1/8     Why are movie stars mostly liberal democrats?  I thought most people
        with seven figure incomes were ususally republicans.  Doesn't this seem
        odd?
        \_ First, just how "usually" would you expect 7-figure-makers to be
           Republican?  There are large numbers of wealthy people who are
           liberal.  Secondly, acting requires a very empathetic personality.
           People that are drawn to it will tend to have a circle of concern
           well outside themselves, and a curiousity in humanity that
           supercedes the urge to condemn what they don't understand (or simply
           don't like).  Do you know any actors?
           \_ This argument is amusing.  Why does having an empathetic
              personality and having a tendency to curiosity over
              condemnation make one a liberal in the US sense?  Those
              virtues belong to western secular liberalism as a whole.
              The distinguishing characteristic of a US liberal is a certain
              frame of reference that sees government as 'family,' and
              prefers communal decision making at the expense of individual
              wishes.  See Lakoff for more on this.  Anyways, liberals, if
              soda is any indication, condemn what they don't like with far
              more spittle than pretty much any other group. -- ilyas
              \_ You have the definition of the liberal world view from
                 non-liberals.  This discussion will go nowhere.
                 \_ Lakoff is a liberal.  Not a stupid one, either. -- ilyas
              \_ Uhm, huh?  Have you visited freerepublic?  I don't exactly
                 think of that site as 'spittle-free' or even 'spittle-
                 reduced'.  I think this tendency of vocal condemnation has
                 far more to do with people as a whole rather than a single
                 unrealistically simplified political affiliation.    -mice
                 \_ Eh.  Freerepublic people are idiots.  Soda people are
                    Berkeley students or Berkeley graduates.  I hold soda
                    folks to a much higher standard.  -- ilyas
                    \_ "...liberals, if soda is any indication..."  This
                       would seem to imply that you're extrapolating
                       liberal behavior based on the soda population...
                       which you just said you hold to a higher standard,
                       in effect implying (perhaps not correctly, I hope)
                       that you're holding liberals to a higher standard.
                       A system of labels that reduces the political
                       landscape to one of two affiliations doesn't seem to
                       be serving a very useful purpose in this
                       conversation -- esp if you're going to start holding
                       specific segments to variable standards. -mice
                       \_ It's very simple.  I accused liberals of 'spittle.'
                          You countered with freerepublic.  I pointed out
                          that freerepublic are random internet idiots, whereas
                          soda people are Berkeley students/grads.  The cream
                          of the crop, so to speak.  It's not really reasonable
                          to expect a 'better behaved statistical group' among
                          liberals than college grads from such a good school
                          as Berkeley.  So I am extrapolating from this group
                          to liberals as a whole, who, I conclude will likely
                          only be worse than soda people.  Is anything I said
                          unreasonable to you? -- ilyas
                          \_ Some of it, yeah -- but it's the weekend, so I
                             hope you'll not be too hurt if I take my toys
                             and play somewhere else.  Have a decent weekend,
                             ilyas!    -mice
                          \_ The fact that you regard soda members as
                             representative of anything forces me to downgrade
                             my opinion of your intelligence. -ausman
                             \_ My intelligence seems to come up a lot on the
                                motd.  In the interest of avoiding useless
                                repetition, let's just all agree I am an idiot,
                                and move on to other things. -- ilyas
                          \_ Cf. talk radio, the neocons, Safire, Davids Brooks
                             and Horowitz, Orson Scott Card, and Fox News in
                             general for a rebuttal of the spittle comment.
                             \_ DailyKos, DU, Al Franken, etc. on the
                                democrat side.  He's talking about
                                average people.  I'm not saying he's
                                right, but I am saying you're argument
                                misses the point.
                                \_ Good point. Cf. Freeper troll, ChiCom
                                   troll, etc.
        \_ I find white liberal guilt pretty odd too. -- ilyas
        \_ 1) Hollywood is a liberal town, and most actors are stupid. If
           Liberal arguments are the only ones you hear, and your stupidity
           makes you easily influenced, then you'll be liberal, too.
           2) Making millions acting is mostly a matter of luck. They may
           suffer and work hard, but making it big is a matter of luck, and
           is much less correlated with talent than in the business world.
           Hence the guilt and resulting liberal bleeding-heart mentality.
           3) But where does the liberalism originate and renew itself
           from? This may smell racist, but I think it comes from the Jewish
           contingent in Hollywood. The Jewish faith and culture has a long
           tradition of liberal views of peace and justice, and Jews are much
           contingent in Hollywood. The Jooish faith and culture has a long
           tradition of liberal views of peace and justice, and Joos are much
           more likely to retain these values even as they grow older and
           rich. They are also much more likely to be strongly steeped in this
           culture as children, as opposed to WASP and Catholic families.
           Later in Hollywood, among a lot of stupid people, their conviction
           wins out. And it certainly has its merits. But there aren't many
           fundamentalist Christians in Hollywood to compete with their
           "eye-for-an-eye, the poor get what they deserve" mentality.
           \_ 3) doesn't make you a racist, it makes you a moron.  If "exposure\
              to Joos" infects people with liberalism, how come the finance
              industry is so god damn conservative?
           \_ Wow.  Stupidity incarnate.
           \_ such guilt made more sense in the era when blacks had to sit in
              the back of the bus and many whites thought this was a fine idea.
           \_ You don't have to be dumb to embrace a worldview, left or right.
              If you are dumb, however, I'll mock you whichever way you lean.
        \_ One party makes money off the way they make you feel when you watch
           them on the silver screen.
           Another party makes money by dicking you around, and say "suck it
           up, it's America, land of equal opportunity" when you complain.
           What's so surprising?
           \_ I don't understand how they make money in the 2nd part.
              \_ you must be a movie star!
        \_ Much of wall-street and hollywood is leftist because secular
           jews (and higher % gay) wield much power in these areas.
           joos (and higher % gay) wield much power in these areas.
           \_ Next time someone brings up the tired The Left Is Anti-Semite!
              crap I'd suggest they remember this stupidity first.
              \_ The left *is* anti-semite. Jews vote Democratic anyway
                 as a lesser of two evils. On most issues, Jews lean
              \_ The left *is* anti-semite. Joos vote Democratic anyway
                 as a lesser of two evils. On most issues, Joos lean
                 Republican but Republicans won't have them. As for
                 actors, it's because most are not businessmen and as such
                 have no ties to big business. It really is similar to
                 a lottery winner. Most wealthy people are tied to
                 big business and hence are Republican.
                 \_ Care to back up your left = anti-semite claim?  Come on I
                    dare you.  I double dare you.  Oh and neocon = filthy jew
                    dare you.  I double dare you.  Oh and neocon = filthy joo
                    is not backing up your claim, cause that is patently false.
                 \_ God damn it, would you please use that brain of yours to
                    get your mind around the idea that you can be against the
                    Israeli government's handling of the Palestinian issue and
                    not be anti-Zionist or anti-semitic?
               \_ most of the earliest Communists / leftists in USSR and Europe
                  were Jews.  There are historical reasons for this - look them
                  up rather than revealing your ignorance.  "Jews lean
                  were Joos.  There are historical reasons for this - look them
                  up rather than revealing your ignorance.  "Joos lean
                  Republican" ... WTF are you talking about.  Where do you
                  people come from - your knowledge of history is appalling
                  and dangerous.
                  \_ Are you judging by numbers or by influence?  If by numbers
                     then can you back up the 'most' claim?  If by
                     influence, was Vladimir Lenin a joo?  How about any
                     USSR Gensec?  I say you are full of shit. -- ilyas
        \_ Most single digit millionaires are Republican but most wealthier
           people are Democratic. There is an amusing article about f*ck you
           money and how it influences people's politics in a recent issue
           of The Economist.