# Most right and left wing TV shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476 "2009-08-05T22:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/61 "2009-08-07T05:58:04Z")
I don’t understand why people assume rich = conservative. Virtually all the affluent people I know are decidedly left-wing. Is there any statistical evidence that liberals are poorer than conservatives? ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/62 "2009-08-07T13:31:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > 30 Rock is an interesting case. Creator and star Tina Fey is undoubtedly liberal, but she’s first and foremost a comedienne, and as such, her biggest target is always herself - which includes her politics. The result is a liberal show that very often mocks liberals and liberal attitudes, from an insider’s point of view. And I think the same can be said for The Daily Show and Colbert Report. I don’t think it’s any secret that both John Stewart and Stephen Colbert lean to the left pretty strongly, but they take some pretty nasty shots at Dems and liberals. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/63 "2009-08-08T01:57:45Z")
The late and unlamented eponymous “Whoopi” was not only liberal, but tediously so. “George Bush is stupid” har har har. We get it, Whoopi. You don’t like Bush. You think he is stupid. Probably so stupid he thinks we really landed on the moon. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/64 "2009-08-08T02:00:12Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > The late and unlamented eponymous “Whoopi” was not only liberal, but tediously so. “George Bush is stupid” har har har. We get it, Whoopi. You don’t like Bush. You think he is stupid. Probably so stupid he thinks we really landed on the moon. :rolleyes: Do you mean to imply that people who think the moon landing is fake tend to be liberal?! ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/65 "2009-08-08T02:04:18Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Anyone who thinks that KotH is a conservative show is missing the point, I would say. It’s a friendly satire of right wing, middle class America. Despite poking fun at some liberal characters - animal rights activists and so on - the message is generally socially liberal in the end. As a conservative, the gentle but effective satire of my viewpoint comes as a breath of fresh air. Satire doesn’t always have to be vicious or nasty to be effective. And that goes both ways, too. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/66 "2009-08-08T03:13:14Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Do you mean to imply that people who think the moon landing is fake tend to be liberal?! No, Whoopi, who I sure is MUCH smarter than Bush, recently commented on “The View” that she thought the moon landings were faked, firmly establishing her credentials as an intelligent person. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/67 "2009-08-08T03:14:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I don’t understand why people assume rich = conservative. Virtually all the affluent people I know are decidedly left-wing. > > Is there any statistical evidence that liberals are poorer than conservatives? Both liberals and conservatives break off into weird alliances. The conservatives tend to be part of big business but also have poor rural people and the religious right. The liberals tend to have academics and art mavens, but, most importantly, inner city minorities. This is a generalization of course but you can break it down lots of different ways. The Cuban community tends to be very conservative but Mexican immigrants, legal or otherwise are usually liberal for obvious reasons. You also have to break it down by social and economic views. I personally know some extremely rich CEO’s that are obviously economically conservative but socially liberal. My personal experience is that IT professionals are more conservative than average when it comes to government policy and lots of them are minorities. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/68 "2009-08-08T03:18:24Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > No, Whoopi, who I sure is MUCH smarter than Bush, recently commented on “The View” that she thought the moon landings were faked, firmly establishing her credentials as an intelligent person. Yeesh, I hadn’t heard about that one! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/69 "2009-08-08T03:28:08Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Yeesh, I hadn’t heard about that one! :eek: Don’t get me wrong, I like Whoopi ok, even if I don’t agree with her politics, she is funny and talented, when she isn’t grinding her axe, but if you are going to make a living calling a US President stupid, maybe you better watch the kinds of things you say on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/70 "2009-08-08T03:46:48Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > No, Whoopi, who I sure is MUCH smarter than Bush, recently commented on “The View” that she thought the moon landings were faked, firmly establishing her credentials as an intelligent person. Kind of funny given that she was a recurring character on _Star Trek: The Next Generation_. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/71 "2009-08-08T04:04:33Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > The late and unlamented eponymous “Whoopi” was not only liberal, but tediously so. “George Bush is stupid” har har har. We get it, Whoopi. You don’t like Bush. You think he is stupid. Probably so stupid he thinks we really landed on the moon. :rolleyes: What do you mean “late and unlamented?” Whoopi Goldberg isn’t dead. _King of the Hill_ is an absolutely ingenious show and it is definitely not conservative-leaning, but it also is not disparaging towards the conservative characters that it satires. It is very thoughtful and human, and the comment that it is the “most realistic family sitcom” but happens to be animated is definitely prescient. It has some ridiculous elements like Boomhauer and the general over-the-top portrayals of Hank Hill’s friends but the core characters of the show, i.e. the Hill Family, are exceptionally lifelike. I just want to say also that _The Adventures of Pete and Pete_ on Nickelodeon was a similar show even though it was also totally different. It was over-the-top and surreal but there was also an extreme realism and humanity to the family that is absent from most shows. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/72 "2009-08-08T04:11:38Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > What do you mean “late and unlamented?” Whoopi Goldberg isn’t dead. Yeah, but her painfully unfunny sitcom is. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/73 "2009-08-08T04:21:05Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > _King of the Hill_ It has some ridiculous elements like Boomhauer. I have known a few Boomhauer types in my time. The character is probably based on a real person or an amalgam of real people in Texas and the South in general. They do exist I assure you except the speech pattern may be a little exaggerated for a few of them. I loved his description of the web back in the 90’s. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/74 "2009-08-08T04:24:31Z")
Now that you mention it, I’ve worked with a few; I think in most cases they had lost many or all of their teeth, to meth, dip addiction or barfights I couldn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/75 "2009-08-08T04:27:38Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > What do you mean “late and unlamented?” Whoopi Goldberg isn’t dead. > > _King of the Hill_ It has some ridiculous elements like Boomhauer. I disagree with this. I have known a few Boomhauer types in my day. The character is probably based on a real person or an amalgam of real people. They do exist I assure you except the speech pattern may be a little exaggerated for a few of them. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/76 "2009-08-08T04:29:09Z")
I loved Boomhauer’s description of the web in the 90’s: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/a3C_wLCZ18M/hqdefault.jpg "Boomhauer - The Net") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3C_wLCZ18M) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/77 "2009-08-08T04:32:55Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > It has some ridiculous elements like Boomhauer and the general over-the-top portrayals of Hank Hill’s friends but the core characters of the show, i.e. the Hill Family, are exceptionally lifelike. A local Lutheran church recently added a Pastor Boomhower. But they’re Missouri Synod (conservative). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/78 "2009-08-08T05:34:10Z")
Was M_A_S\*H really super-left? Anti-war, definitely, but it wasn’t consistently left-leaning. For one thing, the army administration was portrayed as a gigantic, comically inefficent government bureaucracy, and never in a positive way. Smart protagonists constantly found ways to accomplish their goals despite the government making it nearly impossible. Most of the draftee doctors lamented having to work for the government, rather than being free to run a lucrative private practice; in one episode Hawkeye even (facetiously) tried to bill the government for what he calculated his services were really worth. That strikes me as more libertarian than anything. While Burns was a knee-jerk, better-dead-than-red conservative and almost always an unsympathetic character, Winchester was altogether different. An old money type of fiscal conservative, he was generally shown to be intelligent, sophisticated, and highly competent. While often stingy when it came to sharing the luxuries his family sent him, he always chipped in when they twisted his arm, and practiced charity for its own sake rather than to look good in front of his colleagues. Houlihan’s politics were probably more right than left, and I reckon that she’s the most-developed character in the entire series, and was always portrayed sympathetically once Burns left. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/79 "2009-08-08T05:54:26Z")
_South Park_ couldn’t really count as the most conservative show; I’m sure they piss off conservatives as much as liberals, if only for their raunch and disrespect of religion. However they generally skew to a libertarian POV. Reason magazine waxed ecstatic about the “gnomes” episode. They also make fun of global warming, environmentalists and hippies. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476/80 "2009-08-08T10:53:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The character is probably based on a real person or an amalgam of real people in Texas and the South in general. They do exist I assure you except the speech pattern may be a little exaggerated for a few of them. Not only do people like Boomhauer exist, but Mike Judge has said his voice is based on a real person… [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1397656](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1397656) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-right-and-left-wing-tv-shows/505476.md?page=5)