

<---Wears Birkenstocks while driving my F250

LOL, gotta love how the liberals rationalize this shit.

If you look at the demographics of who posts on AT, it answers all questions.

<---Independent, 20 years, never registered as anything else.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: jjzelinski

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Most people don't change political affiliations with age. Usually what you are when you are young is what you remain your whole life, so this whole "come back in 20 years and see all the conservatives" isn't correct. I would say that in general people on technical message boards tend to be more educated than the average. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be liberal. (cue the "HURF BLURF LIBRUL COLLEGES!") Regardless of what you want to say about why, it's a fact.

I also think the split is far less then you think. Conservatives tend to have a persecution complex. I mean you see them making their own wikipedias and youtubes because somehow the entire internet is too liberal, you see them making their own museums because science is too liberal, etc. When I look at these boards I see a bunch of hyperconservative people, a few extremely liberal people, and a bunch of people who don't really know what they think.

Persecution complex, is it something like this?

Originally posted by: loki8481
afaik, the demographics on AT tend to skew relatively young and coastal.

also, being conservative on P&N requires a pretty thick skin to survive the onslaught from a dozen people after posting anything that goes against the norm.

Originally posted by: sierrita

Whine whine whine.

I don't really think of myself as conservative (I mean, can you be a gay right and social welfare-supporting communist republican who's voted straight down the D line post-2K?), but you'd have to be blind not to see it any time conservative members of this forum open their mouths.