Were political affiliations so obvious in the 80s and 90s?
Posted by reformed_lurker_1@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 186 comments
Nowadays it’s like you can’t drive past a car with a MAGA sticker or pride flag on their cars or clothing. Seems like a lot of people wear their political affiliations all of the time.
Back in the 80s and 90s I don’t remember politics being such a big part of people’s identity. Obvious politics matter but it’s seems like a secondary part of life.
Is it me or was politics more reserved and hidden or were we just more naive because we were kids?
coreyjdl@reddit
Heard of the civil rights movement? Vietnam war protests, hippies? Punks? Even in the eighties Family Ties was a thing, a sitcom essentially based on political polarization within a family.
Aware-Owl4346@reddit
In the 70s and 80s I never heard neighbors talk about who they voted for. Close friends and family might. But I never saw people wearing it on their clothes.
nvmls@reddit
I remember my mom saying that it was rude to ask someone who they voted for. I guess there are cases where you could obviously tell, but it was in the same category as asking someone you aren't close with what religion they are. Fine if offered but not really talked about.
reformed_lurker_1@reddit (OP)
Yeah, that's how I remember it too. You keep religion, politics, and money to yourself.
Now it's everywhere, like a fashion statement and I hate it. But I am guilty of talking politics when I should keep it to myself.
AshDogBucket@reddit
You shouldn't have to keep it to yourself. For a whole bunch of us, "keep your politics to yourself" means "stop being who you are." The code of silence around "politics" was never a good thing.
Practical-Object-827@reddit
So your whole personality and being is who you vote for? Sorry. I have other traits. If you feel the need to share your politics all the time, it’s probably good that I don’t know you because if I did, I would drop you as a friend. As for me. I’m that guy who can’t ever learn enough, I work too much, and I’m a functional alcoholic. Politics are such a small part of who I am that it rarely comes up.
AshDogBucket@reddit
No.
I'm queer.
Politics isn't a big part of who I am. But who i am is considered political.
just-the-teep@reddit
🙄
texpa@reddit
For most people, who aren’t fringe one way or another, they still don’t. You grew up not doing it, and that was correct. If you feel yourself doing it, consider if you’ve gone a little overboard and it’s emotionally affecting the way you conduct yourself. I mean this with all sincerity.
If your reply to this in any way follows the line of “but it’s SO bad now, can you believe X, Y, Z” you’ve crossed the line into thinking you’re somehow unique (we’re not, we’ve just lost emotional control).
Bring back class, civility, etc - even if our politicians have lost it. Remember, they’re a direct representation of us whether you like it or not.
AshDogBucket@reddit
Just FYI you're telling queer folks to go back into the closet. I don't think you realize that (or maybe you do). If that's how you feel then cool, but ijust needed you to know that's what you're saying when you say it's "correct" to avoid talking about politics.
Please don't say things like this around your lgbtq loved ones.
texpa@reddit
Not the point I was trying making, but understand where you’re coming from. I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk about things you believe in, but that folks consider the time and place.
I associated the comment I replied to above similar to dinner table conversation. Basically, unasked for discussion/comments/opinions on deep seated beliefs - religion, politics, etc - in many settings are out of line and disrespectful. But unfortunately, are becoming more and more common today.
AshDogBucket@reddit
To many people, a queer person mentioning their spouse in passing is "out of line and disrespectful." I don't get how you wouldn't know this.
texpa@reddit
How is that talking about politics or religion? It’s not. Just because someone may disagree with someone having a certain sex “spouse” doesn’t mean they’d feel like that person is trying to change their opinion on a belief. You’re really stretching and grasping at things that I haven’t said, and honestly are sort of what I’m talking about in my first post.
AshDogBucket@reddit
... yikes.
I wish I lived in the world that you do, truly. It's a much nicer place than the real world.
texpa@reddit
You’re fulfilling the comments from my original statement. I truly do hope you feel better in the future.
chonky__chonker@reddit
Politics has become more polarised all around the world, and not a lot of it is centrist politics like thing used to be back in the 80s & 90s.
As politics shifted and became further left or right, people became increasingly open about their political views for various but I think it is mostly because we live in a time where social media keeps people in their own echo chamber and they often do not come up against differing views so there’s more comfort around showing your political colours.
Just my two cents. Also not commenting specifically on any one country, I think the echo chamber exists everywhere.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Nothing like being a centrist in today's world and getting dogpiled by each side.
kg51113@reddit
I also think social media has made us more connected and in some ways has led to over sharing.
In the 80s and 90s, if your friends or neighbors were gone for the day, you didn't know where they went. Now everyone posts on social media and checks in at a rally, a protest, or a march.
Mekroval@reddit
In fairness, speaking out to defend your Constitutional rights as a citizen is now deemed "political." So I don't see how politics can be avoided in most contexts. It's everywhere, because our rights are being attacked everywhere. Where norms and the rule of law exist, then the political can stay in the background. But I don't see that as an option today.
AshDogBucket@reddit
For many of us simply existing is "political."
Mekroval@reddit
Too true. It's why I get frustrated when people act like politics is a dirty word. Usually it's coming from people who have the luxury of "forgetting" politics exists because the downsides will rarely touch them in any meaningful way.
blues_and_ribs@reddit
Yeah, this was going to be my answer. It was widely accepted that you didn’t talk politics in polite company.
I think social media was one of the main things to drive us away from that. Everyone has their own megaphone now.
NicolesPurpleHair@reddit
I remember my mum telling me that my grandpa and grandma didn’t even tell each other who they voted for!
Hipcatjack@reddit
same . also happy cake day
nvmls@reddit
Thanks!
ottovonbizmarkie@reddit
To be fair, I haven't ever asked, or been asked who I voted for. I assume a lot of people can guess, knowing where I come from, my ethnicity, my educational background, etc. It's more that some people where who they voted for like a walking billboard.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
This is exactly the way it was
kjb76@reddit
They were not at all. But the divide between both parties was not as wide as it is now. I had two different Republican boyfriends in the 90s despite me being a liberal Democrat. I would not get involved with a Republican now.
gargar7@reddit
Lot of people seem to be implying it was better when they could be quietly racist and sexist…
chickenscottpie@reddit
Thank you! I’m reading these comments thinking I’m taking crazy pills. People acting like it’s “just politics” to be bigots and fascists. But they are also likely the kind of people who “politics” doesn’t mean a matter of literal life and death for them, so they can just keep pretending it’s some game they’re not involved in.
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
Right I feel like I’m in a fuckin boomer sub right now. These comments are NOT IT
gargar7@reddit
Yes it is kind of icking me out.
Comprehensive-Fact94@reddit
I think the parties were more alike back then.
You also didn't have the hyper-partisan 24 hour news driving people apart like you do now. Not to mention the internet.
Your discussions were also face to face. No hiding behind a screen. People are far more civil when there's a risk of getting their lights knocked out.
It was more of a secondary trait for people back then. Not a primary part of their identity.
texpa@reddit
Your last sentence is SO true.
AshDogBucket@reddit
Just so y'all know, the fact that we talk openly about politics is why queer folks can get married, why politicians (sometimes) face consequences for sexual harassment and violence, why schools are no longer (formally) segregated by race, etc...
Talking openly about politics is responsible for 100% of the social progress that has been made in our lifetime.
when you wax poetic about how great it was when everyone kept quiet about their politics, you're supporting the system that kept many of us from having rights. When everyone keeps quiet about politics, it protects the status quo and the people who benefit are the ones with the most privilege.
I just don't get how y'all don't see that but then i remember the demographics of this group. It's so gross how committed you are to keeping the rest of us down and in the closet. I wish we could have a separate xennial group for those of us who aren't hetero white men.
goater10@reddit
I will never understand why some Americans feel the need to plaster their cars with political slogans and stickers. It just makes you look crazy.
boston_homo@reddit
Many Americans also do not understand this
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
No? Pre MAGA shit was just fine. Pre tea party really. The 2 parties would work on bipartisan legislation without making it weird.
WetMogwai@reddit
The weird stuff in public started around the time of the Tea Party but bipartisanship in Congress was mostly a thing of the past by then. Newt Gingrich turned the Republican party into the party of No in the mid-90s. Before that, they could work together. He didn't use the words but he pretty much turned owning the libs into party policy and we've been stuck with that ever since.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Yeah and Fox News started really damaging the brains as well. Probably the biggest factor in this populist shithole “movement” (fascist personality cult).
Can create a fascist cult without hard times, and if you are in prosperous times it seems just lying outright repeatedly for years works just fine.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Things got ruined when the neocons weaponized the flag and "support our troops." Each side has been trying to one up each other to the race to the bottom ever since.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Has each side been though? I don’t think that’s the case at all.
Cardiff-Giant11@reddit
when i was a kid my parents didn’t want to tell me who they were voting for in the 1988 election since they thought who you vote for should stay private.
mobtown_misanthrope@reddit
Politics were no where near as polarized (or batshit) pre-2000's, so no, most people only thought about them when it was election time.
Fun-Preparation-4253@reddit
Does anyone else remember the green bumper stickers with yellow letters that just bold said "LIBERAL" or "CONSERVATIVE?"
NYTravelerBD@reddit
I 100 percent blame a combination of social media and 24/7 partisan news channels.
Impossible-Leek-2830@reddit
O, they weren’t. People kept that stuff private. You would not dare ask how someone voted! That was as bad as asking a woman’s age or weight. Just seen as rude behavior.
ghostfromtheshell@reddit
I remember it being waaay more lighthearted. Lots of joking and nagging, but not the vitriolic wrath we see sometimes now.
avinaut@reddit
Yes, that's what's changed- it used to be normal to have real friends that you were never going to agree with about certain things. Now we're afraid to even know, half the time.
avinaut@reddit
They could be, absolutely. It was particular issues, though. The parties were both less aggressive than the component factions of their coalitions. Growing up in Catholic churches, there was a lot of pro-life branding around. Environmentalists and feminists could be pretty loud about their cause, too. People who see themselves as part of a movement for change or justice and aren't afraid of consequences have never felt obligated to be quiet about it. It's self-defeating, after all.
ShivvyMcFly@reddit
Not really. Your politics were your politics. Nobodies business
Swansong80@reddit
It was less in the 80’s and 90’s for sure. But it was a peaceful time with moderate politicians. We are now in a hyper polarized political environment and we are engaged in a war. People feel the need to speak out and now with social media we get to see everyone’s opinions because people have a platform for it. It was never this chaotic during the 80’s and 90’s.
YoohooCthulhu@reddit
There was a thing that went on into the 2000s, where news organizations would often not put “D/R-state” next to Senators’ names in reporting and on TV, under some weird understanding that the senate was more “bipartisan “.
It used to drive me and others crazy, because Republican senators would get on and concern troll about the Democratic Party and the reporters would never call them on it.
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
Hi, sexual orientation is not political.
Alarming-Energy-5654@reddit
Not inherantly, but when one of the major players takes it as far as they do, it becomes one. The concentration camps started on gays before jews too, so this isn’t new
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
Yep, we’re in agreement. Op is upset they can’t be a bigot in public anymore
Aware_Policy_9174@reddit
There seems to be a lot of rose tinted glasses on here. Identity politics have been around forever. Nixon and Reagan used all kinds of dog whistles like “welfare queen”, the whole war on drugs was very racially motivated, criminalizing marijuana had racist undertones. The fact that some people had the privilege of ignorance doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening. Same with police brutality. Rodney King being caught on film made it generally known but if you were black or brown you already knew.
There wasn’t the same cult like following as now, and people didn’t necessarily say who they voted for, but it was usually obvious. There was also bumper sticker culture that was big in the 90’s in some places. In Portland you’d see cars covered in stickers like “coexist” or pride related things, environmentalism, etc. I guess people were more “polite” but if you knew you knew.
Serious_Lettuce6716@reddit
I think it’s because of social media, and the 24-hour cable news networks. It used to be considered rude to discuss politics and the only MAGA-flavored bumper stickers were campaign stickers for republican candidates. I miss that.
I live in a progressive city and MAGA shit is a relatively rare sighting. You probably see at least 100 pride, or otherwise progressive stickers to 1 MAGA sticker. I usually don’t even see 1 MAGA sticker a day, or even in a week. My dad and a few other relatives even drink the “Kool Aid” but they never advertise it. I’d have to drive at least 30 minutes out of town to see any higher concentration of MAGA shit.
DandyLionsInSiberia@reddit
There used to be an unspoken rule in general public life. No politics, no religion, no money talk.
People definitely still had their own opinions and perspectives - expressed them in their own fashion, but they didn’t wear them like team colours or use them to sort everyone into enemies and allies.
Now social media hands everyone a megaphone and too many seem to both loving and profiting from the noise. Division isn’t a byproduct, it’s the whole point it seems.
The result is a lot of shouting, a lot of digging in, and nothing getting done. Just stalemates and people who have more in common than not being splintered rendered unable to effectively exchange notes and work effectively with one another in important areas .
ExeUSA@reddit
Yes. We were kids so we weren't paying attention. If you watch Law and Order from the 90s, "liberals" are always mentioned. Which is funny because I don't remember that word being thrown around at all as a kid.
Also, Newt Gingrich tried to get Big Bird cancelled. (He crawled out of the ooze, so the current crop could have a speed run against morality. Good times)
And Bill and Monica were 98, so, you know, the 90s--Ken Starr was a POS who led a witch hunt against Clinton for the dumbest thing EVER. That was an especially fun time as a teenager, because all the late night hosts bashed how she looked, and I thought she was prettier than me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
JoeFromStPaul@reddit
People today are not adult enough for politics and express it in childish ways.
BananaJelloXlii@reddit
It was there, but not as noticeable. 9/11 was when the right really ramped up the "Go USA!" rhetoric and calling Nationalism "Patriotism". It was when we got the "If you are against the war in Iraq, you hate America and soldiers!" when in fact, all we wanted was our troops not dying in an unnecessary war we instigated.
Huge-Broccoli-1251@reddit
No. We had ACTUAL lives and were getting laid.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Whether people here admit it or not, this nails it.
toomuchtv987@reddit
Is a Pride flag political?
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
No more than the Christianity fish.
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
If you think christians and lgbtq folks face the same level of discrimination, you’re beyond help
toomuchtv987@reddit
Period.
TheTacoInquisition@reddit
No. Some people who don't like LGBTQ+ people having rights try and MAKE it political, but it's just bigotry wrapped up in an excuse to attack others.
It is not a political flag.
toomuchtv987@reddit
Yeah, exactly.
nichewilly@reddit
It shouldn’t be, and technically isn’t, but it does tell you which way a person most likely votes
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
OP’s wording about that is screaming how they really feel
AdjectiveNoun1234567@reddit
"bOtH sIdEs" vibes
Sumeriandawn@reddit
To some people
lartinos@reddit
It wasn’t like this in 2010. I don’t agree with you politicizing and blaming one side though.
Alarming-Energy-5654@reddit
So, a republican I see.
Sumeriandawn@reddit
You don’t remember the 2000s?
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
It was also common that husbands and wives did not know who their spouse voted for.
Soft-Caterpillar8749@reddit
Nah husbands used to fill out their wife’s ballots for them lol
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Not where I was but there is a whole lotta flyover country 💀
toomanyusesforaname@reddit
Bumper stickers and yard signs around election time weren't that uncommon. Otherwise, however, no - it was far less obvious. I won't place the blame squarely on the far right - surely the left has played a role here - but the most significant escalation has been over the past ten years, where MAGA is basically a lifestyle brand. There was absolutely nothing like that during my youth.
supiesonic42@reddit
Talk radio turned it into team sports.
Behold the carnage.
Tribalism has been leveraged, education suppression, and little black mirrors for everyone.
higglesworth@reddit
2 things we didn’t discuss…religion and politics
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
icy_sylph@reddit
LAffaire-est-Ketchup@reddit
I don’t think so? I mean, I remember crying as a kid when Brian Mulroney got elected as prime minister of Canada. But there wasn’t people out there with giant flags saying that they wanted to fuck his opposition then.
daretoeatapeach@reddit
Not at all, but no one was openly racist and everyone had the same definition of the facts so it was easy not to be obvious. Now people get a completely different version of reality to go along with their politics so they're easy to spot.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
There was an insane amount of open racism, but yes, there was a shared reality.
Entire-Order3464@reddit
The 80s and 90s were different times. One party wasn't a delusional death cult.
worksnake@reddit
Not true. After Reagan literally invited the Christian right into government, it became a delusions death cult. What Reagan did made hats happening now inevitable.
VaselineHabits@reddit
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
When the church merges with the state it is no longer a church of God.
TheTacoInquisition@reddit
Just to nitpick, pride flags are not political flags. They are symbols to support people who are LGBTQ+, and we come in ALL sorts of political shapes and sizes. A person can change their politics, a person cannot change their sexuality or become cis when they're trans.
So please leave pride flags out of things.
knivesofsmoothness@reddit
I had a Ronald Reagan shirt in the 3rd grade, so... yea.
I got better.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
He turned you into a NEUT!
abbydabbydo@reddit
I had a “These Colors Don’t Run” shirt, swept up in support of the first war in Iraq.
reformed_lurker_1@reddit (OP)
haha - I love the idea of a conservative 3rd grader who is sick and tired of the welfare state.
knivesofsmoothness@reddit
That was when Rambo was popular, and if I remember, it was like a cartoon of Reagan done up like Rambo stomping on an allatoyah or something.
Haisha4sale@reddit
It was nerdy, very uncool to have super strong opinions on politics.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Yes. I was considered a dork for registerring to vote on my 18th birthday. Literally everyone didn't care.
Moxie_Stardust@reddit
I remember my dad telling me about this hilarious bumper sticker he saw on a car that said "Clinton: Changing America" with a hammer and sickle on it in the 90s.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
I remember "Keep Working: Millions of Welfare Dependants Depend On You"
Swifty-Dog@reddit
It was relegated mostly to bumper stickers. There was no social media.
I specifically remember a lot of “Don’t blame me, I voted for Bush” stickers in the early 1990s.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Trying to shame the Perot voters!
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
There were pins and yard signs around election time, but that was about it. Nobody went out of their way to talk about it but it also wasn’t the polarizing and divisive political climate we have today.
MrNinoBrown1906@reddit
Well that is because politicis have infiltrated every walk of life.
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
If you let it. 95% of it is nonsense people have no business wasting their time with. But, that social media dopamine hit is a hell of a drug for far too many people these days.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Voting is not a waste of time, it is a patriotic duty. Protests/school board takeovers are also a civic duty when your toes are stepped on. Politics? Like yelling into the void and getting mad at the newscycle?
Waste of time!
MrNinoBrown1906@reddit
Look I am a Black Man and I live in Florida.
Me having a job and my kids going to college has become a political talking point. Yes there are people who have the privilege to ignore this like it doesnt matter and just say life goes on. Some of us just dont have that luxury. The LGBT community i would assume feel the sane way.
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
Everyone has skin in the game (some more than others for a variety of reasons that are important to them personally). I’m mostly speaking on the BS that gets the most focus because of the “clickbait” factor. That BS takes so much focus away from issues that matter such as the ones you speak of. It’s difficult for those issues to make it through the noise and garner much attention. I have consciously lived my life, so that I have yet to be significantly impacted by anything political or out of my control. Those are decisions I made, in conjunction with societal advantages that I am well aware that I have had the help of. It ALL matters, but for things to start to happen, the people need to stop looking at politics in black and white, use critical thinking, and stop the political vitriol. Have we not learned that it does nothing to solve REAL issues and only keeps us divided. All the best to you and yours.
MrNinoBrown1906@reddit
I mean yeah there is more information and misinformation that is coming at people now than ever before. 24 hour news abd Social Media has made that a thing. I think also having a President that uses SM as a communication vehicle has played into that.
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
A lot of the decisions he has made had played into that lol. He is the same guy we saw growing up. All show. I like some of his policies and what he has done and is doing, but I have hated the predictable way he has implemented them.
Lucky-Interview-7689@reddit
What we have now feels like it was starting then with Rush Limbaugh being on the radio 4 hours everyday. People in the rural areas listened and responded and then someone realized rherenwas lots of money to make by blathering about politics 24 hours a day.
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
lol my dad would listen to Limbaugh for comedic purposes in the car. My Dad is an incredibly smart man so he knew what Rush was and what he was doing. He’d laugh and tell us how full of shit he was and why he was really saying the things he was (and the type of people that believed it). It was pretty entertaining.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Sounds like my dad!
jbenze@reddit
Same with my parents; they always laughed that their votes just cancelled each other out. My father eventually became an independent and now a Democrat since 2016.
Sufficient_Focus4174@reddit
Nice! I think my Dads actually a Libertarian now lol. My wife’s parents are also on opposite sides (still happily married) and my wife used to be Democrat and I was a Republican. We both switched to Independent several years ago. What all of us did and do though (along with pretty much everyone we know) is we vote on issues rather than blindly following a party. We don’t treat political parties like our sports teams we always say lol.
jbenze@reddit
Thats exactly where my wife and I are at right now too.
Taskerst@reddit
It seemed like back then, if your “team” lost, you just went back underground for 4 years and only talked politics around already vetted people. Since social media, people are unfiltered and talk to people in real life like they’re still protected by an anonymous screen name.
sgrams04@reddit
Rush Limbaugh was the catalyst for the vitriol in my opinion. He founded the “hate thy neighbor” mentality that now has torn us asunder. Rush walked so MAGA could run.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Bob Grant before him
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
A majority of people did not know who their senator or congressperson was. Most people did not vote in local elections. Even if you were involved with a group of blue collar people with similar opinions and experiences, there would be a Clinton voter, a Perot voter, and a Bush voter.
To me this is normal. The cantankerous version we have now is crazy world.
dbzmah@reddit
Why do you consider Pride something political?
CubeEarthShill@reddit
The few kids I knew in high school that put like a campaign pin on their backpack got a lot of shit for being nerds. My parents and teachers (at a Catholic school no less) taught us it was rude to ask about politics or religion. People are very over the top with it now. I don’t remember people wearing clothing with religious slogans either. I don’t engage with people wearing political stuff unless I have to. That also goes for people whose views that swing my way.
TheRealTheSpinZone@reddit
Was NEVER something you even thought to ask or assume about anyone.
luxtabula@reddit
Culture wars didn't really start until the mid 90s. Most of this is due to both Reagan and Clinton deregulating what can be said on radio/tv and allowing companies like clear channel to buy up everything.
MrNinoBrown1906@reddit
I eould say it started with Nixon
Sleep_Till_5373@reddit
It was pretty much his entire campaign.
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
No. There were bumper stickers, some people wore pins during election years, but that was it.
theeewizzard@reddit
"You never ask a man who he voted for, and you never ask a woman her age."
ChristyLovesGuitars@reddit
It wasn’t the same, but there were a lot of bumper stickers with Reagan/Bush, or Bush/Quayle. Really common.
But yeah, I don’t remember politics being such a core part of people’s identity.
SoAliciaSays@reddit
My grandpa had a sticker on his truck during the Clinton admin that said “don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for Hillary.”
Rural areas have always cheered for politics like they have football.
Mogwai02@reddit
Not at all!
Fallsfrostdew@reddit
We had a much more unified and shared culture back them so politics were not as heated. However there has been a huge cultural divide and now politics have become existential issues
myka-likes-it@reddit
For the record, Pride flags are not politically affiliated. There tends to be a split along those lines but the symbol itself is apolitical.
"We exist."
RVAforthewin@reddit
It wasn’t ideological. It is now ideological. Some (MAGA) have made it their entire identity. That didn’t exist in the 80s or 90s. The next closest thing would be Christian Fundamentalists. I should know. I grew up in a conservative household.
StreetCarp665@reddit
It's become huge since identity politics became a thing and we stopped caring about who a person was, but rather what they were. Good person? Doesn't matter, you're white and republican, you're an oppressor coloniser who benefits from, and perpetuates, systemic racism. Arsehole, but black and progressive? You're a Moral and Good Person and a victim of oppression. Wealthy, progressive but Asian? You're white-adjacent, so you're still more oppressor than not, etc.
It's not only exhausting, but stupid. If I understood the speech by Martin Luther King properly, the future he hoped for was when the content of character mattered, not colour of skin (or gender identity, sexuality, voting intentions, etc).
Who > What.
worksnake@reddit
You didn’t.
StreetCarp665@reddit
No, I did. We grew up in a world where we did not care if a friend was a different race, religion, or sexuality to us. We didn't have the baggage of prior, regimented generations and we went about our day being pretty damned egalitarian and inclusive because it made no sense to be otherwise.
It's now changed.
Sumeriandawn@reddit
Wow! Total ignorance and generalization
Seldarin@reddit
You literally lived through the government intentionally blocking research into HIV because they thought it was only killing gay people, multiple Satanic panics, and race riots as a reaction to government abuse.
This is some real "Well, nothing bad was happening to me, so nothing bad was happening." shit.
StreetCarp665@reddit
Looks like outrageously inappropriate Americentrism, but ok.
I "literally" live in a country where the government aggressively embraced multiculturalism from the 1980s onwards, and a groundbreaking gay pride parade became a beacon for tolerance before it was a mainstream ideal. And where, for a time, left and right mainstream parties banded together to marginalise a far right racist populist. Back then, it was better.
Sumeriandawn@reddit
When didn’t identity politics exist?
mminthesky@reddit
I recommend reading one or two of Dr King’s books, like Why We Can’t Wait or Strength to Love. Dr King was a tremendously gifted writer, and I think you’d get a better understanding of his worldview and his strategic vision.
StreetCarp665@reddit
I read the latter during undergrad but that was obviously some time ago. I do believe though, his vision for unity was closer to being achieved in the period of 1990-2005 than since the 2008 GFC. I think a lot of the initiatives that want to address systemic issues amplify them and end up being pushed by rent seeking consultants.
zoosha2curtaincall@reddit
Before the 90s, there were a lot of axes besides liberal/conservative that people based their party on. Immigrant/old-line was one, as was management/worker. There were some regional situations too, especially in the south. It wasn’t as simple as it was now.
AldusPrime@reddit
There was nothing like this.
If someone drove by in a lifted truck covered with stickers and flags for a candidate, we'd assume that that person had lost their mind. Or maybe that they were the campaign manager LOL.
We'd sometimes see political yard signs in the few months leading up to the campaign, but almost always for local candidates or local measures.
jbenze@reddit
Right, or a truck covered in stickers meant they were the neighborhood crazy person.
HermioneMarch@reddit
No. It was considered rude to discuss
mminthesky@reddit
“Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For Bush” bumper stickers. Hilarious. It was like saying, “weren’t you enjoying the recession as much as I did? Can’t we just go back and do it again?”
Electronic_Gap3253@reddit
It used to be considered rude to ask or talk about political affiliations. My stepmother is 70 and has never told anyone, including her own children, who she votes for. Is it weird? Yes. But they considered it a private matter, like religion.
Texas_Kimchi@reddit
I was always told to keep your politics at home.
anOvenofWitches@reddit
I blame the Telecommunications Act of 1996
BloodyPaleMoonlight@reddit
Politics have always been a big deal. Just consider all the systemic barriers put in place by the government against specific demographics.
jimbojsb@reddit
IMO it wasn’t like this until the combo of the 2000 election and 9/11 and the 24 hour news cycle. But generally social media is to blame.
chawrawbeef@reddit
In the 90’s people had Mean People Suck stickers on their cars. Now we have MAGA stickers, ie people proud of being mean.
The-Closer-on-15@reddit
The circumstances changed due to necessity. Different times. The guy in the White House literally authorized terror in American cities that didn’t vote for him for a made up problem. I’m not spending one second of free time or effort to have someone who was too stupid or so hate-filled to have supported him. So I’m going to ask who someone voted for in 2024 whenever it feels appropriate- non answers, non voters, and MAGA won’t receive my audience. Lol.
Thats the bed they made for themselves. I feel bad for people who have those scumbags in their lives/families. I’m lucky that way. I’ve only really needed to cut off 2 people.
Remote_Independent50@reddit
Don't forget about the people who wear their religious affiliation all over theirs, and their children's shirts
GenevieveLeah@reddit
I grew up in a house where you didn’t ask who the others voted for.
Dry_Inspection_4583@reddit
The primary difference was 1. it was considered rude to discuss politics back then, and 2. The old man finished the rant about whatever with "welp, I guess it's a free country" and moved on.
catsoncrack420@reddit
And Politicians , most, had some form of shame.
schoolisuncool@reddit
Fuck no. It was supposed to be something private
IanCrapReport@reddit
In the 90s we could have Chris Farley invited to Capitol Hill and do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlM_IFCNgKw
Kellzy1212@reddit
Definitely not. I hate it now, but at least it’s easy to spot the bad people. They walk around announcing their bigotry, so we don’t need to guess. 🤷♀️
Huge-Gear3704@reddit
We didn’t treat politics like a religion
TragicHedgehog@reddit
We did in that it was impolite to discuss it in mixed company. Politics, religion, or sex, never in mixed company.
Daylight-Silence@reddit
It used to be considered rude to discuss politics. Asking someone who they voted for was considered highly out of order.
At some point we decided it was preferable to treat politics like rooting for a sports team, complete with obnoxious looking merch, and scream at each other all day every day, despite a complete lack of evidence that this has ever or will ever changed anyone's mind on anything
AZbitchmaster@reddit
Thats because it's a concerted effort to keep all of us at each other's throats through both legacy media (Fox vs MSNBC, etc.) and amplified a thousand fold via social media.
Needs to be ELE. Everybody Love Everybody!
Left_Maize816@reddit
I heard that it used to be that staffers on Capitol Hill or the White House would have friends and eat lunches with each other regardless of who they worked for. In the 90s it started to become more stratified to the point where if you were seen with someone who worked for an opposing politician it was heavily like you were in bed with the enemy.
drainbamage1011@reddit
It wasn't uncommon to see cars with faded bumper stickers for some candidate, but the whole thing of wearing merch for your chosen politician year-round didn't happen. I didn't really know where my parents stood politically until I was a teenager and they started asking roundabout questions to gauge my thoughts on things.
Officialfish_hole@reddit
No one cared and no one asked. Even if you found out someone's political party was opposite of yours you still didn't care
Glendale0839@reddit
I remember in NJ there were a lot of “DUMP FLORIO” and “FLORIO FREE in ‘93” bumper stickers and signs everywhere (he was an unpopular governor due to a massive tax increase) but otherwise political affiliations really weren’t as obvious beyond the occasional yard sign or bumper sticker for a local government candidate or presidential candidate around election time.
Adults around me growing up didn’t generally discuss politics with people they didn’t know well. I still don’t think they do, unless it’s the internet.
thewalruscandyman@reddit
Occasionally. Mostly among the elderly in my experience- and usually just old men. I remember staying with my grandma in the summertime and they would get together with neighbors a couple times a week for a meal. After dinner the men stayed inside and talked/smoked and the women would sit on the porch. Like clockwork.
And "once the women were gone" these old farts would repeat their political grievances back and forth to each other.
reformed_lurker_1@reddit (OP)
As it should be, in the privacy of your own home around friends and family. Not out in the public with strangers.
thewalruscandyman@reddit
I can agree with that.
I know they were the Silent Generation and it was how they did things, but I did find it sucky they never included the women, though.
No-Vacation2807@reddit
I remember having a conversation with my elementary school friends about the 1988 presidential election we wanted to know how each other’s parents were voting.
AZbitchmaster@reddit
No. Politics and religion generally weren't discussed in polite company, and it was better that way.
ottovonbizmarkie@reddit
There's something to be said about knowing right away...
NW_Forester@reddit
Conservatives have been furious since 92.
_--_Osiris_--_@reddit
They're pissed, royaly pissed!
treemoustache@reddit
Shit, is it really that bad in the states?
nvmls@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/InfowarriorRides/ about sums it up
emmet80@reddit
I remember noticing it and feeling a bit worked up about it around elections, but the rest of the year I was happy not to think about my neighbors' political leanings. In '96 I had a Clinton-Gore sign on my first car and an old man griped at me about it. I just giggled and sasssed him back. Now I don't have political stickers on my car because in that same situation, it feels like I could get shot. 🫠
Impossible_Memory_85@reddit
Only if you Commie
Anthrax4breakfast@reddit
Not where I am from. When I was young in the 90s it was considered impolite to talk politics. You kept your opinions to yourself, you didn’t tell people who you voted for. I pine for those times
gbyrd013@reddit
I think we were just blissfully unaware.