So another fair way would have been to day: Moderates are more moderate on line. But not as interesting. :-) And if you dig in, that finding above is somewhat ambiguous.
I thought this was interesting as well: "38% of SNS users have posted positive comments in response to a political post or status update from someone else. Democratic users of SNS (48%) are much more likely to have done this than Republicans (33%) and Independents (37%)."
What would be an example of content a conservative would ban/unfriend someone for ?
I'm not sure either side particularly owns stupid entertainer comments, it's just that the left is over-represented in the entertainment industry. Certainly the volume is higher, but the proportion may be the same. _XC
I have found my conservative friends are more likely to fight than to block maybe that is what is being tested.
the "very conservative" group seems to be as surprise-able as the Liberal and Very-liberal groups.
I wonder if they are as offend-able. I have one friend that did not talk to me for a while because when he asked me what I thought of the T-party I said they were just Republicans. (not by a long shot the most offensive thing I have ever said.) I had a guy block me on twitter because when he used David Brock as the liberal equivalent of Andrew Brietbart I said they were both pieces of sh!t. So I seem to have the knack for offending conservative maybe it is because I am not really a liberal? I doubt you would be offended by either of those comments. I myself was shocked at their reception.
If you said Duke Basketball and UNC Basketball were about the same thing, well, then pffffft. _XC
but maybe nothing offends a conservative.
But not because he was conservative.
This probably reflects a deeper truth about extremism. Namely, that people with extreme views typically stick together. Sometimes, when you talk with someone whom you may disagree with, they might have a point, and thus, a reevaluation of your position is necessary. If you only keep friends who are always agreeable, then there is no need to question your own beliefs.Those at either end of the political spectrum – those who are very conservative or very liberal – are more likely than others to say they agree with their friends’ comments most of the time or always.
I have to admit, at least in the spectrum of US liberal/conservative bias, it seems easier to share characteristically liberal views online. I'm typically progressive in my politics, but not in all areas. Most often, I part from liberal politics when it concerns the use of negative regulation to bring about desired results. IMO the best policies are not guided by 'what is right', but by what encourages that which is closest to 'what is right'.
Occasionally online liberal echo chambers spring up where the conversation revolves around identification of injustice rather than pragmatic moves to improve upon the current situation. That's one thing I have to credit conservatives with. Even though they often might appear more self-serving when compared to liberals, they do seem (IMHO) to put more weight upon what can or cannot be done.
It is a noble ideal to be sure. But, it can also be a trap. Sometimes the things that you might think can't be done are extremely valuable. Personally, I would have never thought Wikipedia possible. Healthy skepticism is awesome. But a priori bias in problem-solving can be crippling. However, both 'sides' are guilty of that.