This individual was speaking second-hand, so he did not actually provide any information to back up his claims. I tried some quick Googling and came up with a few close calls, but nothing that directly addressed the topic. So what’s the scoop? Is there actually a relationship between political views and toothpaste brand preference? If so, which toothpaste is the favorite of conservatives? Liberals? Greens? Anarchist vegans?
Bonus question: To the extent that it’s possible to answer factually, why does this relationship exist? (e.g. I suspect historical events played some sort of role, rather than this occurring merely by chance.)
Well you tried more that I would have been willing to do !
Seems like BS second-hand opinions to me really. Do you really think that someone can tell our political tendencies based on whether we use Colgate or Crest?
I mean, for you to post this here you must believe the story or feel that it could be true? If it is I’ll be damn interested in knowing what type of voter I am !
I’d be surprised if major brands like Colgate and Crest say anything about their users’ political orientations (I used to buy whatever was on sale), but I could see certain “hippie” brands enjoying heavier use among certain demographics.
For example, I now use J/A/S/O/N brand organic toothpaste, which I have to buy from health food stores or whole food grocers–venues that tend to attract lefties. So I would not be surprised to learn that organic toothpaste has a higher percentage of users from one end of the political spectrum.
I was going to say that Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, which seems to be marketed towards the organic growd, would probably attract lefties; not necessarily mainstream Democrats, but rather the tree-hugging crowd. Unlike J/A/S/O/N, though, you can get Tom’s just about anywhere, though.
I have known Republicans that go out of their way to avoid poroducts that hint at being organic or environmentally friendly (paper products made from recycled paper, Bert’s Bees skin care products, anything from Trader Joe’s, etc), fearing that use of the product will make them look “liberal”, or that profits will go towards liberal causes. One friend of mine in Orlando loved microbrewed beer, but refused to shop for them at the best source in the area at the time – Whole Foods – and refused to drink any beer brewed in California. Guess those folks aren’t secure in their conservativism.
Don’t know if it’s because I’m a European or not but I find that sick!
I’m pretty used to hearing people speak like this in Pit threads but never thought that a Republician could/would act in such a way. It’s one this not to want your country to sign the Kyoto protocol, but not buying recycled products incase they seem “liberal”?
Well, it’s not like liberals haven’t been boycotting Nestle and Dominos Pizza and Coors Beer and KFC or any number of places for reasons others might call “silly” too. Of course, True Believers wouldn’t call these boycotts “silly”, but that’s why they’re “believers”.
This is absolutely true, although I don’t know how widespread it is. I know people who embrace big mainstream brands–Nike, Coke, McDonalds, etc–as expressions of their conservative values. People who prize conformity, “normalcy,” patriotism, big business and such could view some big-name products as manifestations of their ideals. Whether that spills over to toothpaste is another question, but I suppose it’s possible.
Keep in mind, too, that some conservatives believe the entire environemental movement is a lie and that it is arrogant for people to believe that man could destroy God’s creation. I’ve heard Rush say this. So, for this conservative/religious minority, any “environmentally friendly” product would be part of a “liberal agenda” with which they do not agree.
Another possibility: There is a correlation, is there not, between economic status and political affiliation. And one would also expect to see a correlation between economic status and product purchase decisions. For instance, I buy whichever brand of toothpaste (or nearly any other product) is the least expensive, and I also generally vote Democrat. Both of these are directly related to the fact that my family wasn’t too well off when I was growing up (and in fact, we aren’t exactly rich now, either). Presuming that there does exist a significant correlation, this could be the cause.
You’re bringing back an old memory. When I was growing up (in the '50’s) Coca Cola was associated with Democrats and Pepsi Cola was associated with Republicans.
This association had to do with the political contributions those companies made back then.
There is definitely such a thing as “green” or environmentally aware toothpaste. Here’s an article from Ethical Consumer (which interestingly is a UK publication) rating toothpastes based on various ethical/environmental concerns. Although most people don’t pay that much attention to their toothpaste brands, it’s reasonable to conclude that the people who go out of their way to use “ethical” toothpaste are on the liberal end of the political spectrum.
Never heard that. Growing up in the 1970s, though, I always heard that Pepsi was the preferred cola of Jews.
I wonder about products and services that are heavily advertised on conservative radio talk shows – Snapple in the 1990s, eHarmony today – and if they’re considered right-wing partisan, or if liberals avoid them.
My rightie friends all seem to prefer Wal-Mart over Target, while lefties I know would rather shop at Target than Wal-Mart.
Hm. I always heard that Pepsi was the preferred cola of African-Americans because of the black presence in their upper managment.
While it is true to predict things about people based on purchases (which are influenced by region, economic status, and cultural values), looking at one product to be a strong correlator with political views would, to my mind, seem rather iffy at best. It would seem like a person’s physical location would be a better indicator of such things. In fact, the Claritas corporation has staked its business on that observation, via its PRIZM NE product.
That’s interesting, because I heard Pepsi referred to as “ghetto cola” when I was growing up. I assumed it referred to a belief that Pepsi was more popular with poor people, although I never made that connection. If I associated any name-brand cola with poverty back then, it was RC Cola because it was so popular in the rural south.
