I have a strange theory that people of a given political

Ah, the big questions. We may never know. Assuming enough exacting correlation could be found, and further assuming we could use that correlation to infer causation, we'd still have to figure out if the egg came before the chicken, or in this case if ideology caused the preferences or if the preferences caused the ideology!

All that aside, though, nope. I don't think someone's favorite color is a good workable metric to determine their politics, or their age, or their height, or their favorite dessert.

Humans. Pretty complicated stuff.

A cluster of dozens of these opinion bits may provide a hint in one direction, but any such item by itself signifies nothing. For example, I dislike cars just like Duncan, but I'm not a conservative. So which one of us is the outlier? Also, we might dislike them for different reasons.

Another example: I like blues and rock music, a thing I have in common with a lot of conservatives. Then again, I like other kinds of music, too. I have friends who listen to a lot of the same music I do, but their tastes are still structured differently because we all like things more or less according to endless variations in taste.

Any cluster of opinions big enough to give you a solid impression of a person will also be so fuzzy that deducting additional single pieces of information about them might get harder rather than easier. But if anything, that's what you need to make any predictions.

Yeah, no, I think the OP is seeing patterns that aren't there, something humans are pretty good at.

I tend to prefer classic architecture (though I don't outright dislike all examples of modern architecture), I prefer the colors blue and green (green especially, because it reminds me of foliage, but blue reminds me of water), dislike cars (prefer mass transportation), adore the fall season (New England is the place to be for it!), etc etc. And I'm about as liberal as they come, so, no.

Agree that there probably isn't any correlation. I'm much more like Introversion in that I like blue and green, dislike cars, etc. I like Victorian architecture and decor, dislike modern stuff, and I'm very liberal.

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

lizmonster said:

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

Click to expand...

Here's a question I ask all my regional participants at the NaNoWriMo kick-off party:

Cake or pie? Which is the better defense against zombies?

I get some hilariously creative answers.

lizmonster said:

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

Click to expand...

Just what I would expect a centrist to say.

underpope said:

Cake or pie? Which is the better defense against zombies?

Click to expand...

Cake. Because who cares about zombies? There's cake.

JoB42 said:

Just what I would expect a centrist to say.

Click to expand...

We are a blended family. I worry about our daughter being ostracized at school.

I think you've spent too long being steeped in artificially polarised American politics. Life's not a coin, there are more than two sides.

If it 'were' true, then what kind of traits would you expect to see from someone who started off hardline libertarian conservative and slowly abandoned that?

Are all my tastes and interests supposed to change as I move from conservatism to platonic totalitarianism, and then to anarchy?_?

Characteristics sounds too concrete to me. I rather think that, if any such correlation exists, political leanings are simply another of the indicators of... I'll call it "personality" for brevity's sake. And despite a wealth of studies, I don't think we understand very well where personality comes from.

lizmonster said:

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

Click to expand...

There is no debate. Pie. Blackberry, boysenberry, apple, or peach. Preferably one of each.

Course, this comes from one who eats cake all the time.

underpope said:

Which is the better defense against zombies?

Click to expand...

22 long rifle from a 10-22. Simple.

Vampires are the bigger nuisance. I can't find a repeater bow.

People have already said what I would about personal tastes not being a good indicator of political affiliation.

However, I did once read a theory that claimed when people have a favorite color, they subconsciously choose a color that looks flattering with their skin tone.

It holds true for me; my favorite color is purple, and I also happen to look great in purple. (darker purple. I look dreadful in lavender, or really any pastels).

But, of course, that could be a coincidence. I'd be interested to see if the pattern holds true among all of you, or if it's just a bit of fashion-magazine fluffy nonsense (I don't remember where I heard the theory).

Tazlima said:

People have already said what I would about personal tastes not being a good indicator of political affiliation.

However, I did once read a theory that claimed when people have a favorite color, they subconsciously choose a color that looks flattering with their skin tone.

It holds true for me; my favorite color is purple, and I also happen to look great in purple. (darker purple. I look dreadful in lavender, or really any pastels).

But, of course, that could be a coincidence. I'd be interested to see if the pattern holds true among all of you, or if it's just a bit of fashion-magazine fluffy nonsense (I don't remember where I heard the theory).

Click to expand...

Not true for me. I look best in orange--which I don't hate or anything, but it's nowhere near my favorite.

Tazlima said:

However, I did once read a theory that claimed when people have a favorite color, they subconsciously choose a color that looks flattering with their skin tone.

Click to expand...

Ages ago, I recall reading part of an article that had a passing mention of how eye color might affect favored colors, indicating that eye color subtly affected color perception. No idea what paper it was from or when it was published, unfortunately; it was pinned to the wall of a studio where I did some temporary assistant work. (IIRC, the main thrust of the article was about an artist who painted somewhat tongue-in-cheek pictures based on a country's surveyed art preferences; America was a wilderness park scene with people vaguely disporting themselves and a hippopotamus as exotic wildlife.) It was a long time ago.

lizmonster said:

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

Click to expand...

Face it, I just let you natter on as I bake both to keep the peace.

J.J.PITTS said:

There is no debate. Pie. Blackberry, boysenberry, apple, or peach. Preferably one of each.

Click to expand...

I like the cut of your jib. Though, as an avowed pietian married to a heretical cakeist, I'm also tired of the endless sectarian sniping. I hold great hope for the turducken of desserts, the pake.

I want pie, now.

mccardey said:

I want pie, now.

Click to expand...

I usually prefer cake, but I have nothing against pie. Especially chocolate silk pies. Those are fantastic.

DuncanClinch said:

Libertarianism and conservatism aren't the same thing. Libertarianism is really just another form of liberalism since both ideologies strive for chaos where individuals aren't bound by societal norms.

Click to expand...

I've two big liberal "thumb's ups" for personal liberties, appropriately bounded by laws, but "chaos"? I'm not seeing that in any liberals I know, or read. Where does that come from?

Introversion said:

Face it, I just let you natter on as I bake both to keep the peace.

Click to expand...

Don't be making out like you do all the work. Marriage is a two-way street. I eat them.

Mmmm.... pie....

lizmonster said:

I struggle daily with the great Pie vs. Cake debate.

Click to expand...

There is a thing made in New England called Boston Cream Pie.

Introversion said:

I like the cut of your jib. Though, as an avowed pietian married to a heretical cakeist, I'm also tired of the endless sectarian sniping. I hold great hope for the turducken of desserts, the pake.

Click to expand...

You want sectarian sniping, dude, keep calling me "heretical" on AW. You pie fanatics are all alike.