In this era of extreme partisanship, the people who express the most negativity in their political choices are those we may least expect: independents.
  • NaN@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    8·
    1 year ago

    This is interesting but also seems like common sense. If I was a strong supporter of something I wouldn’t be independent. If given more than a binary option I am more likely to select based on what I prefer than what I dislike least, it has only been recently that I felt it was important enough to work against a truly bad side.

    Outside of politics, there are things I like but I would say there are very few things I strongly support or would say I’m a fan of.

    • AnalogyAddict@beehaw.org
      2·
      1 year ago

      It’s possible to feel strongly and still be independent. Partisan politics package often inconsistent ideology together. You don’t have to be milquetoast to want an a la carte approach to politics.

      • NaN@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Milquetoast? I don’t think I described that at all. By strong support I am talking about supporting a party that somehow “most closely aligns”, not strong political opinions of which I have many. If they were more closely aligned it would be some third party candidate, generally.

        To put it simply, I don’t really do fandoms. It doesn’t mean I don’t have preferences or strong feelings about things, but I’m less likely to be part of some group about it.

  • PeachMan@lemmy.one
    4·
    1 year ago

    Makes sense to me. I consider myself independent because both parties piss me off, and I think the duopoly and polarization is ridiculous. Democrats say Republicans are stupid, Republicans say Democrats are stupid. I say they’re both idiots. 😆

          • PeachMan@lemmy.one
            2·
            1 year ago

            I think that taking a hard-line “policy” on something is inherently stupid. Everything has nuance, and having very strong, rigid opinions about the hot-button issues of the day doesn’t make you smarter or better than those that are more apathetic.

            I’m generally pro-choice, but I fully understand why many people have issues with abortions and I don’t really blame them for wanting to outlaw the practice. I’m in favor of SOME increased gun control, but I also think that people are wayyyy too obsessed with guns in general. There are other things that kill a lot more people than guns but nobody’s freaking out about those. So honestly I think there isn’t much to be gained here by trying to make guns harder to buy, or taking people’s guns away, or whatever.

              • PeachMan@lemmy.one
                2·
                1 year ago

                My advice would be to stop fucking fighting about shit that doesn’t actually matter, like religion and guns. Focus on things that are actually more likely to end our civilization, like accelerating climate change.