# You poor lonely conservative in the SDMB sea of liberals **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 29, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745 "2004-09-29T22:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/81 "2004-09-30T07:02:37Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > I didn’t advocate genocide and will stand firm to this. It never happened. If I said that a whole people should be eliminated, that would be genocide. If I said that a whole country should be destroyed, that would be genocide. If I said that ten thousand people ought to be shot for no reason at all, that would be genocide. Do you stand by your [endorsement of ethnic cleansing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=277794&page=2) (refer post #53)? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/82 "2004-09-30T08:22:28Z")
Anyway, getting back to the numbers, if you can name 100 different conservatives that are still here it’ll still represent only 2.5% of all paying members of the SDMB. Compare that to the notion that Bush has at least 50% of the vote this year and the Republicans will almost definitely win the House and Senate again. And you still have the stones to say that conservatives aren’t outnumbered here by a substantial margin. It is to laugh. This place is a liberal sausage fest, and for you to try to claim otherwise is an absolute lie. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/83 "2004-09-30T08:56:32Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > Can you please link me to the posts that lead you to believe I’m a “buttpipe” and/or where I’m “sniping at” you? I presume there’s a difference in your mind between simple disagreement and “sniping”? Or is your definition of sniping buttpipe somebody who disagrees with you? Alternatively, grow a thicker skin. Why, certainly! Always happy to oblige the peanut gallery. Refer, if you will, to your post #31 in this very thread. You came from out of nowhere (I had had no discourse with you at that point; indeed you hadn’t even posted to thread up to that point) to snipe at me, and then disappeared. (You do eventually make a non-SA-related contribution, but it follows even the post I’m anwering now.) Your only purpose in your only post to this thread up to now was to insult me. It had nothing to do with the OP, and you contributed no other information to the thread, even by way of a hijack. Therefore, you are a sniping buttpipe. Cheers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/84 "2004-09-30T09:20:41Z")
**Wd:** \* I ask again, Why? Why do you feel the need to label me a conservative? Sure, I am conservatrive on some issues, but I am also very liberal on others. What purpose does it serve other than to nurture the “If you’re not with us 100% than you’re against us 100%” attitude that is tearing this country apart?\* Well you know, this thread was originally started in response to comments from **conservatives** about how isolated and outnumbered they are on this board. If you don’t want **DMC** to put you in the “conservative” box without acknowledging your liberal aspects, you should also go ask **Shodan** , **Mr. Moto** , **Debaser** , and **Starving Artist** why they’re not acknowledging your conservative aspects. People who continue to insist that there are only “a few”, “three or four”, “a handful” of conservative posters here are wilfully overlooking the partial conservatism of people like yourself, just as much as **DMC** is overlooking your partial liberalism. **AD:** \*Anyway, getting back to the numbers, if you can name 100 different conservatives that are still here it’ll still represent only 2.5% of all paying members of the SDMB. […] And you still have the stones to say that conservatives aren’t outnumbered here by a substantial margin. \* My **dear** , you surely aren’t trying to argue that because only, say, 100 posters are **clearly identified from their habitual participation in political threads as politically conservative** that therefore we can **assume** that all the rest are **clearly identified as politically liberal**?!? That’s way fallacious. I think it’s quite evident that the majority of SDMB members **aren’t** in the subset of GD regulars who routinely participate in political threads, so we have no way of knowing what their political affiliations, if any, are. More realistic assessments, like **John** ’s recap of the GD’s ideology-poll thread, show that among the political junkies around here, **on non-fiscal issues the liberals outnumber the conservatives by about 7 to 1, and on fiscal issues by about 5 to 3**. **Not** anything like 87.5 to 2.5, as you’re implying. Gracious, **Airman** , pull yourself together. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/85 "2004-09-30T09:22:03Z")
Er, that would have been **9** 7.5 to 2.5 that you were implying. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/86 "2004-09-30T09:31:39Z")
I’d put good money on the fact that I’m the only poster on the SDMB who could put his hand in his pocket, get out his wallet and pull out a card - properly printed and everything that has my name on it and the word “conservative” on it, with a membership number as well… Ladies and Gentlemen - I am a card carrying Conservative and I’m proud! (Do I win a prize?). ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/87 "2004-09-30T09:31:42Z")
Erm so fucking what? There are more whites that blacks on the board. There are **way** more right wing Americans(even a lot of the “liberals”) than people like me (pinko commie Euro) There are more Americans on the board than any other nationality. So fucking what? Quit moaning about how you’re outnumbered amd just fight your own corner. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/88 "2004-09-30T09:40:28Z")
Boy, the subjects that get word play around here. Who would ever have thought this subject would generate so much word play…but I digress. Ahem. As one of those who has made reference to “four,” or a “handful” of conservatives on this board, may I point out, yet again (for it seems our liberal friends here just love to jump on something they feel they can refute with numbers) that I was kidding around. I was joking. I know there are more than four or five conservatives here. Shall I say it again? I know there are more than four or five conservative posters around here. I was being facetious! Jeez, lighten up! (Of course, this in no way obviates the fact that conservatives _are_ vastly outnumbered around here.) 😃 P.S.: **Zoe** , how ya doin? Long time, no see. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/89 "2004-09-30T09:46:11Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > More realistic assessments, like **John** ’s recap of the GD’s ideology-poll thread, show that among the political junkies around here, **on non-fiscal issues the liberals outnumber the conservatives by about 7 to 1, and on fiscal issues by about 5 to 3**. **Not** anything like 87.5 to 2.5, as you’re implying. Gracious, **Airman** , pull yourself together. I agree that the political compass thread is a far better indicator than the method of counting the number of people you believe fit into a particular category and comparing that number to the total number of Board members. The key is participation: someone may be to the right of Jesse Helms or to the left of Stalin and say very little; their influence here is questionable at best. I suspect I’m among the more socially conservative posters here: pro-life, anti-drug legalization, anti-prostitution legalization, in favor of stronger burbs on pornography, disfavoring gun control. There are less of my ilk than there are fiscal conservatives, to be sure. And even I favor same-sex marriage - to be decided by the states, to be sure, but even that concession would be anathema to some of my brethern in the real world. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/90 "2004-09-30T09:49:38Z")
I’m putting my hand up as a conservative too. I’d also like to say on the record that no, I _don’t_ think there is an official liberal bias on these boards. I do however, think my liberal friends need to lighten up sometimes. We conservatives are NOT about to eat your babies. I’d give my stance on gay marriage, etc but I fear you’d not believe me. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/91 "2004-09-30T09:52:55Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I suspect I’m among the more socially conservative posters here: pro-life, anti-drug legalization, anti-prostitution legalization, in favor of stronger burbs on pornography, disfavoring gun control. There are less of my ilk than there are fiscal conservatives, to be sure. And even I favor same-sex marriage - to be decided by the states, to be sure, but even that concession would be anathema to some of my brethern in the real world. > > - Rick Don’t forget also that those of us non-US Conservatives have quite wildly different ideas from the US model: For Instance I thinks drugs are a medical problem and should be dealt with thus, not treated as some form of social issue. I would also legalize prostitution (actually it IS legal in Britain - but complicated). I couldn’t care less what people do with their pudenda - just so long as the horses remain unfrightened. We also tend not have the religious element in our conservatism here (for instance Tony Blair is the most openly religious PM we’ve had in years). However I am strongly in favour of both gun-control and some level of socialised medicine (although I would change the system we have here), I also wouldn’t completely wipe out the welfare state. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/92 "2004-09-30T09:54:24Z")
**SA:** \* I know there are more than four or five conservative posters around here. I was being facetious! \* Fine, but make up your mind. Just a few posts ago you said: > [@](#): > > Whenever I comment on being outnumbered that’s all it is: a comment…a simple, perfectly obvious observation of fact. And you also said: > [@](#): > > Frankly, I think this place is much more fun being overwhelmingly liberal such as it is. Just to clear things up: if you **don’t** literally mean that there are only “four or five conservative posters around here”, but you **do** literally mean that “this place is overwhelmingly liberal”, then how liberal do you actually think it is? What’s your serious, factual take on the question of the extent to which liberals outnumber conservatives? And do you think it can accurately be called “overwhelming”? At present, you seem to be dancing around the issue by using vague terms like “overwhelmingly” in an apparently serious way, and then when we call you on specific estimates like “four”, retreating into the protest that you were obviously only joking. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/93 "2004-09-30T09:55:04Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Abbie Carmichael > [snip] > Weirddave Looks like a wanted poster 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/94 "2004-09-30T09:59:39Z")
What **owlstretchingtime** said. I hold dear many traditional leftist social values, but on the whole I remain completely fiscally conservative and _mostly_ socially so. I loathe political correctness, paternalism, and the nanny state. These things are suffocating us IMHO. Still, the main thing is that no left-handed blind Nepalese trapeze artists get offended, eh? Put it this way: my son doesn’t even know what a see-saw (teeter-totter) is, due to our current scared, litigious society. Thst is why I’m a conservative. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/95 "2004-09-30T10:01:03Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > At present, you seem to be dancing around the issue by using vague terms like “overwhelmingly” in an apparently serious way, and then when we call you on specific estimates like “four”, retreating into the protest that you were obviously only joking. Well, I wouldn’t call it dancing around the issue, but essentially you are right. I am joking when I say the board only has four or five conservative posters, but I am serious when I say conservatives are vastly outnumbered here. I have no “serious, factual take” on the ratio, because I’ve never wondered about it nor looked into it. I am quite confident, for example, that the Empire State Building exists; but I have never felt the need to travel to New York City and verify it for myself. Same here. Why belabor the obvious? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/96 "2004-09-30T10:06:57Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > I am quite confident, for example, that the Empire State Building exists; but I have never felt the need to travel to New York City and verify it for myself. Same here. Why belabor the obvious? It’s the SDMB mate. Tell 'em you had a crap this morning, and they’ll be yelling “CITE?” ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/97 "2004-09-30T10:08:06Z")
I think what the problem is with these boards, and the lefties therein, is that they all have to post “me too” posts to display their liberal/leftie credentials. They simply can’t leave it to someone else. So what you get is a leftie pile-on on any Conservative who shows his head above the parapet. Frankly this doesn’t bother me – I can look after myself (and it’s always the usual suspects – the offenderati) I do wonder though: if I were a little more of a shrinking violet and had just discovered these boards if I would bother to pony up for the privilege of being piled on. I just console myself with the knowledge that all their women have hairy legs! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/98 "2004-09-30T10:11:02Z")
**SA:** \* I am serious when I say conservatives are vastly outnumbered here. I have no “serious, factual take” on the ratio\* If you don’t have any quantitative idea of what you mean when you use words with quantitative implications like “overwhelmingly outnumbered” or “vastly outnumbered”, then you are simply pulling such terms out of your ass. As **TheLoadedDog** points out, when people make factual assertions around here, we like to see them justified by factual evidence. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/99 "2004-09-30T10:12:23Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > I just console myself with the knowledge that all their women have hairy legs! I’d like to apologise for my conservative colleague **owlstretchingtime** ’s comment above. He didn’t mean it of course. He meant _womyn_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745/100 "2004-09-30T10:23:19Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > I’d like to apologise for my conservative colleague **owlstretchingtime** ’s comment above. He didn’t mean it of course. > > He meant _womyn_! 😃 I meant BINTS! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-poor-lonely-conservative-in-the-sdmb-sea-of-liberals/266745.md?page=6)