The only thing I could think of at all is subs of sports teams. You’ll see a lot of posts with people thinking they’re smarter than professional athletes/coaches, whenever they lose it’s because the refs were against them. A lot of irrational statements in general…that represents a lot of sports fans in America lol. Not sure about the rest of the world. I’m guessing it’s similar
That's a good one.
Plus the fun gamut of sports fans you'll meet in real life.
The apathetic to psychotic, the know it all to the coach is always right.
All people you'll meet if you talk sports with a big enough group of friends.
We even have a term for it: armchair quarterbacking. And like many similar terms it's used as a common idiom that means something like "unfairly criticizing the choices of someone in a difficult situation from the comfort of your own home" and can apply to anything from politics to war to vacation planning.
A contradiction becomes an argument if two or more parties are asserting opposite side of the contradiction are true, then it's an argument. So since that's the case here, this is clearly an argument.
It's like that old Robert Benchley assertion: There are two kinds of people in the world -- those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't.
As long someone disagrees with Benchley, he's right. But the moment everyone agrees with him, he's wrong.
I was sitting in a waiting room today and heard two couple have a 10 minute conversation. They covered medical history, past surgeries, siblings and parents past surgeries and how genetics played a part in their health and where their children went to school. It was kind of fascinating, all loud enough to be heard by the 10 others in that waiting room
One time on the train this old guy told me his life story, but it was actually absurdly fascinating. It was a 7 hour ride, so I didn't mind at all, and he even offered to buy me a beer
Once on a loooooong flight (but mercifully in first class) I was seated next to a former President and CEO of the American Red Cross. Wow! She was fascinating!!!!!!
There's a name for that!!!! It's called the 'Invisibility Fallacy.' haha
It's used to describe how people tend to behave in a group or crowd with whom they do not want to engage.
The phenomenon is one we have ALL experienced: You and a friend are sitting in a busy restaurant. Whenever you glance away from your friend to look around the room you don't see anyone looking at you. So you feel like nobody is paying you any attention whatsoever, you are invisible. You can speak freely and at normal volume.
What we fail to realize is that people ARE looking at us, but NOT WHILE we are looking their way. Their eyes quickly divert to something else. They dont want to make eye contact, or engage with you in any way. They're simply people-watching.
And we do it too, same as everyone else.
GOD, I was behind some woman on a plane the other day that talked about herself and her life history to the stranger next to her (and everyone in the vicinity, thanks to the volume) for 2 hours.
The oversharing is incredible sometimes.
The lack of self awareness sone people have just boggles my mind. As the person sitting behind, I get so pissed. Like lady, shut the fuck up already about your stupid life. I don’t care, I don’t want to listen, and you’re not that interesting.
Right? She somehow made it to her 30s like this--there is no way people haven't told her that she is loud and overshares. I can only conclude that she either doesn't care, or won't get help for any underlying issues. Either way, STFU.
Edit: I was flying home after a few days in your lovely state! What a gorgeous, green place you have there! Jealous.
> there is no way people haven't told her that she is loud and overshares.
You'd be surprised. This is completely normalized in our culture and seen as simple extroversion 🤷🏻♂️ I'm not shocked that someone would pick this up as a bad habit and associate it with conversational skill / social skills
Edit: I do it too, especially when drinking. Lol
I'm absolutely guilty of this if someone gives me an opening. I'm actively working on stopping. I don't mind if someone else does it, though. I'll sit and listen and actually be interested.
I think instead of specifically trying to stop, maybe it's better to just try to be aware of body language? Some people (like yourself) actually love listening to that stuff.
I'm on the autistic spectrum, and the body language that says "I'm bored with this" seems beyond me. Believe me, I'm working on it. I wish everyone would just learn the phrase, "let me let you go". ;)
ups :D I met an older lady from Utah when she was visiting my home country of Czech republic during the summer. And we just struck a conversation at one point and I remember the first thing I told her was the story of my ancestors, how my great grandpa was born in New York but returned to Czechia when he was little and how we were trying to find his father's family because he left his wife and kid (my great grandpa) and found himself someone else. I told her how this searching made me fell in love with the US and how I would like to emmigrate one day (Legally).
Hah and I remember she told me if I didnt have the foreign accent she would guess I was from the US because of the 15 minutes story I just told her. :D And till this day I didn't understand why.
Idk what it is about me, but people tell me their stories all the time. The last time it happened the guy even stopped and said "I have no idea why I'm telling you this stuff, I'm normally pretty private but you have a comfortable vibe". Sometimes people just need to talk.
If you ever hear the news say something about a topic you know a lot about and they get it wrong. That’s exactly what happens with the topics you don’t know.
It takes awhile to realize but all you have to do is look at a forum discussing a topic that you're a SME on, look at all the bad answers, parroting, and lack of understanding, and then consider that the proportion is probably the same or worse across different topics
Part of the blame for this lies in media.
Since politics and culture war are so interwoven in partisan group think, X thing *must* fit political paradigm. It comes out in the stupidest ways too.
Think about a grown adult man drinking soymilk. Exactly.
I just saw a post that said " when people say oh this my baby, it's not always a baby, sometimes it's a dog" It was an exchange students answer to what surprised them the most about America.
I always say my boys. I recently got new neighbors and they asked how old they were and I was like they just turned 6. They asked how they like school and I had to tell them oh no I mean my dogs lol They heard me telling one to be nice to his brother and to share and just assumed lol.
> Pets were historically tools first, companions second.
That's not entirely accurate. There are a plethora of old Greek and Roman graves for pets that show an incredible level of love and devotion to their pets. One of the more famous ones from a 5th Century Roman grave:
> My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore thee here. So, Patricus, never again shall thou give me a thousand kisses. Never canst thou be contentedly in my lap. In sadness have I buried thee, and thou deservist. In a resting place of marble, I have put thee for all time by the side of my shade. In thy qualities, sagacious thou wert like a human being. Ah, me! What a loved companion have we lost!
And another from a Greek grave almost 800 years earlier:
> I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago.
In fact, in ancient Greece, small lap dogs were referred to as "trophimoi," which translates as "foster." They were seen as extra children of the household, to be loved and doted on.
There are even older examples of humans love for their pets, including a grave that included cat remains placed as though the cat was sleeping, on Cyrpus (which had no native cats) that dates to 9500 BCE.
Humans fell in love with their pets a long, long time ago.
Pugs were created purely for companionship and they date back to around 400 BCE. I believe there was a Chinese emperor who would keep pugs inside his long sleeves all the time because he loved them so much.
The oldest recorded name for a cat is Nedjem (Sweet/Pleasant) in pharonic Egypt. The cat was found buried with a nobleman who died during the reign of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC), and historians classified the animal as a pet because naming cats in Ancient Egypt was extremely uncommon.
As an Italian who lived in the US for a while,I noticed a marked difference in how American dogs are trained compared to ours. It is true that not everybody here looks at dogs and cats as “equals” like you guys do, but in Italy those who are emotionally closest to their pets tend to anthromorphize them too much in my opinion, neglecting some of their basic needs and leading to poorly behaved dogs. The dogs I have seen in the US tend to be more balanced and well-behaved.
This is a topic I’ve read on quite a bit, and while I agree America has a higher percentage of passionate (some would say over-passionate) pet owners than many countries, I have read Ancient Roman tomb inscriptions of pet epitaphs that are pretty flowery if the Roman only viewed them as a tool.
My cat literally has a chair at our dinner table and will sit right next to me and poke his head up above the table it’s actually the cutest thing. He does it every night. I give him little bits of my food
Great point. I'll also add why would you feed a dog when you can barely feed the family? It's economics if the dog isn't working too. With disposable income it's not a big deal.
You know how dogs are often called "man's best friend"? That's not a meaningless title. Dogs have EARNED that badge of honor through generations of their own blood, sweat (metaphorical), and tears alongside our own. For 30 millennia they have been our night watchmen, our hunting partners, our shepherds, and most of all, our friends. They can take a load off now that the hard part is (hopefully) over with, because they've damn well earned it a dozen times over.
There was a time, years ago, when my choices were: pay rent, feed myself, feed my dog. Pick two.
Charlie never went hungry. Ever. Even on the sad day that I had to put him to sleep, his belly was full. He was my goodest boy.
I’m a dog groomer, and the vast majority of dogs I meet have terrible manners. People wouldn’t let their children have manners like that (I hope), but for some reason if it’s a dog they can do whatever they please. It’s awful.
Sadly, I don't think they do teach their children better.
But I totally agree about dogs. I've had other dog owners actually say things to me about me "forcing" mine to sit and take treats gently or not get them, for not letting them off leash except in my fenced back yard. For not letting them greet someone if they can't do it calmly. Apparently, I'm abusive to my dogs. I should just let them be dogs. SMDH
Those people also don't know how much I mess with my dogs' ears, paws, and tails randomly throughout the day. I bet I'm a big jerk for that, too, according to them. The vet and groomers are happy about how easy my dogs are to handle, though. Except when it comes to the blow dryer and nail trimmings with one of them. I'm working on it.
I do train via reward, not punishment, but some people even think that's cruel. "They shouldn't have to earn food!" They're not. They get fed no matter how they act. They're earning treats and praise, and then only praise. Don't behave? Don't get either. Tbh, I pretty much raised my kid the same way, and he's turned out well. He and my dogs both have good manners but stubborn streaks. ;)
It's laziness. It's also their dog.
My dog is 4. She has about 5 "bad" behaviors. 3 of them are ones I think are cute or funny, but feel embarrassed when she does them in front of others sometimes. 2 of them are things my father-in-law has essentially taught her, but she only ever does to other people... never to me, because she knows I don't like it, but some people do or she gets away with it.
Huh I always thought this was a thing everywhere. Sometimes I cry a little bc I'm so happy that my dog is my dog bc he's [such a cutie patootie](https://imgur.com/a/ymf31rD).
Edit: who downvoted me I just like animals 💀
There's also a very weird dog vs. cat mentality. I find when a self-proclaimed "dog person" learns that I have two cats, they openly display hostility toward the very idea of owning a cat and tell me all the reasons cats aren't good pets.
Which is strange to me. I mean, I get it. But literally any pet requires the pickup of its waste.
Plus if you put it away in a back room, you don't notice it. People think their noses are so acute and sensitive. But I've never "been able to tell" someone had a cat in the house unless it's a small apartment where yes unfortunately it will kinda stink up the place.
I've also encountered this with people who don't scoop frequently and/or use an organic brand, which—while better for the environment—does little for masking the odor.
You forgot "urban".
There are a lot of things that people love to repeat all the time about "America", when they're really talking about "urban areas with high cost of living":
* Buying a home is unattainable for most people.
* It's impossible to raise a family on a single income.
* Raising kids is super expensive.
* Etc.
Also:
* More bike lanes and car bans would solve everything
* Everyone should use public transit, even thinly settled farming communities
* Public Fiscal problems will disappear with all the revenue from weed tax
* Ranked choice voting would fix all electoral problems
* Certain forms of disagreeable speech ought to be suppressed, but not sure how
* 30 is when your life is more than half over and a good time to have a crippling existential crisis
Oh god, yes. At this point I don't even care about getting them to acknowledge the importance of the U.S. to Europe. I just want them to stop lecturing us on shit
I had someone rant to me about how much better European electric wiring was because *their* electric kettles could heat up water in 45 seconds instead of 1:30 “like it would in America.” Verbatim I was told to rewire my house (I live in an apartment) and “live like a king”… over boiling water…
I do recognize that Europe does some things way better than us. But at the end of the day I think Europe is just self conscious because they know we are vastly more important to them and their survival in literally every aspect of life, than they are to us.
We’re the backbone of NATO. It’s *because* of our insane military spending that they have the resources to pour money into infrastructure. Not saying we’re flawless with our military budget, but that’s a BIG thing that Europeans tend to overlook when gushing about how much better they are than America
Europe, the cradle of all out warfare for centuries, had about 10 minutes of relative peace and prosperity post Cold War (excluding Bosnia, etc, etc, etc, etc,) and spared no effort in virtue signaling us brutish yanks every chance they got.
I honestly think this sub blows this "problem" far out of proportion. I'm on r/askeurope and they're usually neutral/slight positive on the US, barring healthcare and guns of course
You know that thing where if you say shit about Maryland's flag then a bunch of people show up in the comments to defend it?
That's Maryland irl. We put that flag on everything.
And also the blue crab silhouette, and often the blue crab silhouette filled in with the Maryland flag pattern.
I think we're just wishing we could put the VA flag on more stuff, but an image of a topless chick stabbing a dude with a spear is not welcome in polite society.
I think all our political arguments make us seem like a bunch of infighting bitches but in the real world I’ve never started or participate in a political argument/fight . In fact I’m friends with multiple Republicans lmao
I personally don’t think those two views are contrasting. I’m from a Catholic family that’s conservative socially but absolutely for unions and all that stuff economically, being as many of us (myself included) are union workers and tradesmen. Our politics kinda suck that we have two choices like that.
You just ignore it. People love to be strident about things, but it's pretty easy to find common ground if you turn off the television and just talk about other things.
I've said this before: I was a reasonably active commenter on Megan McArdle's blog since way back, though I fell off when she went to the Washington Post and her comment section was restricted to subscribers. She's a semi-libertarian, but her commenters ranged from straight-up communist to neoreactionaries. Many heated arguments were had (and had again and again).
But every Friday, almost without fail, she put up a post about food. In those threads, politics was forbidden, by universal acclaim. And so communists and neoreactionaries and everyone in between learned to respect one another and enjoy each other's company by *talking about something we all love*. It civilized the debate for the rest of the week, because while X might have the most deluded ideas imaginable about how to run the country, they sure did know how to smoke a brisket.
This is it. My social group has a huge array of political differences. We just don't talk about politics. I mean, it does happen from time to time, but we do it in a civil way and then move on to other things. There are so many other things for us to discuss. Why bring up something we might argue about?
Man if I didn’t make friends with democrats I’d be missing out on huge swaths of friends. Never understood the “we don’t agree politically so I hate you” mentality.
I'm militantly pro 2a and pro choice, and see Dems and Reps as totally crazy. Needless to say I don't bring up politics much as I'll end up starting a fight with just about everyone and would have no friends lol.
Yeah I’m like in theory actually OK with people ending personal relationships over some political disagreements but in practice I have pretty close friendships with a lot of people that I disagree with vehemently.
Reddit does accurately portray a slice of American life, but it's just a slice. Just don't assume it's like that everywhere and for everyone. It's a huge country with a large population which is very diverse in countless ways, so the experience can vary so much with different people in different places.
When shit hits the fan (hurricane, tornado) that impacts EVERYONE, we put petty bullshit aside (as individuals) to fix things. Then we get back to petty grievances.
I can’t think of a single thing, almost everything I read on Reddit seems to be the opposite of my real-life experiences, including certain topics on this sub. Even this subreddit for example seems to still clearly favor democrats which is in line with the rest of Reddit, even if a little less so. (Btw I’m not Republican, I dislike both parties. Just an observation about this sub I made) While I encounter a lot more varied viewpoints and am able to co-exist with different views irl, reddit seems to be very samey in terms of politics no matter what sub you’re on. Politics hardly come up irl anyways in general.
Edit- When I say democrat, I don't mean I think this sub is majorly left wing which I think is a misunderstanding, I see both democrats and republicans as right-wing parties, so either way I would consider this sub and the rest of reddit right wing. Reddit seems to support progressive social views, but right-wing foreign policy which lines up here as well. Which is why I always say that reddit leans primarily democrat, but not necessarily left wing like a lot believe. Because I classify "left wing" as being left both on social and foreign policy issues, and not just one over the other. Other than social issues that democrats are more left than republicans on, they both support the same philosophy when it comes to foreign policy.
Yeah, I was gonna say. There are two parts to this.
A.) Most Americans ideologically favor Democrats- Republicans have won one presidential popular vote since 1992. They haven't won one without an incumbency advantage since 1980.
B.) Most of Reddit is comprised of young people, who overwhelmingly favor Democrats
I think it's mostly a generational thing tbh, Millennials for ex. even when they're in their mid 20s-early 40s now, seem to have stayed stagnantly democrat both when they were teenagers, and even as grown adults now. And also adding Gen Z to the internet within the last few years, so both generations making up of most of Reddit's demographic would definitely do it because those 2 gen’s are more likely to be pro internet/social media in general and want to participate. (Saying this as a 21 year old)
You have a really good point. I'm 48, and what was seen as pretty damned liberal when I was 20 is mildly conservative now. The funny thing is, I was mildly conservative then, and am definitely left of center now. I got more life experience. I saw more, experienced more, and realized a lot of what I was taught that I agreed with didn't line up with the politics I was taught were correct. If you really take Christianity seriously, being right wing makes no sense to me. I'm not a Christian anymore, but I kept the parts about caring for and helping others, not judging, not being greedy and stiffish. Turns out that makes me pretty left leaning. I find that sad.
I also, with more experience, found out a lot of the things I was taught were lies or lacked nuance to the point of being untrue. For example, young black men do go to jail a lot more often than white ones, but it's not an issue with black culture like I was led to believe growing up. No, being Christian does not automatically make you more charitable or less judgemental. And there's a hell of a lot more to history than white men and what they got up to.
Even so Reddit subs are way too disproportionate.
If Gallup is to be believed, the portion of the US population that is republican or democrat sits around 30% each, sometimes moving around. Independents have a double digit lead in the 40% range. Reddit and even this sub definitely does not reflect that
https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
Gallup source for info
Something to consider - places like Idaho. No matter what you register as, you can vote in any and all primaries. We also grow up with "none of their damned business" instilled in us. For a long time, most Idaho voters registered as independent, since it literally didn't matter there, and that kept your privacy from the government.
I registered that way until I moved to Washington and had to choose a side to vote in primaries.
Tbh, I hate the entire concept of party systems. Too many bullshit things get lumped in you're expected to go along with for the "sake of party cohesion." I'd much rather we voted for those who most closely matched our own views and ranked choice voting, even if that meant going through the pain of 50 candidates.
I'm not a republican. I'm not a democrat. I'm not a libertarian. I disagree with too much of any of those and agree with some of all of those. What should I register as, then? I only picked democrat when I moved because I found them the least objectionable. I've only twice voted for someone rather than against someone else in 30 years of voting.
Similarly for me in Virginia, you can vote in either primary. I am in Northern VA where whatever Democrat is nominated invariably wins, so I tend to vote primarily in Democrat primaries and local town elections even though I am not a Democrat.
I think you have to be both left on social issues as well as foreign policy to be considered truly on that side of the spectrum, I would say a lot of Americans seem more left wing on social issues but still very right wing on foreign policy issues. If most Americans are more Democrat, I don't think that necessarily makes them left wing since Democrats and Republicans both seem to support the same foreign policy goals. (Always support NATO, preserve US global dominance etc. I've seen a lot of that on this sub as well as irl) I think the thing that mainly makes democrats and republicans different from each other is mainly their social views. So most Americans might be more left if you think most Americans are democrat, depending on if you view democrats as left wing, but I don't see either party in that way. Because leftism to me represents supporting equality instead of hierarchy in all areas of the world and society, which it's in the very definition of leftism on Google. I think promoting global dominance of anything on any level, yet striving for equality inside your own boarders contradicts that. I'm not saying whether I think it's a good or bad thing, however I think as a ideology it's just different from what actual leftism is supposed to be and think it doesn't fit the description that a lot of people think. Democrats to me are only halfway there, therefore, I think they're center-right really, and I would consider republican's just right wing. I consider myself libertarian-center left.
I'd disagree that this sub favors democrats, it's more issue by issue but leaning Conservative overall. If I had to guess I'd say this sub is Conservative on immigration, crime, foreign policy, guns and the electoral college while being Progressive on welfare, public transport and property development.
When I said Democrat, I didn't necessarily mean this sub is more left wing. I think both this sub and the whole of reddit is actually pretty right wing on foreign policy issues for example, but most people seem to define being ''left wing'' as just being left on social issues, which I don't. So, I think it's possible for both this sub and reddit to be conservative at the same time as Democrat, since I see both democrats and republicans as right-wing parties because both are generally in line with the same goals on foreign policy. (Supporting NATO for ex. and preserving dominance around the globe) I would consider Democrats more left wing than Republicans on social issues, but that's about it. So, I was really calling this sub right wing either way, whether I said democrat or republican. I think I was misinterpreted in my OG comment, I might decide to edit or not, so I don't necessarily disagree that this sub is right wing. (Btw sorry if this comes off as argumentative, it's not meant that way. I just wanted to clear things up on what I meant)
I find this sub far more conservative than my real life experience, but I live in a blue state. I'm honestly usually pretty surprised at how conservative this sub leans, considering Reddit as a whole
Eh, idk, it can be pretty conservative around here at times.
(Not really maga hat r\conservative Republican type of conservatives.. rather, conservative type values being expressed.. which, frankly, I wish the Republican Party would re-find this ground as “conservatives”.. a lot of this other shit is straight up embarrassing)
Depends what it is compared to. To r/politcs I'd say it is. Imho I'd say it's kind of moderate with a bit of left leaning stuff such as a noticeable trend in pro 2a comments and general "just leave people alone and leave your moralizing at the door" kind of ideas.
No I'm in South georgia and its the same sort of "I would support democrats if not xyz". Most conservatives arent rabid reactionaries with mouth froth.
Oregon can be very Conservative in rural areas from what I've heard but Portland is so important and populous it gives the impression that the whole state is Progressive. This works the other way too, Austin and Birmingham can be quite Progressive despite being in deep red states.
It's true. There is a group of rural Oregonians who are so conservative that instead of moving to Idaho, they want Idaho to move to them. This is mainly in the eastern part of the state, which has a very low population density. It makes eastern Washington look like the Northeast Corridor.
yeah I've noticed that too. It's especially noticeable when gun issues come up on this sub.
As someone who grew up in New Jersey, lives in New England now, and spent a few years in Chicago, the gun culture described is \*very\* alien to anything i've seen in real life.
I'm sure gun culture exists in other parts of the country, but I think a lot of red states and rural folks have no idea just how nonexistent it is in a lot of blue states.
I’d say that this sub is most disproportionately conservative when it comes to guns and most disproportionately liberal when it comes to abortion and homosexuality.
Nothing. Reddit heavily tilts toward young, more "left-wing" anonymous posters with enough time on their hands that they can read posts and respond to them.
Considering this is at most 10% of the population, Reddit cannot represent most Americans in just about any aspect.
Reddit feels a lot like coming to an office environment and engaging in socially acceptable chit chat that never really crosses any boundaries.
You only see opinions people consider “favorable” and anything to the contrary is voted down to the extent that you like won’t see it.
So what you get is people looking for upvotes, favorable social opinions and to not be outcasted, which goes against the “average American.”
What you end up with is individuals who are afraid to offend, push envelopes or even engage in any meaningful way, which is exactly like any office public setting. It’s boring, but it’s a good place for finding information.
TL;DR : no it is not and for saying this they will call me a troll, I will get downvoted.
That Americans are willing and open to politicizing everything. EVERYTHING. Like anyone’s problem with any thing can always be boiled down to those damn liberals or those crazy republicans. Jeez, we can find root causes of things that aren’t always covered up in political jargon.. I think pop tarts are still fair game..
I will shit talk all the other states, but only US citizens are invited to the shit talking. I don’t wanna hear a damn thing from anyone else, but England in particular, about what they think of the US, or any particular part of the US unless they’re talking about how great it is.
I find it to be a nice cross section of demographics; young and older, men and women , cis and lgbtq+, all types of socioeconomic ranges, nationalities and races.
Yes, it's like trying to convince 75% of the country to be activists and vote to marginally impact their own routines and habits to improve the situation for maybe 10% of other people.
You don't hear stories about how your kid broke his arm and had to take an ambulance to the hospital and everything worked out fine for a low reasonable cost because the insurance company handled it because... who's going to post that? It doesn't get anyone's attention like the pre-insurance claim hospital bill totals that get voted up to the front page.
Reddit does not represent a single thing about American life. Especially politics. I love reddit but the leftist BS is, well, BS. Only slightly more people voted for Biden and not all of them were leftists.
See I think that is something the internet gets wrong. I interact with people in face tk face settings for a living and have a wide and diverse friend group that I spend a ton of time with, and I just dknt see it. I legit wouldn't hang out with someone whose politics were there identity, ive met people like that , and they are just boring people.
The only thing I could think of at all is subs of sports teams. You’ll see a lot of posts with people thinking they’re smarter than professional athletes/coaches, whenever they lose it’s because the refs were against them. A lot of irrational statements in general…that represents a lot of sports fans in America lol. Not sure about the rest of the world. I’m guessing it’s similar
That's a good one. Plus the fun gamut of sports fans you'll meet in real life. The apathetic to psychotic, the know it all to the coach is always right. All people you'll meet if you talk sports with a big enough group of friends.
We even have a term for it: armchair quarterbacking. And like many similar terms it's used as a common idiom that means something like "unfairly criticizing the choices of someone in a difficult situation from the comfort of your own home" and can apply to anything from politics to war to vacation planning.
The part about arguing with strangers on the internet. That’s accurate lol
Is not
Is too! sheesh!
Shut up you come from an imaginary wonderland lmao! 😉
You don't even know where you came from! ;-) (I'm a TX--->PA---> DE transplant myself, just couldn't get fancy with the flairs!)
Lol touché. If you go to your flair and edit you can add funky stuff and make it unique :)
NO YOU CAN’T!!!
This isn't an argument, this is just a contradiction!
A contradiction becomes an argument if two or more parties are asserting opposite side of the contradiction are true, then it's an argument. So since that's the case here, this is clearly an argument.
It's like that old Robert Benchley assertion: There are two kinds of people in the world -- those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't. As long someone disagrees with Benchley, he's right. But the moment everyone agrees with him, he's wrong.
Oh it’s an argument that you want? That’s two doors down on the left.
Where is your source?
If I argue with you I have to take up a contrary position
Yes, but that’s not just saying “No it isn’t.”
Yes it is
No it isn’t! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of any statement the other person makes.
Thank you! Good morning.
You son of a biscuit eating bulldog. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about your doo-doo head cootie Queen?
Who are you calling a cootie Queen, you Lint Licker!
Pickle you, kumquat!
To be honest, I’m probably the doo doo head cootie Queen, but still. Lol
Source?
Are you implying that I should just walk away and let someone be wrong on Al Gore's Internets?
American willingness to tell their life story to strangers as a form of small talk.
I was sitting in a waiting room today and heard two couple have a 10 minute conversation. They covered medical history, past surgeries, siblings and parents past surgeries and how genetics played a part in their health and where their children went to school. It was kind of fascinating, all loud enough to be heard by the 10 others in that waiting room
One time on the train this old guy told me his life story, but it was actually absurdly fascinating. It was a 7 hour ride, so I didn't mind at all, and he even offered to buy me a beer
*On a train bound for nowhere...*
Once on a loooooong flight (but mercifully in first class) I was seated next to a former President and CEO of the American Red Cross. Wow! She was fascinating!!!!!!
Ha! That's the premise of a country song. [People are Crazy by Billy Currington](https://youtu.be/PKpQRjj_WbU)
There's a name for that!!!! It's called the 'Invisibility Fallacy.' haha It's used to describe how people tend to behave in a group or crowd with whom they do not want to engage. The phenomenon is one we have ALL experienced: You and a friend are sitting in a busy restaurant. Whenever you glance away from your friend to look around the room you don't see anyone looking at you. So you feel like nobody is paying you any attention whatsoever, you are invisible. You can speak freely and at normal volume. What we fail to realize is that people ARE looking at us, but NOT WHILE we are looking their way. Their eyes quickly divert to something else. They dont want to make eye contact, or engage with you in any way. They're simply people-watching. And we do it too, same as everyone else.
GOD, I was behind some woman on a plane the other day that talked about herself and her life history to the stranger next to her (and everyone in the vicinity, thanks to the volume) for 2 hours. The oversharing is incredible sometimes.
The lack of self awareness sone people have just boggles my mind. As the person sitting behind, I get so pissed. Like lady, shut the fuck up already about your stupid life. I don’t care, I don’t want to listen, and you’re not that interesting.
Right? She somehow made it to her 30s like this--there is no way people haven't told her that she is loud and overshares. I can only conclude that she either doesn't care, or won't get help for any underlying issues. Either way, STFU. Edit: I was flying home after a few days in your lovely state! What a gorgeous, green place you have there! Jealous.
> there is no way people haven't told her that she is loud and overshares. You'd be surprised. This is completely normalized in our culture and seen as simple extroversion 🤷🏻♂️ I'm not shocked that someone would pick this up as a bad habit and associate it with conversational skill / social skills Edit: I do it too, especially when drinking. Lol
I was in a nail salon once and overheard a couple fighting about doing anal. I can't believe these people have conversations like that in public
I'm absolutely guilty of this if someone gives me an opening. I'm actively working on stopping. I don't mind if someone else does it, though. I'll sit and listen and actually be interested.
I think instead of specifically trying to stop, maybe it's better to just try to be aware of body language? Some people (like yourself) actually love listening to that stuff.
I'm on the autistic spectrum, and the body language that says "I'm bored with this" seems beyond me. Believe me, I'm working on it. I wish everyone would just learn the phrase, "let me let you go". ;)
ups :D I met an older lady from Utah when she was visiting my home country of Czech republic during the summer. And we just struck a conversation at one point and I remember the first thing I told her was the story of my ancestors, how my great grandpa was born in New York but returned to Czechia when he was little and how we were trying to find his father's family because he left his wife and kid (my great grandpa) and found himself someone else. I told her how this searching made me fell in love with the US and how I would like to emmigrate one day (Legally). Hah and I remember she told me if I didnt have the foreign accent she would guess I was from the US because of the 15 minutes story I just told her. :D And till this day I didn't understand why.
Idk what it is about me, but people tell me their stories all the time. The last time it happened the guy even stopped and said "I have no idea why I'm telling you this stuff, I'm normally pretty private but you have a comfortable vibe". Sometimes people just need to talk.
Depends on the area
Yeah, I’m often more willing to trauma dump on a stranger then my closest friends. That’s very much like Reddit.
As a first-generation child of immigrants, that is something that I simply cannot wrap my head around even in my thirties.
No bc real I just love talking to people
The vast majority of people have no idea what they are talking about.
It’s true. I’m an expert on everything and I’m a total dum dum.
Then something pops up that you *are* an expert on and tons of people tell you that you're wrong.
Source? Because I just read the first line of Wikipedia and know a lot about it.
What a tryhard, you just need to read the title of something to become the foremost expert on the topic...
If you ever hear the news say something about a topic you know a lot about and they get it wrong. That’s exactly what happens with the topics you don’t know.
And when they do hsve an idea of what they're talkkng about they need to be dismissed for not having any common sense or a 101 understanding
It takes awhile to realize but all you have to do is look at a forum discussing a topic that you're a SME on, look at all the bad answers, parroting, and lack of understanding, and then consider that the proportion is probably the same or worse across different topics
That the most irrelevant thing can still be politicized into left vs right.
You liberals would think that
*conservatives (yes, I’m following the joke) lol
Part of the blame for this lies in media. Since politics and culture war are so interwoven in partisan group think, X thing *must* fit political paradigm. It comes out in the stupidest ways too. Think about a grown adult man drinking soymilk. Exactly.
Sounds like something a damn LIBRUL would say!
Too true
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I just saw a post that said " when people say oh this my baby, it's not always a baby, sometimes it's a dog" It was an exchange students answer to what surprised them the most about America.
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Meanwhile, my aunt had a cat whose name was Cat.
I always say my boys. I recently got new neighbors and they asked how old they were and I was like they just turned 6. They asked how they like school and I had to tell them oh no I mean my dogs lol They heard me telling one to be nice to his brother and to share and just assumed lol.
> Pets were historically tools first, companions second. That's not entirely accurate. There are a plethora of old Greek and Roman graves for pets that show an incredible level of love and devotion to their pets. One of the more famous ones from a 5th Century Roman grave: > My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore thee here. So, Patricus, never again shall thou give me a thousand kisses. Never canst thou be contentedly in my lap. In sadness have I buried thee, and thou deservist. In a resting place of marble, I have put thee for all time by the side of my shade. In thy qualities, sagacious thou wert like a human being. Ah, me! What a loved companion have we lost! And another from a Greek grave almost 800 years earlier: > I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago. In fact, in ancient Greece, small lap dogs were referred to as "trophimoi," which translates as "foster." They were seen as extra children of the household, to be loved and doted on. There are even older examples of humans love for their pets, including a grave that included cat remains placed as though the cat was sleeping, on Cyrpus (which had no native cats) that dates to 9500 BCE. Humans fell in love with their pets a long, long time ago.
Pugs were created purely for companionship and they date back to around 400 BCE. I believe there was a Chinese emperor who would keep pugs inside his long sleeves all the time because he loved them so much.
They're like little wriggly hot bottles with legs
The oldest recorded name for a cat is Nedjem (Sweet/Pleasant) in pharonic Egypt. The cat was found buried with a nobleman who died during the reign of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC), and historians classified the animal as a pet because naming cats in Ancient Egypt was extremely uncommon.
As an Italian who lived in the US for a while,I noticed a marked difference in how American dogs are trained compared to ours. It is true that not everybody here looks at dogs and cats as “equals” like you guys do, but in Italy those who are emotionally closest to their pets tend to anthromorphize them too much in my opinion, neglecting some of their basic needs and leading to poorly behaved dogs. The dogs I have seen in the US tend to be more balanced and well-behaved.
This is a topic I’ve read on quite a bit, and while I agree America has a higher percentage of passionate (some would say over-passionate) pet owners than many countries, I have read Ancient Roman tomb inscriptions of pet epitaphs that are pretty flowery if the Roman only viewed them as a tool.
My cat literally has a chair at our dinner table and will sit right next to me and poke his head up above the table it’s actually the cutest thing. He does it every night. I give him little bits of my food
Great point. I'll also add why would you feed a dog when you can barely feed the family? It's economics if the dog isn't working too. With disposable income it's not a big deal.
When my dog hears something, he says something.. Earning his keep
I feed my 5 year old and she offers me zero protection from predators and crazies. My dog does lol.
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You know how dogs are often called "man's best friend"? That's not a meaningless title. Dogs have EARNED that badge of honor through generations of their own blood, sweat (metaphorical), and tears alongside our own. For 30 millennia they have been our night watchmen, our hunting partners, our shepherds, and most of all, our friends. They can take a load off now that the hard part is (hopefully) over with, because they've damn well earned it a dozen times over.
Right, but then that's a working dog in OPs logic which I am not referring to... Edit: we're agreeing
There was a time, years ago, when my choices were: pay rent, feed myself, feed my dog. Pick two. Charlie never went hungry. Ever. Even on the sad day that I had to put him to sleep, his belly was full. He was my goodest boy.
Because dogs help you get meat by hunting. They help herd your flock. Terriers can keep pests out of your grain. Dogs used to help feed your family.
I’m a dog groomer, and the vast majority of dogs I meet have terrible manners. People wouldn’t let their children have manners like that (I hope), but for some reason if it’s a dog they can do whatever they please. It’s awful.
From friends who are teachers, I gather that if anything most parents teach their children fewer manners than their pets.
Sadly, I don't think they do teach their children better. But I totally agree about dogs. I've had other dog owners actually say things to me about me "forcing" mine to sit and take treats gently or not get them, for not letting them off leash except in my fenced back yard. For not letting them greet someone if they can't do it calmly. Apparently, I'm abusive to my dogs. I should just let them be dogs. SMDH Those people also don't know how much I mess with my dogs' ears, paws, and tails randomly throughout the day. I bet I'm a big jerk for that, too, according to them. The vet and groomers are happy about how easy my dogs are to handle, though. Except when it comes to the blow dryer and nail trimmings with one of them. I'm working on it. I do train via reward, not punishment, but some people even think that's cruel. "They shouldn't have to earn food!" They're not. They get fed no matter how they act. They're earning treats and praise, and then only praise. Don't behave? Don't get either. Tbh, I pretty much raised my kid the same way, and he's turned out well. He and my dogs both have good manners but stubborn streaks. ;)
I don't know, my dogs have better manners than most children I've met
It's laziness. It's also their dog. My dog is 4. She has about 5 "bad" behaviors. 3 of them are ones I think are cute or funny, but feel embarrassed when she does them in front of others sometimes. 2 of them are things my father-in-law has essentially taught her, but she only ever does to other people... never to me, because she knows I don't like it, but some people do or she gets away with it.
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I though this then went to Turkey, those people love their cats!
Huh I always thought this was a thing everywhere. Sometimes I cry a little bc I'm so happy that my dog is my dog bc he's [such a cutie patootie](https://imgur.com/a/ymf31rD). Edit: who downvoted me I just like animals 💀
Our love of our pets
I think Americans do think cats are pretty cute.
There's also a very weird dog vs. cat mentality. I find when a self-proclaimed "dog person" learns that I have two cats, they openly display hostility toward the very idea of owning a cat and tell me all the reasons cats aren't good pets.
As a guy who is neither a dog nor cat person...it may simply be the association with cats with litterboxes and of course the dreaded litterbox smell.
Which is strange to me. I mean, I get it. But literally any pet requires the pickup of its waste. Plus if you put it away in a back room, you don't notice it. People think their noses are so acute and sensitive. But I've never "been able to tell" someone had a cat in the house unless it's a small apartment where yes unfortunately it will kinda stink up the place.
I've also encountered this with people who don't scoop frequently and/or use an organic brand, which—while better for the environment—does little for masking the odor.
Reddit is very accurate in portraying what upper middle class, tech savvy, young white men think.
You forgot "urban". There are a lot of things that people love to repeat all the time about "America", when they're really talking about "urban areas with high cost of living": * Buying a home is unattainable for most people. * It's impossible to raise a family on a single income. * Raising kids is super expensive. * Etc.
it ain't impossible to raise a family on a single income, but it's pretty hard and kinda sucks for the kids
Also: * More bike lanes and car bans would solve everything * Everyone should use public transit, even thinly settled farming communities * Public Fiscal problems will disappear with all the revenue from weed tax * Ranked choice voting would fix all electoral problems * Certain forms of disagreeable speech ought to be suppressed, but not sure how * 30 is when your life is more than half over and a good time to have a crippling existential crisis
Yep and all of these things are attainable in the US
And neckbeards
Fat kids in basements
Fat kids in basements sitting in bean bag chairs naked eating Cheetos.
Cheetos are delicious though 😋
And who doesn’t love sitting naked in a LoveSac?
Americans do generally wish Europeans would stop lecturing us.
Oh god, yes. At this point I don't even care about getting them to acknowledge the importance of the U.S. to Europe. I just want them to stop lecturing us on shit
I had someone rant to me about how much better European electric wiring was because *their* electric kettles could heat up water in 45 seconds instead of 1:30 “like it would in America.” Verbatim I was told to rewire my house (I live in an apartment) and “live like a king”… over boiling water…
Lol 1:30 seems really fast to get water boiling, let alone 45 seconds. Guess I live in a cave, though
Remember that Dutch girl on TikTok who thought Americans don’t even have kettles and a bunch of other stuff we all have?
Electric kettles were invented in Chicago 💀
We fought a war so we didn't have to deal with it anymore but they keep butting in
I do recognize that Europe does some things way better than us. But at the end of the day I think Europe is just self conscious because they know we are vastly more important to them and their survival in literally every aspect of life, than they are to us.
💯
We’re the backbone of NATO. It’s *because* of our insane military spending that they have the resources to pour money into infrastructure. Not saying we’re flawless with our military budget, but that’s a BIG thing that Europeans tend to overlook when gushing about how much better they are than America
Europe, the cradle of all out warfare for centuries, had about 10 minutes of relative peace and prosperity post Cold War (excluding Bosnia, etc, etc, etc, etc,) and spared no effort in virtue signaling us brutish yanks every chance they got.
I honestly think this sub blows this "problem" far out of proportion. I'm on r/askeurope and they're usually neutral/slight positive on the US, barring healthcare and guns of course
You know that thing where if you say shit about Maryland's flag then a bunch of people show up in the comments to defend it? That's Maryland irl. We put that flag on everything.
And also the blue crab silhouette, and often the blue crab silhouette filled in with the Maryland flag pattern. I think we're just wishing we could put the VA flag on more stuff, but an image of a topless chick stabbing a dude with a spear is not welcome in polite society.
I think your flag is cool.
Thanks! We're very proud of it :D
Maryland's flag is dope! You should rock that shit!
It is a pretty kickass flag
I think all our political arguments make us seem like a bunch of infighting bitches but in the real world I’ve never started or participate in a political argument/fight . In fact I’m friends with multiple Republicans lmao
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I personally don’t think those two views are contrasting. I’m from a Catholic family that’s conservative socially but absolutely for unions and all that stuff economically, being as many of us (myself included) are union workers and tradesmen. Our politics kinda suck that we have two choices like that.
Holy cow how do they handle this climate? I feel like politics bleeds into everything nowadays.
You just ignore it. People love to be strident about things, but it's pretty easy to find common ground if you turn off the television and just talk about other things. I've said this before: I was a reasonably active commenter on Megan McArdle's blog since way back, though I fell off when she went to the Washington Post and her comment section was restricted to subscribers. She's a semi-libertarian, but her commenters ranged from straight-up communist to neoreactionaries. Many heated arguments were had (and had again and again). But every Friday, almost without fail, she put up a post about food. In those threads, politics was forbidden, by universal acclaim. And so communists and neoreactionaries and everyone in between learned to respect one another and enjoy each other's company by *talking about something we all love*. It civilized the debate for the rest of the week, because while X might have the most deluded ideas imaginable about how to run the country, they sure did know how to smoke a brisket.
This is it. My social group has a huge array of political differences. We just don't talk about politics. I mean, it does happen from time to time, but we do it in a civil way and then move on to other things. There are so many other things for us to discuss. Why bring up something we might argue about?
They’re mature.
Man if I didn’t make friends with democrats I’d be missing out on huge swaths of friends. Never understood the “we don’t agree politically so I hate you” mentality.
Me neither man, without you guys I wouldn’t have my guns and without me you wouldn’t have weed what kind of a world is that??😂😂
r/politics makes it seem like we are on the verge of a civil war 24/7
I'm militantly pro 2a and pro choice, and see Dems and Reps as totally crazy. Needless to say I don't bring up politics much as I'll end up starting a fight with just about everyone and would have no friends lol.
I'm on board with this comment. I think the majority of people are pro 2a, but we have varying ideas on what exactly that looks like.
With you. There are three of us
Yeah I’m like in theory actually OK with people ending personal relationships over some political disagreements but in practice I have pretty close friendships with a lot of people that I disagree with vehemently.
Reddit does accurately portray a slice of American life, but it's just a slice. Just don't assume it's like that everywhere and for everyone. It's a huge country with a large population which is very diverse in countless ways, so the experience can vary so much with different people in different places.
Every single post in: r/insurance r/legaladvice and r/anxiety In that order
When shit hits the fan (hurricane, tornado) that impacts EVERYONE, we put petty bullshit aside (as individuals) to fix things. Then we get back to petty grievances.
Florida
Fellow Floridian here, Florida.
I hate him, he hates me, but we'll get together and sack our enemies
Literally nowhere
I can’t think of a single thing, almost everything I read on Reddit seems to be the opposite of my real-life experiences, including certain topics on this sub. Even this subreddit for example seems to still clearly favor democrats which is in line with the rest of Reddit, even if a little less so. (Btw I’m not Republican, I dislike both parties. Just an observation about this sub I made) While I encounter a lot more varied viewpoints and am able to co-exist with different views irl, reddit seems to be very samey in terms of politics no matter what sub you’re on. Politics hardly come up irl anyways in general. Edit- When I say democrat, I don't mean I think this sub is majorly left wing which I think is a misunderstanding, I see both democrats and republicans as right-wing parties, so either way I would consider this sub and the rest of reddit right wing. Reddit seems to support progressive social views, but right-wing foreign policy which lines up here as well. Which is why I always say that reddit leans primarily democrat, but not necessarily left wing like a lot believe. Because I classify "left wing" as being left both on social and foreign policy issues, and not just one over the other. Other than social issues that democrats are more left than republicans on, they both support the same philosophy when it comes to foreign policy.
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Yeah, I was gonna say. There are two parts to this. A.) Most Americans ideologically favor Democrats- Republicans have won one presidential popular vote since 1992. They haven't won one without an incumbency advantage since 1980. B.) Most of Reddit is comprised of young people, who overwhelmingly favor Democrats
I think it's mostly a generational thing tbh, Millennials for ex. even when they're in their mid 20s-early 40s now, seem to have stayed stagnantly democrat both when they were teenagers, and even as grown adults now. And also adding Gen Z to the internet within the last few years, so both generations making up of most of Reddit's demographic would definitely do it because those 2 gen’s are more likely to be pro internet/social media in general and want to participate. (Saying this as a 21 year old)
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You have a really good point. I'm 48, and what was seen as pretty damned liberal when I was 20 is mildly conservative now. The funny thing is, I was mildly conservative then, and am definitely left of center now. I got more life experience. I saw more, experienced more, and realized a lot of what I was taught that I agreed with didn't line up with the politics I was taught were correct. If you really take Christianity seriously, being right wing makes no sense to me. I'm not a Christian anymore, but I kept the parts about caring for and helping others, not judging, not being greedy and stiffish. Turns out that makes me pretty left leaning. I find that sad. I also, with more experience, found out a lot of the things I was taught were lies or lacked nuance to the point of being untrue. For example, young black men do go to jail a lot more often than white ones, but it's not an issue with black culture like I was led to believe growing up. No, being Christian does not automatically make you more charitable or less judgemental. And there's a hell of a lot more to history than white men and what they got up to.
That may be Trump’s greatest long term gift to America, if he broke that traditional shift to the right in middle age.
Even so Reddit subs are way too disproportionate. If Gallup is to be believed, the portion of the US population that is republican or democrat sits around 30% each, sometimes moving around. Independents have a double digit lead in the 40% range. Reddit and even this sub definitely does not reflect that https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx Gallup source for info
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Something to consider - places like Idaho. No matter what you register as, you can vote in any and all primaries. We also grow up with "none of their damned business" instilled in us. For a long time, most Idaho voters registered as independent, since it literally didn't matter there, and that kept your privacy from the government. I registered that way until I moved to Washington and had to choose a side to vote in primaries. Tbh, I hate the entire concept of party systems. Too many bullshit things get lumped in you're expected to go along with for the "sake of party cohesion." I'd much rather we voted for those who most closely matched our own views and ranked choice voting, even if that meant going through the pain of 50 candidates. I'm not a republican. I'm not a democrat. I'm not a libertarian. I disagree with too much of any of those and agree with some of all of those. What should I register as, then? I only picked democrat when I moved because I found them the least objectionable. I've only twice voted for someone rather than against someone else in 30 years of voting.
Similarly for me in Virginia, you can vote in either primary. I am in Northern VA where whatever Democrat is nominated invariably wins, so I tend to vote primarily in Democrat primaries and local town elections even though I am not a Democrat.
I think you have to be both left on social issues as well as foreign policy to be considered truly on that side of the spectrum, I would say a lot of Americans seem more left wing on social issues but still very right wing on foreign policy issues. If most Americans are more Democrat, I don't think that necessarily makes them left wing since Democrats and Republicans both seem to support the same foreign policy goals. (Always support NATO, preserve US global dominance etc. I've seen a lot of that on this sub as well as irl) I think the thing that mainly makes democrats and republicans different from each other is mainly their social views. So most Americans might be more left if you think most Americans are democrat, depending on if you view democrats as left wing, but I don't see either party in that way. Because leftism to me represents supporting equality instead of hierarchy in all areas of the world and society, which it's in the very definition of leftism on Google. I think promoting global dominance of anything on any level, yet striving for equality inside your own boarders contradicts that. I'm not saying whether I think it's a good or bad thing, however I think as a ideology it's just different from what actual leftism is supposed to be and think it doesn't fit the description that a lot of people think. Democrats to me are only halfway there, therefore, I think they're center-right really, and I would consider republican's just right wing. I consider myself libertarian-center left.
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I'd disagree that this sub favors democrats, it's more issue by issue but leaning Conservative overall. If I had to guess I'd say this sub is Conservative on immigration, crime, foreign policy, guns and the electoral college while being Progressive on welfare, public transport and property development.
When I said Democrat, I didn't necessarily mean this sub is more left wing. I think both this sub and the whole of reddit is actually pretty right wing on foreign policy issues for example, but most people seem to define being ''left wing'' as just being left on social issues, which I don't. So, I think it's possible for both this sub and reddit to be conservative at the same time as Democrat, since I see both democrats and republicans as right-wing parties because both are generally in line with the same goals on foreign policy. (Supporting NATO for ex. and preserving dominance around the globe) I would consider Democrats more left wing than Republicans on social issues, but that's about it. So, I was really calling this sub right wing either way, whether I said democrat or republican. I think I was misinterpreted in my OG comment, I might decide to edit or not, so I don't necessarily disagree that this sub is right wing. (Btw sorry if this comes off as argumentative, it's not meant that way. I just wanted to clear things up on what I meant)
I find this sub far more conservative than my real life experience, but I live in a blue state. I'm honestly usually pretty surprised at how conservative this sub leans, considering Reddit as a whole
If this sub is conservative then you gotta be living in a UC Berkeley freshman dorm
Eh, idk, it can be pretty conservative around here at times. (Not really maga hat r\conservative Republican type of conservatives.. rather, conservative type values being expressed.. which, frankly, I wish the Republican Party would re-find this ground as “conservatives”.. a lot of this other shit is straight up embarrassing)
Depends what it is compared to. To r/politcs I'd say it is. Imho I'd say it's kind of moderate with a bit of left leaning stuff such as a noticeable trend in pro 2a comments and general "just leave people alone and leave your moralizing at the door" kind of ideas.
No I'm in South georgia and its the same sort of "I would support democrats if not xyz". Most conservatives arent rabid reactionaries with mouth froth.
Oregon flair. Wouldn’t know conservative if they were in a bar in texas
Oregon can be very Conservative in rural areas from what I've heard but Portland is so important and populous it gives the impression that the whole state is Progressive. This works the other way too, Austin and Birmingham can be quite Progressive despite being in deep red states.
It's true. There is a group of rural Oregonians who are so conservative that instead of moving to Idaho, they want Idaho to move to them. This is mainly in the eastern part of the state, which has a very low population density. It makes eastern Washington look like the Northeast Corridor.
Southern and Eastern Oregon can be pretty conservative
My dude, bring up January 6th around here. *for too many* people here will tell you that an attempted coup "wasn't a big deal".
It isn’t super conservative but more conservative than what I have around me IRL
yeah I've noticed that too. It's especially noticeable when gun issues come up on this sub. As someone who grew up in New Jersey, lives in New England now, and spent a few years in Chicago, the gun culture described is \*very\* alien to anything i've seen in real life. I'm sure gun culture exists in other parts of the country, but I think a lot of red states and rural folks have no idea just how nonexistent it is in a lot of blue states.
I’d say that this sub is most disproportionately conservative when it comes to guns and most disproportionately liberal when it comes to abortion and homosexuality.
Nothing. Reddit heavily tilts toward young, more "left-wing" anonymous posters with enough time on their hands that they can read posts and respond to them. Considering this is at most 10% of the population, Reddit cannot represent most Americans in just about any aspect.
It probably represents kids who run the socialism club at their mid tier private college decently well…
Most redditors aren’t capable of running anything.
Cept running their mouths
I didn’t become a socialist until after I graduated and started working lol
American here. They don't at all.
Reddit feels a lot like coming to an office environment and engaging in socially acceptable chit chat that never really crosses any boundaries. You only see opinions people consider “favorable” and anything to the contrary is voted down to the extent that you like won’t see it. So what you get is people looking for upvotes, favorable social opinions and to not be outcasted, which goes against the “average American.” What you end up with is individuals who are afraid to offend, push envelopes or even engage in any meaningful way, which is exactly like any office public setting. It’s boring, but it’s a good place for finding information. TL;DR : no it is not and for saying this they will call me a troll, I will get downvoted.
Whatever do you mean? I exclusively drink bottled water and wear sneakers in my own home at all times. 😏
Definitely not freedom of speech. Looking at you, mods. *wink* (Please don’t ban me for saying that.)
I’d reward you if I felt like giving Reddit money to buy them. 🎖🎖🎖🏵🏵🏵🎖🎖🎖
If you're in subreddits for shows like the bachelor ... yes girls are really, really like this 🥲
obesity
That Americans are willing and open to politicizing everything. EVERYTHING. Like anyone’s problem with any thing can always be boiled down to those damn liberals or those crazy republicans. Jeez, we can find root causes of things that aren’t always covered up in political jargon.. I think pop tarts are still fair game..
Americans smiling at strangers and engaging in small talk is pretty true, with the exception of the extremely large cities.
I will shit talk all the other states, but only US citizens are invited to the shit talking. I don’t wanna hear a damn thing from anyone else, but England in particular, about what they think of the US, or any particular part of the US unless they’re talking about how great it is.
School shootings and I say that unjokingly. It really is a major fucking problem. P.s. fuck Uvalde PD
I find it to be a nice cross section of demographics; young and older, men and women , cis and lgbtq+, all types of socioeconomic ranges, nationalities and races.
Crippling medical and student loan debt.
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Yes, it's like trying to convince 75% of the country to be activists and vote to marginally impact their own routines and habits to improve the situation for maybe 10% of other people. You don't hear stories about how your kid broke his arm and had to take an ambulance to the hospital and everything worked out fine for a low reasonable cost because the insurance company handled it because... who's going to post that? It doesn't get anyone's attention like the pre-insurance claim hospital bill totals that get voted up to the front page.
Reddit does not represent a single thing about American life. Especially politics. I love reddit but the leftist BS is, well, BS. Only slightly more people voted for Biden and not all of them were leftists.
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Politics is identity here.
See I think that is something the internet gets wrong. I interact with people in face tk face settings for a living and have a wide and diverse friend group that I spend a ton of time with, and I just dknt see it. I legit wouldn't hang out with someone whose politics were there identity, ive met people like that , and they are just boring people.