Geek Politics

I've been listening to IT Converstations and generally getting into the podcasting thing since I do have 40-60 min commute each way and I'm oh so tired of broadcast radio. (I claim early adopter since I've been listening to audio on my giant HP Jornada for a couple of years now).

One thing I've been noticing is that there seems to be an assumption by most speakers that the geek listenership is left of center, sometimes far to the left. Why is that? Of the geeks I've encountered over the years it seems that the political alignment mirrors that of the general population (30% liberal, 30% conservative and the rest undecided). Is it just that those who lean towards the left are more likely to get involved in these types of activities?

2 Comments

  • Two good posts in a row. Part of what I dislike about Wil Wheaton is his constant left political speak. If I wouldn't ask George Bush or John Kerry about C#, why would I want to know what a random geek thinks about domestic spending.

  • In my experience, geeks tend to have libertarian philosophies. To the mid-90s, when "Democrats == Big Government" was the dominant theme in party choice, as a whole geeks looked "right." Since social issues have come to dominate, the geeks look to be "left".

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