Independents and non-partisans

[Razgovory]

Whatever you need to soothe your ego.

Ok...so what is bruising my ego here exactly?  I do not really get the bizarre association that only the arrogant do not support Republicans or Democrats.  Plenty of arrogant people are Republicans and Democrats.

That is the point cognitive dissonance, to put what you want to believe and what is actually true about yourself closer together.

What is true is I want certain things like being pro-individual liberty and managing a balanced budget and so forth that neither party are ever going to support.  When I feel like one of the parties might be slightly more inclined in that direction I hope they win but being here in Texas I have no ability to help them win besides tossing a few bucks their way.  On a local level I am far more active in picking candidates that support things I support and work to steer the state government into a less thought control police state direction.  I also always vote in the Republican Primary since they are ultimately the people who are going to win the election anyway.  I guess I do not really see how identifying myself as a party member does me any good or changes anything.  I certainly do not see how my vast ego is stroked by not doing so.  Ultimately I am just one guy and nobody gives a damn what I think, I do not even care that much but, you know, I have a civic duty or something.

Not arrogance, but identity.  People develop an identity.  How they think about themselves.  The gap between how they view themselves and how they really are is bridged by cognitive dissonance.  Some people's identity involves being an independent.   If they really aren't independent but simply think of themselves that way (as the study suggests most people who think of themselves as independent), they will come up with justifications or simply ignore facts that are contrary to what they want to believe about themselves in an effort to preserve this identity.  This isn't arrogance, though most of the things we about ourselves is positive.

[MadImmortalMan]

It's the same reason Raz gets mad in union threads. 

I'd say it's easier for people who self-identify as independent though, because basically no issue can be "taken personally" except the questioning of their independence.

[Admiral Yi]

Why does it have to be either one?  It could be both or neither.  Someone who is a single issue voter almost certainly has opinions about other things.  It's just that this one issue trumps the other ones.   Certainly someone could be a single issue voter and be purely partisan.  "Yeah, the Democrat claims to be pro-life, but Democrats are liars.  Can't trust them"  On the other hand they could be independent because they are very indecisive, extremely broad minded, not well informed, or they just forget what their own opinions were a year ago.

I forgot what we were talking about.

[Valmy]

Not arrogance, but identity.  People develop an identity.  How they think about themselves.  The gap between how they view themselves and how they really are is bridged by cognitive dissonance.  Some people's identity involves being an independent.   If they really aren't independent but simply think of themselves that way (as the study suggests most people who think of themselves as independent), they will come up with justifications or simply ignore facts that are contrary to what they want to believe about themselves in an effort to preserve this identity.  This isn't arrogance, though most of the things we about ourselves is positive.

Well I would love to be a supporter of one party or the other.  I am just waiting for one of the parties to be acceptable enough for me to support them.  I don't have any deep need to continue to be a special little snowflake over here.  The Republicans are who I want to support but the Republicans have managed to be offensive in enough ways that I cannot really support them, particularly the Texas variety.  I do not have a strong identity here I just do not have a political home right now.

[Valmy]

It's the same reason Raz gets mad in union threads. 

I'd say it's easier for people who self-identify as independent though, because basically no issue can be "taken personally" except the questioning of their independence.

If you say so.  The independents on this board get upset about plenty of stuff.

[Ed Anger]

I'm above your petty concepts of left and right, Democrat and Republican. You petty plebs with your cow like mentality.

[Valmy]

I'm above your petty concepts of left and right, Democrat and Republican. You petty plebs with your cow like mentality.

Stop lying to yourself Ed.

[Ed Anger]

I'm above your petty concepts of left and right, Democrat and Republican. You petty plebs with your cow like mentality.

Stop lying to yourself Ed.

I just bought a tiny giraffe.

[DGuller]

I'm above your petty concepts of left and right, Democrat and Republican. You petty plebs with your cow like mentality.

Stop lying to yourself Ed.

I just bought a tiny giraffe.

That's all the giraffe you could afford?

[Razgovory]

Not arrogance, but identity.  People develop an identity.  How they think about themselves.  The gap between how they view themselves and how they really are is bridged by cognitive dissonance.  Some people's identity involves being an independent.   If they really aren't independent but simply think of themselves that way (as the study suggests most people who think of themselves as independent), they will come up with justifications or simply ignore facts that are contrary to what they want to believe about themselves in an effort to preserve this identity.  This isn't arrogance, though most of the things we about ourselves is positive.

Well I would love to be a supporter of one party or the other.  I am just waiting for one of the parties to be acceptable enough for me to support them.  I don't have any deep need to continue to be a special little snowflake over here.  The Republicans are who I want to support but the Republicans have managed to be offensive in enough ways that I cannot really support them, particularly the Texas variety.  I do not have a strong identity here I just do not have a political home right now.

Maybe you do, maybe you don't.  I don't know you well enough.  However, considering yourself to have such a such high integrity that neither party is acceptable for you to support would be part of that hypothetical identify.

[Ed Anger]

That's all the giraffe you could afford?

You are totally out of the loop aren't you? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWYbcbpiWA

[Maximus]

TV commercials? How plebian.

[Razgovory]

That's all the giraffe you could afford?

You are totally out of the loop aren't you? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWYbcbpiWA

It's Dguller!

[Ed Anger]

That's all the giraffe you could afford?

You are totally out of the loop aren't you? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWYbcbpiWA

It's Dguller!

We'll make an American out of him yet.

[DGuller]

   That's what I get for forwarding through the commercials.