When it comes to dating, men are more open-minded (and/or desperate) than women. A majority of men would gladly date someone with different political views, but a minority of women — just 35% — would do the same. The pickiest group of all seems to be college-educated liberal women: a whopping 84% say it’s a red flag if you wear a red hat.
Overall, 71% of single Democrats wouldn’t even consider dating a Trump voter. (Our tragic loss, I’m sure.)
Naturally, the media found this phenomenon intriguing. Politico actually ran a feature story on young Republicans struggling to land dates. It was a curious journalistic decision: media outlets that typically turned a blind eye to liberals sleeping around suddenly found it newsworthy that conservatives weren’t.
Traditionally, politics made for strange bedfellows, but today’s liberals and conservatives aren’t sharing the same bed.
This shouldn’t be surprising: we’re a highly polarized society. Who we date — and more specifically, who we won’t — is simply an extension of a Red America and a Blue America that were already drifting in different directions. “Opposites attract” is a lovely platitude and a very nice sentiment, but in the real world, sharing similar values, goals, beliefs, and objectives makes a relationship a helluva lot easier to navigate.
They’re city; you’re country. They watch MSNBC; you watch FOX News. They read Mother Jones; you read PJ Media. You dine on a juicy red steak and drink beer; they’re vegan and vape THC. If men are from Mars and women from Venus, then conservatives and liberals are on opposite sides of the cosmos. We’re light years apart.
I’m married. But I wasn’t always married (slow wink), and for a time, I was a superficial, red-blooded male. Back then, it never even occurred to me to try to get in a girl’s pants so I could check her voter’s registration card and see which party she belonged to. Of all the feminine qualities and personality traits I was hoping to uncover at the nightclub, her theories on jurisprudence weren’t high on the list.
Not to be blunt, but if I was in my early 20s and had to choose between a conservative, a liberal, a libertarian, an environmentalist, a socialist, and an independent, I know FOR SURE which one I’d pick: Whoever was the hottest!
(What, is this a trick question or something?)
Furthermore, as a guy, I actually found it kind of cute when a girl was liberal: “Teehee! I love animals and wanna help everyone, let’s recycle!” It certainly didn’t anger me. Sometimes, when you and someone new disagree about politics, it gives you something to talk about. As long as you’re respectful to each other, debating ideas can be fun.
But that’s anathema to today’s liberals.
It’s comforting to immerse yourself in an echo chamber. It’s reassuring when everyone agrees with you. But you won’t learn anything that you didn’t already know. When your beliefs are never challenged or questioned, your mind stagnates.
Among the (many) explanations for why left-wingers struggle so much in the talk-radio industry, the one I find most persuasive is that liberals tend to stay in liberal spaces where their viewpoints go unchallenged. They’re not used to defending their beliefs, whereas conservatives are (beginning in academia). That kind of back-and-forth discourse is foreign to them.
Which is why they’re so bad at it.
Related: If You Want to Know How the Devil Would Market Politics and Religion, I'm Your Guy.
But more than anything else, this whole dating standoff is sad. There are MILLIONS of single people who’d be so much happier if they dropped their partisan schtick, stopped being so judgmental, and embraced the person behind the label — even if the label says “MAGA.”
That’s not to say that politics is wholly irrelevant. Or even mostly irrelevant. The opposite is true: which party wins in November is hugely consequential.
But I couldn’t imagine forsaking the love of your life because of it.
Liberals love to talk about diversity. It’s one of their favorite topics: Diversity is our strength! Diversity is our advantage! Diversity makes us powerful!
Too bad they never mean diversity of thought. Because, if they did, they might not be so sad and lonely right now — and taking JD Vance’s “cat lady” remark so personally.
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…while you’re here, I have two important housekeeping announcements: Last night, at our monthly PJ Media writers’ meeting (where they fly us in on private jets and feed us lobster — it’s all very nice), they finally decided to entrust me with a VIP login. Now, I’ll be able to interact with the PJ Media audience in the comments section, so let’s hear your thoughts on conservative-liberal relationships (marital, recreational, or otherwise)! Thumbs up, thumbs down, or completely irrelevant? Would it bother you if your child married someone from the other side of the political aisle? (Hypothetical: the new in-laws are hardcore liberals, but they also own a Ferrari dealership and have poor short-term memories. Happy or sad? Now discuss.)
Speaking of VIPs, if you haven’t considered signing up for all the perks and privileges of the PJ Media VIP Gold package, today’s your lucky day. For a limited time, we’re offering an incredible 50% discount with the promo code COMMIEWALZ. For mere pennies a day, you gain full, unrestricted access to the six sites that empower the conservative movement: PJ Media, Townhall, RedState, Twitchy, HotAir, and Bearing Arms — your ultimate one-stop shop for hundreds of new articles posted 24/7, exclusive podcasts, conservative multimedia, breaking news, insider analysis, and so much more! Best of all, you’ll know you did your part before the election in November — when it matters the most.
Because after November, it might be too late.
Hope you join the journey!
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