D you have any political views that would be unpopular on DU, so you keep them private?

[bluestateguy]

I do.

I'd tell more, but it's private

[Agschmid]

1. *Do

It's likely I've got some. But I feel like I am always willing to learn and understand other viewpoints etc.

[kelliekat44]

2. Yep. Sometimes I can't keep it in, though. nt

[mike_c]

3. I'm a conservative republican with Ron Paul leanings who finds DU unwelcoming sometimes....

Not.

[2banon]

45. bad boy..

I was gonna say you sure had me fooled for a really long time!

[MADem]

4. I don't conceal my views. I get some push-back from some people but I don't care.

I think so long as you express yourself respectfully, people should get over themselves. I vote for Democrats, and I support Democrats for election and re-election. The people who give me shit are often proud of saying that they place less importance on party affiliation than I do. My view is that we're not going to get a better deal by voting for a loser and allowing a Republican to get into office, so I'd rather vote for an imperfect Dem and push him or her to do better, rather than throwing myself on my sword in a stupid symbolic way.

I'm a pragmatist. If that's a problem for some people, it's THEIR problem.

[Freddie]

114. 100% correct

Voting 3rd party or sitting home is the exact same thing as voting Republican.

[steve2470]

137. That's how I see it

I firmly believe that once Democrats in Washington and in state capitols sense the grassroots support a particular position, they gravitate to it. If only 5% of the voters (unless it's the super-wealthy politically connected 5%) gives a damn about an issue, why should elected officials care, unless a particular elected official is a visionary. They should all be visionaries, but good luck getting that.

[Andy823]

153. +100,000,000,000

Exactly! We need to bust our ass to get people who will do what is right elected in the primaries, but once we have a nominee, for whatever office it may be, we only do more damage by "NOT VOTING" come the general elections. I may not like who wins, but they are by far better than any republican that wins!

I am not some "party loyalist" as many here want to call those who don't agree with their "my way or the highway" mentality, I am a person that knows that any change we may get, no matter who small it might be, will not come from republicans. The GOP have shown their true loyalty to the rich and the big corporations, and they have done so by tossing the rest of the country under the bus. No way in hell should any sane person want to see more republicans get elected simply because they think it will teach the democratic party some kind of a lesson, or because they think that after a few years with republicans in charge the country will then vote for more progressive candidates in the future. The problem is we would have NO FUTURE if republicans gain control again, at least not a future the average american would survive.

[MADem]

195. I knew an old lady who was a loyal Democratic voter--she'd vote the ticket even when she

had personal beefs with individual candidates. She had the same pragmatic attitude, if they did something she didn't like, she'd write them a letter and give them what-for, or go to a meet-and-greet and wave her cane at 'em, but she'd vote first and push them in the right direction after-the-fact.

She's gone now, but she'd say, of Republicans, that they were so cheap and mean-hearted that they wouldn't give anyone so much as a kind thought, never mind any practical or material help!

[msanthrope]

155. 100% right--it is ALWAYS the active Dems on this board who get the pushback. nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. Nope. I generally post them anyway

even when unpopular.

After the primaries, if I understand the ToS, there will be some I'll have to keep private until the general is over.

[ms liberty]

6. definitely, yes. and no, I'm not telling, either! n/t

[hughee99]

7. A few, but they're usually not about issues that

aren't deemed all that important.

[Hofbrau]

8. As the new guy...

... my plan is to go on until I step in it.

[femmocrat]

52. Welcome to DU, Hofbrau!

[redstatebluegirl]

86. Don't get any on your shoes!

Welcome

[closeupready]

9. Yes, but I just remain silent, and let my friends whose views differ from mine

dominate the discussions here, since those issues are evidently as important to them as my public views here relate to issues important to me.

[Shrike47]

10. I sure do, and I'm not sharing.

I say enough stupid stuff as it is.

[conservaphobe]

11. Yeah.

Yesterday, I got in trouble for saying I like President Obama.

[freshwest]

14. That's a dangerous position here at times. But good for you!

[2banon]

46. oh good grief! exaggerate much?

[conservaphobe]

107. Not at all.

I had just as many good people reach out in support though.

[RKP5637]

75. OMG! You posted that on DU!

[HERVEPA]

102. Bull. Just bull.

[stevenleser]

133. Yeah, you are going to have to be careful with that one. It does get you in trouble.

[IronLionZion]

142. That can get you killed around here

watch yourself! DU and Discussionist are the 2 biggest anti-Obama anti-Democrat sites.

[Tetris_Iguana]

12. Yep

But I just save those for Discussionist where the language hawks don't hold much sway.

[freshwest]

13. Yup. Real life is harder than DU and creates conflicts with group dogmas.

[hunter]

15. No. I don't keep any of my political or religious views private...

... not here, not out in the "real" world, and some of my opinions are radical.

If an opinion is not worth an argument, it's not worth keeping.

[OLDMADAM]

32. I didn't know I did, until recently..

There are a couple of positions held by a few here that I vehemently disagree with, and can't believe are acceptable on a liberal venue, but I'm too new to voice an opinion just yet..

[femmocrat]

53. Welcome to DU, OLDMADAM!

Interesting username!

[OLDMADAM]

117. Thank you.. It is my pleasure to be with all of you..

I have been a very long time reader, and decided that our cause needed one more voice.. So here I am.. My name comes from my husband, who called me madam the first time we met.. I thought it was sweet, and he still calls me that.. I added old, because I am.. Ha!

[TexasProgresive]

16. Of course

But you have to choose your battles. There are some DUers who have pet issues that are so important to them that if you even mildly disagree they cut you dead. It's just not worth it. We are all different in our as to the makeup our our beliefs but some people only want everyone to be exactly like them.

[Codeine]

17. Sure, but I don't think I keep them particularly quiet.

I'm quite pro-nuclear power, I'm a vegan, I think people who flip out about GMOs are silly, and I'm largely - though certainly not unconditionally - sympathetic to Israel.

[Notafraidtoo]

24. My issue with GMOs.

Seeds being copyrighted and that the strains are able to take over natural strains with out the farmers knowledge. Biodiversity is important, whats good and survives today will be dead and on the way out tomorrow, if the natural strains are gone and it becomes a monopoly for profit it is just one more way we make ourselves extinct. I do think a lot of the GMO flip out is hyperbole, but these are actual concerns that none of us can avoid.

[arcane1]

51. Bingo! n/t

[TransitJohn]

74. You can't copyright a seed.

You can patent the genetic code that you create.

[Notafraidtoo]

18. I have unpopular DU beliefs.

I like unions and feminist, but I have no reason to hide it.

[Squinch]

56. Well said.

[murielm99]

19. I keep my religious views to myself

most of the time. When it gets ridiculous, I might say something. Many people here are quick to condemn Christianity, but will defend Islam or another faith.

The gun threads get ridiculous, too. So do the Palestinian vs. Israeli threads. I will read them, but mostly stay out.

Just wait and see what will happen if Hillary get the nomination. I remember what it was like being a Hillary supporter here during the primaries. I will not soon forget that some people here tried to get me banned for supporting her instead of Obama. I worked hard for Obama after he the got the nomination. I wonder how many of the people who tried to smear me at the time did any of that work.

When it gets nasty here, I remember that I have a lot do do in real life. There are funds to be raised, letters to be written, doors to knock on, and calls to make. I can do more good getting out the vote. It beats arguing with people I don't really know.

[closeupready]

35. Yes, absolutely, to your last paragraph.

It's pointless to let a discussion board upset you, even juvenile.

[2banon]

49. not me. I consider every religious institution as a serious threat to Women everywhere, equally.

[yeoman6987]

83. I respect that you think that

Do you respect people who don't? Sometimes that is my problem with some on here. God forbid you have a difference of opinion on some topics.

[Eleanors38]

101. Yes, the last paragraph.

[snooper2]

168. I make fun of all religion equally

There are some of us

[CAG]

20. I have never revealed my firm belief that George Clooney

Is a fascist spy from Bulgaria sent here to coordinate an effort to train dolphins to sabotage our naval bases.

[Brigid]

59. All that in between doing all those "Ocean" movies and preparing for his wedding?

Wow, he's even busier than I thought! :rof:

[Boomerproud]

92. LOL, he is busy guy these days.

He stares at goats too!

[Louisiana1976]

21. I do and they're private.

[Scootaloo]

22. I have lots that seem to be unpopular - I don't bother hiding them though

For instance, I regard myself as a Democrat because they trend liberal - I don't consider myself a liberal because I vote Democrat.

[Ruby the Liberal]

23. I wouldn't say private

But not everything is worth arguing about so I just avoid topics that go against the grain.

Some topics that I feel very strongly about, I will argue with all comers. I guess it just depends.

[libodem]

25. Worst do nothing Congress in history

If I'm the only one who thinks so at least I'm right!

. http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/212041-a-do-nothing-congress

[Quantess]

26. Yes.

I'm Glenn Beck's biggest fan!!!!

[Nye Bevan]

27. I support the Citizens United decision. But I don't keep it a secret.

Not a popular opinion here, but I am on the same side as the ACLU.

[NCTraveler]

174. +1

Agree there. Many aren't aware of the complexities involved and whose actually at fault for CU. More than anything, the people who raise the most hell with CU aren't even familiar with how easy it would be to change. One of the Justice's even had it in their opinion.

[one_voice]

28. Yes....

I don't like Netanyahu; I think he's an asshole, but I don't agree with anti Israel stuff I'm seeing. Saw a comment yesterday that basically told a Jewish person to stfu because they weren't rational. WTF is that.

I also get into some trouble for not towing the line with respect to certain language. *sigh*

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. I think Star Trek is silly.

There. I've said it and I'm stickin' by it.

[hunter]

42. Which Star Trek?

If you say The Original Series, then them's fighting words. (Well, except for a few episodes which were silly.)

My parent's didn't let me watch the first episodes of TOS when they came out in 1966 even though my dad had just bought a COLOR television. My parents were always trying to control our early grade school television viewing, can you believe that???!!!

They were not going to expose their children to anything unknown on television even though we had almost daily exposure to many things "normal" kids never saw -- like angry roosters chasing naked grandfather up the driveway, great grandmas expertly cutting apart small mammals with knives (or men with their tongues), women openly breastfeeding babies anywhere and anytime, and lesbian and gay couples smooching on the family sofa. (My parents are full time artists now living in a rain forest and retired from their "day jobs," if that explains anything. They drink and bathe in the water that falls on their roof and eat food they buy from the local farmers.)

If you say the last two Star Trek movies are silly, then I agree with you. Those were uselessly violent and not true to the spirit of the original series.

[ProfessorGAC]

171. If It's Next Gen, Then Them's Fightin' Words With Me

Different strokes, right? And, i'm almost 58 so i actually watched Start Trek TOS when it was on NBC in primetime.

Still like STNG better.

[OnlinePoker]

197. One thing always bothers me about Next Gen

It's a minor quibble, but if there's no money in the Federation (I believe Picard says something about it to the Ferengi), what do they bother playing poker for? If there was nothing at risk, I would go all-in on every hand. I've found playing just for chips this was the way most games went.

[Populist_Prole]

30. Yeah...Here and there

Especially if an event or headline makes it a hot button issue.

[Reter]

31. Yeah, and I'll tell it now

I hate Obamacare and wish it had been struck down. There's no reason why someone with my income of roughly $25,000 a year should be forced against my will to pay $307 a month (and yes, I shopped around). So I didn't sign up.

[Zorra]

33. I firmly believe that men who are too

lazy and or stupid to pick up a toilet seat before they pee, and then proceed to pee all over the seat, should have mandatory Sex Reassignment Surgery performed on them.

[Codeine]

72. I just spent a week sharing a home with a brilliant,

thoughtful, learned man of some culture and refinement. He's a pharmaceutical researcher, an award-winning photographer, an amateur military historian, and a serial toilet seat urinator. I spent the entire week examining the seat in detail every time I wanted to use the damned thing.

Bizarre behavior, frankly.

[MADem]

136. Hmmmm. I've got a solution for you that will work most of the time....

After you finish using the facilities, just be sure to put the seat UP after you're done!

If the guy puts the seat down to pee on it, then you need to unscrew it and whack him over the head with the damn thing!

(Just kidding, but you know what I mean....)

[Zorra]

198. Yeh, as far as relationships (and houseguests) go, that kind of weirdness would definitely be a

deal breaker.

Eeeeeeww!

[ForgoTheConsequence]

34. Of course I do.

I lean solidly to the left, that's a no no.

[99Forever]

36. Unpopular with some that seek to control all.

I tend to say what's on my mind, but I've learned to temper the way I say it.

[PowerToThePeople]

37. No

I may have some unpopular views, but there is nothing I hide from the message board. I mean, it is just a message board, what can they do besides write nasty stuff about me?

[Reter]

84. Ban you

I've seen it done before. All it takes is one unpopular opinion an an admin in a bad mood.

[PowerToThePeople]

193. I have not seen it

I have only seen bans for TOS violation, Right winger views, or just burn out trolling.

I have never seen any honestly left leaning and trying to be polite person banned from DU.

[etherealtruth]

38. I don't keep them private

... but, I don't jump into the fray for every issue or every topic

[TheKentuckian]

39. Of course. Most views have detractors but I have a couple that are popular only with a few.

I probably make the NRA sound like gun grabbers, believing that the combined majority of citizens should at least be a match for the US military.
Of course this can be accomplished in multiple ways including dramatic draw down of military assets but my preferred method is probably the elimination of most of the standing army, allowing the Marines to exist in similar numbers under a standing, professional Navy and special forces (again in similar numbers as present). I also am okay with a standing professional Air Force. The Army would be replaced by leaning on reconstituted militias and the responsibility of all citizens between 21 and 46 (or there abouts), including militarized portions of law enforcement leaving the government without the ability to occupy any other country or our own except with the cooperative will of the people.

I am also a Zionist, don't necessarily support the government of Israel and am not fixated on the particular location but believe the Jewish people should have an established homeland capable of defending it's self from all comers.

[DrDan]

40. Absolutely

[Half-Century Man]

41. Yes.

I try to remember I have a vested interest and many speak from ignorance....however my rage builds. Pro or con on any issue, How about we focus on fixing problems, not blame.

[damnedifIknow]

43. Private as in privacy?

What's that?....

[Armstead]

44. Yep. I avoid certain subjects. Not because my views would be unpopular but....

Last edited Sun Jul 13, 2014, 06:17 PM - Edit history (1)

there are some topics that you're gonna get fragged no matter what you say. I don't feel strongly enough them to want to subject myself to that....I'm only willing to put up with useless shit for the things I really do have strong feelings about.

[wyldwolf]

47. yes, but I don't keep them private.

[cali]

48. no. I don't really give a damn if I get jumped on. It's important to me to have

the courage of my convictions.

[Liberal_in_LA]

50. definitely

Snuff said

[JustAnotherGen]

54. Not an opinion per se

But I'm a Capitalist at heart and there are people in the top 1% that I admire. All millionaires and billionaires are not created equal. They start from different places than each other.

[femmocrat]

55. Yes and mostly.

I'm not an argumentative person by nature. I cry when people are mean to me!

[Baitball Blogger]

57. Nothing that is of consequence.

The most important political view I had involved racism. I wanted to have the freedom to talk about local government policies that have had a negative effect on many of the homeowners in my community, but have devastating consequences for minorities. I think DU is ready for an unplugged perspective. Before, I felt like I had to tiptoe around the things that I really wanted to say. Not so much, anymore.

[Squinch]

58. I don't like cats.

[Glorfindel]

62. Neither do I

Thank you for giving me the courage to say it!!!

[Squinch]

64. There is strength in numbers. We just have to stick together.

[Codeine]

73. I'm down with OPC.

Other People's Cats are wonderful, but I refuse to have one of the hairy beasts in my house these days.

[smirkymonkey]

109. You are not alone.

Sorry, I am just a devoted dog lover.

[Squinch]

146. Me too.

[Rowdyboy]

126. This is probably one of the bravest declarations I've seen in 12 years here....

While my cat usually lets me adore him, I will defend to the death your right to dislike those cuddly little psychopathic serial-killers....

[Squinch]

148. Well, Rowdyboy my friend, I'm all about the courage. Though I fear reprisals.

[betsuni]

135. You let the cat out of the bag.

All of you anti-feline dog apologists have really ruffled my fur. You are wrong and I can prove it with links and insults and moar but I just heard the can opener ... what if it's a nice can of the Fish & Shrimp Feast I like ... gotta go and check my bowl.

[Squinch]

149. You type remarkably well with those sharp little claws.

[betsuni]

157. I have a harder time

resisting the urge to play around with and kill the mouse.

[Squinch]

161. DUZY!

[JI7]

60. many, but i don't keep private about it, supporting the President, being a feminist

are a couple of them

[ismnotwasm]

61. Just the feminist ones

Not popular at all. And I keep quiet because I like discussions, not being handed a plate of bullshit.

And I'm not always quiet.

[treestar]

63. No, in fact, even asking questions on some subjects

is enough to be politically popular. I don't automatically agree with a few things and get the Third Wayer treatment for that. It's amazing the people who decry lockstep will impose it at the same time.

[tammywammy]

65. yes.

More the point though, there are sometimes I don't post because I don't want to deal with any backlash. Mostly, while I love DU and I'm on here nearly every day, I don't care enough to deal with a flame war or backlash or anything like that. I'm very comfortable with my political thoughts, and why I think this way, I don't actually feel the need till explain myself to strangers on the internet.

[el_bryanto]

66. Sometimes but not often

Usually it's more situational - I see someone say something i want to react to but I drop it because it's not worth it.

Bryant

[ProfessorGAC]

175. Bryant Nailed It For Me

I posted to the OP too, but what you said was really what i was thinking. Thanks
GAC

[Comrade Grumpy]

67. Well, I just got alerted on for posting a Bureau of Justice Statistics report on rape.

It didn't say what the HOF wanted it to say.

[riderinthestorm]

68. Yes but its not so much as keeping them private as lacking motivation to duke it out here about them

Pick your battles and all that...

I just don't have unlimited time here to take on some things.

Also if a thread gets too long, its impossible to wade through browsing on my cell phone since I can't track whose response belongs to which post so I decide to let it go rather than get involved. (I do a lot of DUing on the phone while I'm doing certain tasks that don't require any effort but do require my presence - like holding a horse for the vet while its tranquilized or getting shoes or waiting for clients etc....)

[sabrina 1]

69. Only with a few people are my political views unpopular but I don't keep them secret, I

state them despite the few who for some reason don't seem to support traditional Democratic issues. Eg, I totally oppose any tampering with SS benefits. And make no secret of it, but there are a few here who support placing SS benefits on the deficit table. THAT should be the unpopular view here, but the Dem party appears to be changing.

[TBF]

70. I'm fairly open in the socialist forum -

but that's the best I can do.

[Nevada Blue]

124. there's a socialist forum?

I have to find that.

[TBF]

147. Here ya go -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1024

It is a protected group in which socialists may post.

Here is our SOP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1024881

[LittleBlue]

71. DU is like a church

We have a certain dogma. Those who don't follow it are publicly shamed, until the contrition thread where these wayward members claim they've seen the light and want to return to the fold. Then everyone welcomes them back, and the cycle repeats again when the next blasphemer goes astray.

To answer your question, yes.

[RKP5637]

76. Thank god DU hasn't started stoning, yet!

[F4lconF16]

120. I've been stoned while on DU before!

[RebelOne]

77. Yes, I do.

But if I voiced my opinion on some of the issues I disagreed with, I would be flamed, so I will remain silent.

[PasadenaTrudy]

78. Yup! nt

[SummerSnow]

79. Yes,I want men to remember to put the toilet seat down.

The status quo rule about toilet seats is very political

[Eleanors38]

103. After they stove-piped that back?

[polly7]

80. Hahaha ........ many.

I sometimes do post views on what I know will be ridiculed, dismissed as hate for the U.S., etc. etc. ... but there are many things I wish I could say, and no, none of it comes from hatred of any kind (except for the consequences of the foreign policies I'd refer to, of course). Being from another country, I respect that many people here will naturally be offended by some of those foreign policy topics I'd love to discuss - but it gets touchy, and often I'm the one that feels the hate (coming my way). Sooooo ....... you gotta pick and choose. But, Judy Lynn, Sabrina, Go West Young Man and many others brings up most of the topics I think are important, so that's great!

[whistler162]

81. Any that aren't in the allowed political views

manual for DU posters revision 10,999,999.

[1StrongBlackMan]

82. Yes, I support this Democratic President ...

and Democrats, in general.

That seems pretty unpopular on DU these days.

[JustAnotherGen]

91. +1000

[Jim Lane]

141. I guess it depends on what you mean by unpopular.

Have you had any posts hidden, or been blocked from any groups, because of expressing excessive support for Obama? I'm guessing the answer is No.

My view is that, on the many subjects where Obama is right and his opponents are wrong, there's not that much that DUers can learn. We're all already in agreement, so the only point to a discussion is for us join in mocking Boehner or Cruz or whichever other Republican is looking foolish today. It's good clean fun but not all that enlightening.

The area where discussion here is more valuable is the assessment of the criticisms of Obama from the left. Quite often, there are good arguments to be made on both sides. The natural consequence is that there's disproportionate attention to the issues about which we disagree with Obama. That doesn't mean, however, that expressing support for Obama is unpopular.

[Douglas Carpenter]

85. yes

Long Live Free Ecotopia!!




----------------------------

And that's one of my least wacky ideas that might be unpopular on DU.. I shock myself sometimes at the things I believe in.

[TreasonousBastard]

87. Of course I do, but...

as so many others have said, sometimes there's just no point in starting a fight.

Especially if you had no intention of starting a fight.

[rbrnmw]

88. yes I'm a feminist and pro-Obama

[4139]

89. I used to live just outside of NYC years ago... The FALN?

[Warren DeMontague]

90. Yes, I think Oasis sucks.

[LadyHawkAZ]

95. @×/_% YOU, YOU *÷@&÷ING ×$%&(*#×!!!!!!

HOW DARE YOOOOOOO...!

[Dreamer Tatum]

93. oh yes nt

[betsuni]

94. What's all this about veiwing my privates?

[LadyHawkAZ]

96. No. I have lots of unpopular views, but I haven't hidden them

Everything is unpopular with someone or some group here. If we all hid our views for that reason, DU would be a ghost town.

[Nevada Blue]

97. Most of what I think lines up with at least a few DUers so

I guess 'no'.

I've been reading since sometime before the '04 election and didn't even create an ID until recently. Will probably never be a prolific poster. I learn so much here from the conversations, even the contentious ones. And even when things get tense, along comes a post that makes me smile and nod my head.

The diverse opinions are part of what keeps me coming back day after day after day ... (well, that, and the humor)

[PeteSelman]

98. I'm in favor of capital punishment and anti-immigration.

I've never hid it though. My views are nuanced. I'm a Democrat because of what their stance on labor used to be and I'm socially liberal. I don't think labor has any friends in Washington anymore.

[11 Bravo]

99. Nah, I pretty much just say what I think.

Sometimes it leads to shitfests, but hey ... that's life.

[whereisjustice]

100. interesting data

I love questions like this.

Back of Envelope Scribbling
Data from 62 top level replies to this thread:
Mean number of posts per reply 16,584 (drops to ~15580 if high/low removed)
Median 13429
Std Dev 16714 (drops to ~13,000 if high/low removed)
9% people < 1000 posts
58% people > 10000 posts

12% indicate no
48% indicate yes
the rest is off topic, difficult to tell, etc

yes/no subjective of course, but if reservations expressed, that is considered yes. Of course this isn't 100% scientific, blah, blah, blah, but there seems to be a trend.

48% responding are uncomfortable posting beliefs on a message board devoted to common belief. However, they still have 16,000 posts on average, i.e. productivity is high even if trust/morale isn't.

Are people posting what they believe or what they think will be acceptable/rewarded by the "company"?

Of course, one obvious side effect of a surveillance state is the oppression of counter cultural facts and opinions. The rule is becoming "if you wouldn't be comfortable saying something to your employer, don't say it outside work, either".

[F4lconF16]

122. Another possibility...

High post counts on conforming issues, and little posting on "unacceptable" beliefs.

Cool analysis, thanks!

[whereisjustice]

203. agree

[ProfessorGAC]

183. Or, You're Extrapolating Tremendously

Which most any statistician will tell you is inherently risky with transient and subjective data.

What if on another topic, the data suggest highly dissimilar results? Which set is right?

One can always interpolate within the data, but you're going out on a ledge with these conclusions.

GAC

[whereisjustice]

205. lol

I thought very clear qualifications where given.

"subjective"
"isn't 100% scientific"
"62 responses"
etc

However, there is data, there is a trend, and I can see from additional responses that a trend remains. There is no point to asking a question like this if analysis of the outcome wasn't expected. That's what I did, appropriately qualified.

You could be confusing hypothesis with extrapolation and/or interpolation. You used both terms to express the same protest, I'm assuming you meant extrapolation in both cases?

Most people responding have 10s of thousands of posts, yet a significant number don't feel comfortable expressing "unpopular" beliefs. This is interesting to me.

Even if the percent was 40% it would still be significant and leaves me curious about what is considered "unpopular". If it is true "unpopular" opinions are being suppressed given significant post count, it is a true inversion and indicates opinions (potentially very reasonable ones) are being carefully managed.

Now, given that our state surveillance has transcended well into our personal space, the hypothesis that this is influencing or suppressing beliefs must be considered. This is true in (all?) countries who conduct surveillance of citizens. No reason to think the US (or any message board) is exceptional here.

[Ruby the Liberal]

201. Or, people post a bunch chatting with others on topics they like

and simply avoid those they don't want to bother with?

A HUGE (2/3?) chunk of my posts were from 2 terms in MIRT - the 2nd and 3rd team when the board first opened. We were still trying to find our way and it wasn't uncommon to have dozens of posts in a day back then asking and answering each others questions.

Well, that and Meta...

[KeepItReal]

104. Wish Howard Dean would run again...Hillary can't earn my vote.

I'm tired of fake Democrats.

That feels good.

[PassingFair]

115. That makes two of us!

[dembotoz]

106. would have to think so, hope you are all not as fucked up as i am

[JEFF9K]

108. My views against drug legalization are EXTREMELY unpopular.

They led to "shouting matches" that got one of my threads taken down.

Using a certain word that rhymes with "witch," even though the context referred to followers of talk radio rather than women got another one cancelled.

A reference to weight loss in an article about New Year's Resolutions for Republicans got another thread booted.

You can't say anything here that might be misinterpreted as anti-woman by 0.0001% of the women here, or it will be taken down.

Also, you will have problems if you even suggest that "political correctness to the point of idiocy" is a bad thing.

[geek tragedy]

110. No, if people want to call me a rightwinger for holding mainstream Democratic positions, so be it nt

[sabrina 1]

116. It isn't possible to hold mainstream Democratic positions and be mistaken for a rightwinger.

I hold mainstream Dem positions and have been called many things, but never, ever have I been called a rightwinger. Nor do I hide my political views, certainly not on a Dem forum like this where they are shared by the majority.

[whatthehey]

190. Want to bet?

Straight from the party platform:

Firearms. We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms.

We believe that the death penalty must not be arbitrary. (not that it must be banned....)

We have also struck blows against al-Qaeda's leadership in Yemen and Somalia

President has worked with Congress to increase security assistance to Israel every single year since taking office,

Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.

Free and Fair Trade. We have also sought to promote free and fair trade. Because of the economic dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region, which is already home to more than half the global economy, expanding trade with that region is critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the American people. Building on the free trade agreement with South Korea that President Obama signed, we are working with our partners in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum to create a seamless regional economy

Moving forward, we will work to hasten the end of the Assad regime and support a political transition

President Obama has already signed into law $2 trillion in spending reductions

This approach includes tough spending cuts that will bring annual domestic spending to its lowest level as a share of the economy in 50 years


Can't get more mainstream than that. Official even. But try posting strong support for any of those a couple of days from now in an unrelated thread and count the seconds until you are accused of being right wing..

[sabrina 1]

191. When was this written? n/t

[whatthehey]

206. 2012. It's the CURRENT Dem Party Platform

They are written in POTUS election years.

[sabrina 1]

211. Obviously it needs to be changed again. This strays far from what most of us understood

the party's platform to be just four years earlier. The Third Way has had a disastrous influence on this party which badly needs to be ended.

[whatthehey]

212. The first part is subjective. The latter I think anachronous

I'm ok with some of those positions, but not others.

Certainly the "3rd way" revolution is far from recent, being at its peak in the 90s. I think it's just a sign of where the political fulcrum has moved. There are very few ardent leftists as a ratio in either the party or the nation, so can expect to have little influence. The platform is one of the most grass roots small d democratic things imaginable, with delegates elected from party activists at the lowest
level. It's not written by Obama or Emmanuel or any perceived boogeyman.

It will indeed change in 2016, but I don't expect a noticeable move to the left.

What DU thinks often as the base of the party really isn't. The base of the party voted for the platform.

[smirkymonkey]

111. Yes. I am a big proponent of population control.

I strongly believe in promoting birth control everywhere, even in countries where it is not popular. We need to get the birthrate in less developed countries under control.

[Spider Jerusalem]

131. Consumption of resources in developed countries...

is much more of a problem for the planet, and humanity, generally speaking, than the birth rate in less developed countries. And among developed countries the USA stands out, with 5% of the world's population and a staggeringly disproportionate consumption of resources--20% of oil, around 25% of coal, about 25% of total energy; the average American consumes, over the course of his or her lifetime, around 50x more in consumer goods and products than someone from China, and the USA, with 5% of the global population, accounts for 50% of global solid waste production.

"Before removing the mote from thy neighbour's eye, tend to the beam in thine own", and all.

[smirkymonkey]

217. FWIW, I strongly believe in population control in developed countries as well.

I think that most people should have no more than two children, no matter what country they are from.

[WinkyDink]

145. Trump's son's wife just had a fifth child. Does that count?

[smirkymonkey]

218. Yes, it does. I do not think that anyone should have more than two children.

They should only replace themselves. Any more than that and I consider it irresponsible, regardless of their circumstances.

[shaayecanaan]

112. Plenty

I don't think men are as good as parenting as women. This position has hardened since I had children. I spend as much time with our son as my wife, change as many nappies, feed him as many times, and there is no doubt that my wife still has a better connection with him. Accordingly, I think it is vastly preferable for a child to have a mother than to not have one. This presents no impediments to lesbian parents but I don't think having one or two male parents is ideal in the abstract (although it may still be the best outcome in particular circumstances).

I am much more anti-colonial than most people here. I despise the notion that if a brown-skinned person picks up a rifle, then they must be a terrorist. If Western countries want to have military adventures abroad then they can expect to be shot at for their trouble.

I am vegan. I despise the threads from "animal-lovers" who rant about "irresponsible pet owners" not giving their poodles a proper Scandinavian clip while at the same time ignoring the cows that get done to death to provide a meal for their cats and dogs. I also despise the hypocrisy in people objecting to the eating of cats and dogs while at the same time having no problems with eating beef.

I am a bit over the anti-religious sentiment myself. Crusading atheism really should be a phase that you should get over by the time that you are sixteen or so. Making fun of religion is really a pretty tired old turkey shoot, of interest only to people who have no desire to think about anything else.

I am a socialist, and have a bit of a jaundiced attitude towards mainstream liberalism. Its very nice to be concerned with topical issues like contraception, internet equality, whatever, but I suspect that all of this comes at the cost of ignoring material issues around poverty.

[840high]

113. Yes.

[Demobrat]

118. I'm also pro capital punishment.

EXTREMELY unpopular position on here. I will mention it if a suitable case comes up, but I won't get into a big argument about it.

[morningfog]

119. Nope. I have nothing to hide. And certainly nothing to fear from DU's popularity

index.

Being just is far more rewarding than being popular.

[mia]

121. Yes.

But they don't keep me from voting for Democrats.

[flvegan]

123. Nope, and if giving a shit about a view being "popular" on DU

was a concern, I'd not have chosen this screenname from the get go.

[customerserviceguy]

125. All the time

I do post some things that I know will ruffle a few feathers, but I avoid like the plague the latest divide-and-conquer threads that trolls must surely be enjoying. It seems like just about every week there are factions that take up completely opposite sides of what may even be an imaginary issue, and beat each other to death over it.

I'm sure the Freepers are chuckling about every one of them. I don't add fuel to the fire.

[TlalocW]

127. I believe that ferrets are anti-Semitic

But you have to subscribe to my newsletter to understand why.

TlalocW

[Kath1]

128. Very pro-choice and very pro-Obama.

I don't really keep it that private but I generally keep it out of GD.

[cemaphonic]

129. I was (and remain) ok with the first Gulf War.

Even at 17, I found a lot of the propaganda painting Hussein as the new Hitler, and Kuwait as a friendly Western Gulf state a little eye-rolling, and I was a bit shocked and disturbed at how quickly all of the news media uncritically jumped on board with the program (Really, that era was a big watershed for me in how the media is hardly the impartial observer that it likes to paint itself as). And I was pretty horrified at how, for many people, the main justification for the war was so that we could stop feeling bad about Vietnam. (I lived in the DC suburbs at the time, lots of Pentagon families at my high school.)

All that being said, since WWII, one of the biggest principles of international relations is that unilateral annexation of a weak neighbor is a major violation of international order and should be resisted/punished. Also unlike the recent Iraq War, most of Iraq's neighbors were equally concerned about the situation, and it was a true regional alliance against a regional threat. And unlike the recent war (or Vietnam for that matter), it had achievable goals, both military and political, and stuck to them.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

130. Yes..yes I do

I favor balanced budgets in a normal to robust economy. While I'm not opposed to deficit spending in a crisis, I think crisis-like spending has become the new normal.

I favor term limits: 10 terms for Congresspersons and 4 terms for Senators. I also feel that service on the SCOTUS should be limited to 24 years.

I like drinking large quantities of beer and eating highly spiced chicken wings at establishments that feature scantily clad female servers.

[LeftyMom]

132. I'm not exactly shy about my opinions.

[stevenleser]

134. Nope, I say exactly what I believe and let the chips fall where they may.

WYSIWYG

[craigmatic]

138. I believe that

welfare dependency is hurting certain communities but at the same time I believe the programs are needed so in effect I have no solutions for the problem.

[NaturalHigh]

139. Yes.

[pecwae]

140. Hell yes.

Most are not even political but would be made as such.

[GliderGuider]

143. Mmmhmmm...

Last edited Mon Jul 14, 2014, 11:08 AM - Edit history (2)

I think politics in general is part of the world's problem, not the solution; that "the problem" of global overpopulation, overconsumption, ecological devastation and social inequity is intrinsically insoluble; and that global techno-industrial civilization has perhaps 20 or 30 years left to run before it collapses into anarchic ruins. Politics (of any sort or stripe) supports that process, speeds it up and ensures its inevitability.

I think that collective human behavior is driven by a combination of thermodynamics and evolutionary adaptation, and as a result the concept of free will is a self-serving crock. I think that virtually all human behavior is driven by emotions like fear and status-seeking, not reason. Because of this, I think our collective behavior is almost entirely deterministic.

I'm neither an activist nor a humanist - I'm a secular quietist and a deep ecologist who believes human beings have no special significance whatsoever, no matter how intelligent we think we are.

Apart from those, all my ideas are utterly mainstream...

[WinkyDink]

144. Yes.

[raccoon]

150. Yes. Sometimes I post something relating to these unpopular opinions, but not often. nt

[adigal]

151. Yes. I have issues with abortions after any chance of viability

And haven't found many medical reasons they need to be performed. I do a lot of medical research, and through that, i think most medical conditions are now manageable. My friend has terrible edema, and other complications, high blood pressure, but they have gotten her to 8 months. I know there are some unforeseen conditions, but I don't think it's common, and I don't understand why a c-section or induced labor can't be done instead of abortion.

I think, barring those medical conditions, if you want an abortion, it should be done by three months, maybe four, and I have major major issues aborting live fetuses. I also think that it is not common, either, so I generally shut up.

Early safe abortions and the morning-after pill should be the right if every woman.

Better get my flame suit on now.

[Freddie]

156. Your friend with health problems in pregnancy

Is this a wanted pregnancy?
My daughter recently had her second (and last) baby. Both were wanted and planned and both were difficult pregnancies (gestational diabetes, threatened preterm labor) and involved a lot of medical involvement and great discomfort. She did it out of love. I can't fathom being forced to endure pregnancy because women are reduced to brood mares and become less than full citizens once there's 4 cells in your uterus.
I agree with you: use contraception and if it fails, take care of things as early as possible. But the main reason for later term abortions is maternal health and fetal abnormality. The proposed 20-week bans do not allow for sufficient exemptions (if at all) for these reasons. And what if the fetus' diagnosis was not necessarily fatal but would involve years of surgery or a poor quality of life? I think that decision should be up to the mother alone (in consultation with her doctor and her partner, but she has the final say). No one gets to 5 or 6 months pregnant and has an abortion for shits and giggles. Trust women.

[adigal]

164. I agree with you - you said it better

I just hate to see a viable fetus aborted. I wish we could find another way. And of course I trust women. I am a woman, and I would fight for any woman to have the right to make this decision.

[RKP5637]

152. Yes and yes. n/t

[Iggo]

154. Certain parts of DU, sure.

[Tetris_Iguana]

159. Like?

[Iggo]

160. Heheheh.

No, thank you.

[Capt. Obvious]

158. Oh yeah

I don't dare criticize Obama here. There would be nothing left to my carcass.

[maced666]

162. small Obama complaints but not secret

I stay silent because certain most here have the same complaints... NSA snooping...no transparency as promised. With 1000 white house issues why focus on 1 or 2 I don't agree with?

[doxydad]

163. Oh, hell yes.

If someone has it out for you, or you word a sentence wrong regardless of the popularity, you'll be keel hauled up to a jury of your DU 'peers'. That's laughable at best. There's hardly a thick skinned individual here! Everybody who has ratted me out for something they felt was over the top did it within seconds of my posts and a ton of these people in here do not like the idea that maybe...just maybe... a differing of opinion is a good thing. that's the end of my rant, let the tattling like so many little toddlers begin.

[Phentex]

165. No. I think I'm pretty open...

but I don't try to censor or avoid other people's views.

[LWolf]

166. Sort of.

I have views that I don't express, not because of whether or not they'd be "unpopular," but because they'd get me in trouble with the partisan censorship inherent in the TOS.

I don't keep them THAT private, though; I just express them in general, non-partisan terms.

For example, I think neo-liberals are at least equal in "deadly enemy" threat status as neo-conservatives, and maybe more.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

167. Probably. But not a whole lot.

There are just a small handful of issues where I stray from the proverbial flock. The vast majority of things, however, I'm in concurrence with most of DU.

On those issues where I've dissent, I've pretty much ignored topics on those particular issues. The thing is, I like a lot of the people here, so there's no sense antagonizing people with whom I agree 9 out of 10 times.

So I more or less pretend those issues don't even exist when it comes to DU.

So if there is a topic that you don't see me discussing about, it might be because I don't agree with the majority position. Or it might just be that it doesn't interest me. (Like the travails of Edward Snowden. That just doesn't interest me, personally.)

[Enrique]

169. yes

mostly about Laura Branigan.

[ProfessorGAC]

170. Yes

And for the same reason, they'll stay that way.
GAC

[pipi_k]

172. Sometimes I share

my views...

and sometimes I don't because it's just not worth the trouble of defending them against the people who think my views on some things are the entirety of who I am.


Isn't that the way it is...

People who don't know us from Adam, deciding they know who and what we are based on a few sentences on an internet discussion group.


Epic.

[MohRokTah]

173. I hold what is probably the single most unpopular political view possible on DU.

I fully support President Obama.

I wonder what the jury results will be on this post once it gets alerted.

[Pisces]

176. I have a few views contrary to the some, but I don't feel the need to keep them private. Whats the

point of a discussion forum. What is disgusting around here is the people who only post dissenting views to disrupt, plant
negative seeds etc. It is being done, they are paid hacks, and there is no way to avoid or eradicate them. The beautiful
thing about democrats is that we are not a monolithic group.

It is a big tent and all are welcomed within reason. Sorry Ann Coulter, Dick Morris, And Dick Cheney. No exception for you
even if martians landed and you came to your senses.

[polichick]

177. My political views unpopular on DU? Yep. Kept private? Nope.

[bigwillq]

178. No

I say what I believe in, even if it goes against what's popular on the DU.

[riqster]

180. I'm big on GOTV. I don't keep it private.

Surprisingly, there are people here who don't agree that we should eject Dems, and they get all hairy hosed off at me for my GOTV efforts.

[KamaAina]

181. No. I don't keep them private.

Physician-assisted suicide is very, very bad news for people with disabilities.

Also, transit strikes. I am not opposed to workers organizing, of course, but I think they should be treated like police officers and firefighters are, with contract disputes settled by arbitration. This is, in fact, the case in NYC and elsewhere, but not out here.

[roody]

182. I am registered Green Party. eom

[nilesobek]

184. The answer is yes with an explanation.

I've been leaning pro Snowden and Greenwald and also Pro Russia. I just love to see the remnants of the neo con empire take an uppercut from Russia. I love to see a country big and powerful enough like Russia simply tell the neo cons "no."

So I've just been staying out of those threads lately because I met fanatical resistance to my opinion from some other Duers, whom I still like and respect, even though I was told to F* off. If you are not being censored then maybe self censorship is the answer, just to keep things civil.

[locks]

185. Not usually, though I have many "radical" views

I don't mind at all when posters are passionate about their political views even when I am totally opposed to those views. But, seriously, I do mind when the thread sinks to personal (and sometimes vicious) attacks on posters who disagree with it. Sometimes they are alerted on, sometimes not, but IMHO they drag down DU, distract from the point of the thread, and keep away posters who would like to contribute to the discussion.

[get the red out]

186. Most definitely

And I wouldn't write about them here for anything.

[GOLGO 13]

187. I got a good idea how this place is run...

So I keep a lot to myself and stay away from the vile, demented drama queens that infest the upper regions of DU. IMO, some people are looking for the "drama" and they'll not get it from me.

[brooklynite]

188. I'm already unpopular for my economic status...not much point hiding the other stuff...

[Tetris_Iguana]

189. Which status is that?

I often see shaming here for both ends of the spectrum.

[brooklynite]

200. 1%er

7 figure household income; 8 figure assets.

Doesn't matter that I support progressive taxation, help elect candidates like Elizabeth Warren, and give a lot to social welfare charities. I'm wealthy so I must be bad.

[McCamy Taylor]

192. I enjoy firing guns. I feel sorry for the Palestinians. I like Hillary.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

194. Yes

I have hinted at them from time to time and, if directly confronted, I probably wouldn't hide them. But I do know they would be unpopular here

[bpj62]

196. Absolutely

Until recently I was more of a reader than a poster but there are some posts here that I simply refuse to comment on because I know I will get pummeled for being honest. There are some people on DU who make it their solemn duty to punish anyone who disagrees with their point of view.

[Jimbo S]

199. Fiscal views

I tend to be more fiscally conservative than most on here.

Also, I consider myself a pragmatist. But I realize society needs a healthy mix of pragmatists and idealists/dreamers.

[Nederland]

202. Yes, and voicing them got me banned from EE

I had the nerve to say that I believed global warming was real, but that I didn't think it would result in the extermination of the human race. I didn't realize that only extremist views that have no basis in scientific fact are allowed expression in that group...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

210. At least you didn't do anything crazy. Like say for instance. Supporting the invasion of Iraq......

Oh wait.... never mind.

[Jamaal510]

204. Let's see...I hate the Bay Area's plastic bag ban,

I prefer drone usage over other forms of warfare, I think that there is a necessity for surveillance in this country, I was never that interested in the Occupy movement, I get annoyed whenever atheists classify all of religion as "evil" or "nonsense", I don't like cat threads or appreciation threads, and I find Ann Coulter sexually attractive.

[Blue_In_AK]

208. I have political views that are unpopular with some DUers

but popular with others. I don't like to argue, so I usually filter myself. That being said, I think most people who know me or know of me know where I stand on the issues of the day.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

209. in general i very rarely comment on the I/P debate

because its the easiest way to lose friends in real life and so generally i dont comment much on them on DU as well.

[dilby]

213. I think everyone does or should, if not you are just sheep following the herd.

It's a big party and attracts all sorts of people, me personally I don't like abortion. I am not going to protest it or shame women but for me I would try to talk my partner or daughter into adoption before abortion. At the end of the day it's their body and their decision and I have to support that but it does not mean I need to like it.

[m-lekktor]

214. I would probably get booted off this site if i expressed my true opinion

of the Israeli far right government under Netanyahu and it's treatment, especially CURRENTLY, of the Palestinians. i stay clear of the I/P forum, that place is scary. :shudder:

[Xithras]

215. Oh yes.

Mostly my environmental views. I've aired them a few times and to say that they were "unpopular" is putting it mildly. So I just don't discuss them. Unfortunately, I know that the relationship between my environmental views and other social issues has occasionally caused a few other posters to misjudge where my opinions were coming from, but that's the cost of holding "fringe" views

[OriginalGeek]

216. I despise religion

but not necessarily believers.

I have a concealed carry permit
Although I have never carried a gun

I think Seabeyond and Redqueen are unfairly attacked here 100% more often than they deserve.


That's probably it for unpopular opinions.

[raptor_rider]

219. I choose to keep my mouth shut on certain subjects.

Will not list. I just choose not to pose on something I feel passionate about. Everyone has a right to choose what to believe, and what not to believe. The right of being human, yes???