Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Why are so many techs liberal?
Here | Now | Me

Posted on 10/24/2008 2:18:30 PM PDT by Still Thinking

I'm reading (for the second time) Scott Rosenberg's Dreaming in Code, the saga of part of the development of Chandler, an open source cross platform PIM. In it, he refers several times to the general liberal orientation of the programmers there (Al Gore even puts in an appearance), and I've noticed this in other software teams and in other types of engineering as well. It's not monolithic, there are certainly numerous conservatives, but it's always been somewhat of a paradox to me. I always felt that you had to be fairly intelligent to be a good tech, because technical issues are what they are and respond only to fact based approaches, and that you pretty much had to have a room temp IQ or less to be a liberal, so I would have expected those professions to be almost exclusively dominated by conservatives. So what gives? Anyone thought about this before?


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: godlikegeeks; liberals; programmers; technology
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-127 next last

1 posted on 10/24/2008 2:18:30 PM PDT by Still Thinking
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: ShadowAce

.


2 posted on 10/24/2008 2:21:51 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

because they are by in large social deviants that ar fat, sweaty and stinky.


3 posted on 10/24/2008 2:22:32 PM PDT by Porterville (Grammar Nazis- Hands off my mistakes!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

IMHO, there are different types of intelligence. My wife being in the medical professions, I’ve noticed that liberals far out number conservatives in any gathering of doctors, nurses, and advanced practitioners. No one is ever going to accuse anyone there of lacking intellect.

I’d also conjecture that to a degree their liberalism might even benefit them professionally. Whereas I’d want a conservative lawyer or a conservative accountant, I can see where being a bleeding heart isn’t a bad quality to have in the nurse taking care of you.


4 posted on 10/24/2008 2:22:39 PM PDT by Melas (Offending stupid people since 1963)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

So many techs aren’t liberal, just liberal techs know how to make their voices louder technically. Conservative techs are too busy working.


5 posted on 10/24/2008 2:23:30 PM PDT by mnehring (We Are Joe!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

I’ve found that brilliant people frequently live in an somewhat altered universe. That is to say that they tend to see the world differently. My brother in law is a brilliant coder....you probably know some of his books as well. DO NOT ask him for directions. He does not get lost, it is just the things he picks for landmarks are things ordinary people (i) don’t notice, (ii) can’t find. Also he has an altered sense of time.

I think they like what liberalism supposedly stands for and are naive as to political realities.


6 posted on 10/24/2008 2:23:48 PM PDT by Roses0508
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Porterville
because they are by in large social deviants that ar fat, sweaty and stinky.

Not generally the case among the ones that I've met/worked with.

7 posted on 10/24/2008 2:23:56 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Liberalism is rampant in the unix-pukes. MS guys tend to lean conservative. These are my obervations.


8 posted on 10/24/2008 2:23:56 PM PDT by Centurion2000 (To protect and defend ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic .... by any means necessary.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

I’m surprised if anyone gets through public school with any conservative principles left. By the time the schools, the professors, the news-readers and the Hollywood history re-writers have had non-stop access to your brain for a couple of decades, you could use some serious decompression.


9 posted on 10/24/2008 2:23:57 PM PDT by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

I’m in the tech world.
Lots of conservatives still.
Though my company overall has a liberal contribution record when you look up donations.

What about defense tech companys though?


10 posted on 10/24/2008 2:24:06 PM PDT by Names Ash Housewares (Refusing to kneel before the polling gods and whimper. FIGHT!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

You will find a fair number of libertarians though, who don’t believe in socialism.

I think the primary reason is, of course, that techies do tend to not be social conservatives. Of course, many don’t seem to have the first clue about economics.


11 posted on 10/24/2008 2:24:17 PM PDT by Harry Wurzbach (Joe The Plumber & Rep. Thaddeus McCotter are my heroes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Conservative techie here!


12 posted on 10/24/2008 2:24:23 PM PDT by dfwgator (I hate Illinois Marxists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Melas

I think that’s true. The other commonality that occurred to me is that the median age is fairly young among techies, and the young in general tend liberal.


13 posted on 10/24/2008 2:25:25 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

They don’t sweat?


14 posted on 10/24/2008 2:26:21 PM PDT by Porterville (Grammar Nazis- Hands off my mistakes!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking
They're typically maladjusted socially, and as such were lonely, alienated, picked on and teased as children, even though they were smart. They tend to direct their resentment and contempt toward the popular, normal, religious, happy, and well-adjusted in society.

In other words: they're straight out of central casting Democrat voters.

15 posted on 10/24/2008 2:26:46 PM PDT by Boagenes (I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Harry Wurzbach

Yea, I think Libertarian would be the better description of techies.

Libertarians are a strange mix though, conservative financially, but social issue liberals.


16 posted on 10/24/2008 2:27:10 PM PDT by Brookhaven (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Bull Shit is my responce to this Vanity/Opin


17 posted on 10/24/2008 2:27:32 PM PDT by CGASMIA68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boagenes

I said they were social deviants... you explained it in much greater detail.

Now in your opinion are they in general overweight or fat?

In my opinion they are... in general.


18 posted on 10/24/2008 2:28:14 PM PDT by Porterville (Grammar Nazis- Hands off my mistakes!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; Salo; Bobsat; JosephW; ...

My thoughts -- techs are usually pretty intelligent, true, but they typically have a very limited (read: focused) attention area. They don't pay much attention to politics, nor are they particularly well-versed in nuances and phraseology.

Thus, they tend to take things at face value and believe what they hear/see. Liberals tend to spend quite a bit more on advertising than conservatives, so their message gets out a lot more.

Just my $0.02 worth.

19 posted on 10/24/2008 2:28:18 PM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

LOL - its how they got laid in HS and college, so they cling to it. But - HEAVEN FORBID something should mess with Stock Price or 401K!!!


20 posted on 10/24/2008 2:28:37 PM PDT by cqnc (Vote for the ex-POW; Don't BECOME one!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-127 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson