Over and over both here and on other political message boards I've frequented, I've seen people who seem to think a person's political affiliation can tell you almost anything about that person. They may assume they know various things based on their politics, be it their religious beliefs, income, job type, intelligence, or any of a slew of other details. They may assume they know your political affiliation based on a point of view or comment on a single topic, for example a person's stance on abortion. Then you have the people who assume anyone that disagrees with them must be part of the 'other' party.
We all probably make assumptions or use generalities where they aren't warranted sometimes, but it is very prevalent in this format.
Is it just a form of insult or lashing out that isn't truly meant? Is it a relatively small number of people who do it, but they do it so often that it ends up feeling like more people to me? Are there many people who think our politics really are that closely linked with the entirety of our lives? Or am I seeing something that isn't there?
Both of the major parties have large enough followings that I feel safe assuming there is a great variety among adherents within each party. Enough people follow independent or third parties, or perhaps go back and forth amongst parties, to find assuming you can know a person's political affiliation based on one issue ridiculous. And there are certainly enough people who care little or not at all about politics that assuming you can know the political affiliation of someone based on one thing seen in a media story is also ridiculous.
There are other reasons I dislike this kind of political labeling, but I don't want to rant too long.
Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?
We all probably make assumptions or use generalities where they aren't warranted sometimes, but it is very prevalent in this format.
Is it just a form of insult or lashing out that isn't truly meant? Is it a relatively small number of people who do it, but they do it so often that it ends up feeling like more people to me? Are there many people who think our politics really are that closely linked with the entirety of our lives? Or am I seeing something that isn't there?
Both of the major parties have large enough followings that I feel safe assuming there is a great variety among adherents within each party. Enough people follow independent or third parties, or perhaps go back and forth amongst parties, to find assuming you can know a person's political affiliation based on one issue ridiculous. And there are certainly enough people who care little or not at all about politics that assuming you can know the political affiliation of someone based on one thing seen in a media story is also ridiculous.
There are other reasons I dislike this kind of political labeling, but I don't want to rant too long.
Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?
