Does having a political opinion different than the majority can cause you to become marginalized by society? I always wondered why I have so little friends and so so little success finding a decent job, and also so little success with women. It's like I am shunned by society. Sometimes I wonder if this is caused by my political opinions. Not many people share them where I live. Also, there have been people who accused me of being mentally insane in the past, and wanted to have me sent to an hospital. Not to mention that I was nearly sent in jail recently just for saying stuff. I know this stuff happened in the USSR. Dissidents were often sent in asylums or prisons, and denied jobs. I know it's not as bad as the USSR, but I wonder if this stuff happens on a smaller scale.

It can, but only if you are stupid enough to talk about politics.

That's the worst subject you can ever discuss with a woman. If she brings it up, just nod, agree, and move on.

...and religion. I wait until I know someone before bridging either topic. If we can agree to disagree, fine. But if it looks like it'll get heated and run off the rails, I do the slow fade.

After reading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" in 1996........I became a Libertarian and have stayed there politically. It does work against you for having a political opinion different from the norm. I mean, in San Francisco if you were not a registered Democrat, or Green....you were IMMEDIATELY branded a: right-wing, fundamentalist, Christian Republican who wants women chained to stoves, approves of violence against women and wants to own a few black people and approved of the NAZI extermination of Jews, and just happen to be a Free-Mason, and MUST come from the south or Texas.

I received insight into the typical persons treatment of politics recently. we had to vote members into positions for a local gaming society kinda thing. first, the candidates made a quick speech (usually improvised, wasn't a huge thing). then, they left the room and a show of hands for each was given. I voted against the majority mostly. afterwards, my [friend] said "why did you vote for the wrong one?" I explained that he combined more logical policies with a view for expansion, not just maintenance and stagnation. My friend was of the opinion that this candidate was implicitly the "wrong one" because he wasn't as popular with the society, and wasn't as funny in his speech.

the other candidates policies were retarded and unfeasible, but he was more well known. people voted in someone just because others were voting for him, and because of popularity. worse, they thought it was justified.

Yep, that's how it works with the sheeple.

Tell me about it. I'm hard left (except in certain social aspects), while the vast majority in North America is hard right (yet "socialism" somehow ends up blamed for everything that goes wrong).

youngage: most Americans are overall moderate and far from "hard-right" perhaps the area or town is more "hard right" or city you are in.........

It's like my post in the San Francisco Bay Area it's just the opposite as your situation. The "right" or Republicans are blamed for everything. If it's a nice day and you say "Hey it's a nice day" to no one in general, some wizened old Liberal is gonna swipe immediately "Well if the Republicans get thier way, they'll nver be a nice day anymore, they're destroying the environment"

Any country that managed to elect Bush (electoral fraud notwithstanding) is hard right. Any country where the only two choices for president are both hard right is hard right just insane.

Caring so much about how society is organized has to be a sign of some neurosis... A projection of inner turmoil and dissatisfaction with the self onto the outside world which you then attempt to correct, but will never succeed because the problem is internal not external. It might also have something to do with alienation and needing to associate yourself with a radical position in order to deal with it. Just a theory.

There's always a certain degree of intellectual masochism involved in torturing yourself because there isn't anarchy or communism in the world or because this man in particular isn't president, etc.

Yes, but politics can and does affect people directly too. It definitely does in my case.

and what if the population is facing huge degrees of injustice at the hands of current government? i'm not naturally inclined to politics. bunch of petty bickering generally, but I can't ignore how messed up things are anymore. I feel obliged to become politically involved.

Bush? hard right?????? The guy spent more money and wasted more money than President Lyndon Johnson (another Texan btw...Johnson was a BIG spending Democrat). A hard right president would have NEVER done a perscription drug program with / in conjunction with Medicaid. A hard right president would've NEVER gotten us involved in Iraq (Barry Goldwater, who was running against Johnson in 64 WAS hard right, and his top platform topic was. No Americans fighting no-win wars. Goldwater wanted out of Vietnam....yesterday). A hard right president would NOT have given us a 'paltry' two to three percent tax cut of the GDP like Bush did. A hard right president would've started at 10 to twelve percent.

BTW. Befoer I am accused of 'supporting' W or voting for him. I voted for Harry Browne in 2000 (Libertarian) and in 2004 I "wrote in" Ron Paul.

I wasn't going to accuse you of that. I was going to accuse - and am accusing - you of not having the faintest clue as to what "hard right" means.

okay what is "hard right" wise one?

because he supported abstinace education? Most Americans could care less. Because he was a church going perosn? Does that make him hard right? Because he's rich? Is that why he is hard right in you opinion?

Dude in 1988, Lloyd Benson was Michael Dukakis's VP choice to run against Bush 1st. Iin the debates he accused Bush of being a rich Texas oilman.....which was a 'true' statement...but Llyod Benson was a rich cattleman, and he was worth more than Bush, Quayle, and Dukakis combined