So who is most conservative in your family?

[progressoid]

So, this question came to me in the shower this morning: In families with more than one offspring, does the older or oldest tend to be more conservative and the youngest more liberal?

Seems that in many of the families I know, this is the case. My wife and I are the youngest and the most liberal in our families. Works for a lot of our extended family as well.

How about your family?

I'm sure some brainiac DUer can point out a socio-political treatise on this idea.

[SCDem]

1. Equally liberal

but I, the younger, am more actively liberal. My step brother and sister I think the younger of the two is more liberal and also looking at my mother and father's siblings I think it holds true that all of the liberals are the the younger ones.

[trotsky]

2. I'm the fly in the ointment of your theory.

Oldest of three, and more liberal than the other two can even imagine.

[progressoid]

9. Aack. My ointment has a few flies I think

Now that I've posted this, I can think of some cousins for whom this doesn't works out so well.

[Beer Snob-50]

3. In my family I am the only liberal!

I am the oldest of seven. My wife is the youngest of seven and they are all liberal it seems.

[Debi]

4. Right on the money

Older brother conservative (so much so that we had to quit discussing certain issues just to be able to maintain decorum in our conversations) and I'm the liberal....Lalalalalala the Liberal.....(heheh nice earworm eh?)

[redqueen]

5. Hmmmm sort of.

Right now the oldest sibling is indeed the most conservative, but for a while my younger sis (middle) was the most conservative. So... :shrug:

[Spirochete]

6. Not sure

I'm the oldest. My next-oldest is my sister, who teaches school and hates * and all Republicans, too. The youngest is a Jehovahs Witness, who pays absolutely no heed to any sort of politics and watches nothing more cerebral than American Idol.

[AlCzervik]

7. I have one sibling and we are both liberal

my father is a gun owning nra hating moderate democrat...ie he likes tax loop holes but hates this war and thinks "Bush is a very stupid dangerous little man"

the lone conervative in my family is a major league asshole brother in law.

[Archae]

8. My Dad.

He called John Kerry "the most corrupt Senator."

[unblock]

10. definitely the bipolar paranoid schizophrenic with delusions

my younger brother, who "won" an award from tom delay for his supposed business contributions, which consisted largely of calling himself an entrepreneur and draining my parents' bank accounts.

the family's only registered republican.

i am probably more progressive than my older brother, though i think really it's just that i'm more politically interested than he is.

[progressoid]

14. An award from Delay - Oh boy!!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

11. My sisters from my Dad's first marriage

and I are equally liberal. Our youngest sister from his second is on our league. The other one, however, is a young Rethug...

[LeftyMom]

12. I'm the eldest

Younger sibling is apolitical, as far as I know. Who knows how she'll wind up, she's very compassionate but she's also really fixated on material things (we didn't have a lot growing up.)

My father is definitely the most conservative member of my family. He's a white male property owner convinced society is out to get him. He went from being a small govt libertarian type (he hated Raygun) to a big brother's nose up your ass repuke. He's in the car a lot for work and talk radio is killing his brain.

[donheld]

13. My sister, the oldest is fairly liberal as am i the youngest

it's my brother in the middle who is the most conservative.

[GirlinContempt]

15. We have 5 kids

Two siblings who don't care (1 of the oldest and the youngest, 2 kids are the same age). Then, the other oldest is a borderline Marxist, the next youngest is very liberal, and then me, hardcore Marxist.

My Dad is probably the most Conservative in my immediate family, but where I come from that means he is an atheist who's economically right wing and is fairly socially leftist

[progressoid]

16. OK, these responses aren't helping my hyposthesis at all.

I'll have to take a longer shower to work this out tomorrow.

[Bunny]

17. There are seven kids in my family:

#1 (oldest) a brother- probably more conservative than liberal, but not a nutcase about it.

#2 another brother- liberal

#3 another brother - very conservative fundy religious man, but not unreasonable about it, i.e., he really dislikes Jerry Falwell.

#4 yours truly - the most liberal of them all.

#5 sister - not real political, probably more liberal than conservative.

#6 another brother - pretty liberal.

#7 (youngest) yet another brother (!) - I honestly don't know, I suspect he's more conservative than liberal.

[katmondoo]

18. My son

what can I say?

[marions ghost]

40. thats an interesting mix...diverse

find myself wondering about the parents persuasions...

[Bunny]

42. Dad - a Dem till the day he died.

Mom - a Dem until the Clinton years, then she got disgusted and became a Republican. Haven't been able to talk her out of it, either!

[NoSheep]

19. It gets more liberal the younger we get (among the 4 siblings)

[demosincebirth]

20. Five of us...all senior citizens

I don't know about liberal, but we're all staunch democrats

[tammywammy]

21. There are 3 children in our family.

I'm the youngest, and the most liberal. The oldest is 10 years older than me, and he's more conservative, but not a nutso RW by any means. And the other older brother is 8 years older than me, and I really have no idea what his political persuation is.

[Bzzzz]

22. My sister...

and brother-in-law. They would be a 'shoe-in' for participants in the audience staged for 'Walking Eagle's' Town Hall meetings.

[leftofthedial]

23. I'm the oldest

and the most liberal, although all of my family are liberals

[taught_me_patience]

24. actually me

but my mother is catching up fast.

taught.

[Lorien]

25. Everyone was liberal UNTIL

my mom became a born again (I was almost out of the house when that happened). She's still the only conservative person in my family. Even her parents were peace activist leftys.

[benny05]

26. My bro-in-law nt/t as much as I would like to 'plain

[warrens]

27. I am the oldest of five sons

I am by far the most liberal person in my family. It ranges from my father, an unreconstructed nazi who still thinks apartheid was a great idea, to two brothers who are moderate republican/dems depending on their mood. I'm the sole lefty, though.

To be fair, apart from my father, the entire family is very liberal socially. They aren't racists (well, my mom used to be, a bit, but just because she had never met a black person til she was about 35), they aren't anti-gay, they are just somehow susceptible to Fox news. It gives voice to their frustrations. I have my own, but I sure don't blame people POORER or more disadvantaged than I am, which is the undercurrent at all times in the right wing, who are the biggest "victims" ever. I do blame a society that hands everything to the children of the rich.

[izzybeans]

28. My whole family is comprised of America hating liberals so

I'm not sure which of us hates America the most. My parents served in the military they hate America so much. My mother does have a sick infatuation with Alan Greenspan so she's my final answer, but only because she thinks he's a cute old man. My brother and I are currently in a joust to see who can out progressive the other. I'll check back in to let you know who falls off the horse first.;-)

[RetroLounge]

29. Oh, it's hard to say..

My little brother voted for bush* but I'm not sure why. Maybe he thinks he may get a tax cut someday...

My older brother voted for bush* because he heard Kerry would keep snowmobiles out of national parks like Yellowstone. Of course, he's never been snowmobiling at a national park, but hey, whatever. and now his 2 kids are draft age. Karma is a bitch...

My parent voted for him the first time out of Clinton fatigue, but regreted it ever since, and went back to their Democratic ways this time.

RL

[progressoid]

31. Ah, part of the snowmobile constituency, huh?

My oldest brother's sons are now of draft age too. He didn't vote for b* the second time around.

[JohnKleeb]

30. uhhhh really no one but my mom is the most moderate

and I am the oldest, most liberal.

[Arkana]

32. My dad's brother

He voted Dumbya and drives a Hummer. And he's an asshole. Coincidence? I think not.

[LostinVA]

33. Father, sister, BIL

[minerva50]

34. In our Family, of 8, the two oldest brothers, no 1 and 4 in birth

order are the fundies, and conservative politically. My two sisters and the three younger brothers tend to the liberal side.

[Misunderestimator]

35. 1st is (M) Mod Right, 2nd (F) Mod Left, 3rd (M) Conserv, 4th (F) Liberal

I'm the 4th. :shrug:

[progressoid]

36. yeah, this theory isn't panning out so well.

[fishwax]

37. I'm youngest and most liberal, but my wife is oldest and most liberal

I have only one brother, and he is much more conservative than me. But my wife has three younger siblings. The youngest two are twins, and both are quite liberal and virulently anti-bush. In her family the middle daughter is the most conservative. :shrug:

[Samurai_Writer]

38. I'm the oldest and the most liberal by far...

I have four siblings, three sisters and a brother. I would say my youngest sister is by far the most conservative. My brother, who is the youngest, is liberal. The other two are rather middle of the road. Here's the breakdown:

Me, age 44 -- extremely liberal (I think most Democrats are too conservative)
Sister 1, age 43 -- moderate independent
Sister 2, age 40 -- not political at all
Sister 3, age 39 -- extremely conservative Republican
Brother, age 38 -- liberal, but not a radical like his oldest sister

[Squeech]

39. I'm the liberal in my family

and I'm the oldest.

Younger brother reads the Murdoch rag; he and his wife think Chimpy is an honest man but Kerry has a credibility problem. They are not stupid-- my SIL's an attorney, working for Mass. child services-- but they obviously get all their "information" from stupid sources.

Youngest (sister) never reads anything-- except the Bible, now that she's converted to Jehovah's Witnesses and disbelieves evolution.

Their inability to reason logically is a huge embarrassment to me.

For completeness, my dad was an Eisenhower Republican until Nixon, my mom has always voted Democratic.

[marions ghost]

41. OK here's the story...

Both my dad and my mom were the "black sheep" liberals of their respective families--I think of them both as the Swans of their families. They have taught their conservative relatives a thing or two, and Mom esp achieved grudging respect for her off-the-charts liberal views, encapsulated in her brilliant one-liners that would leave her status-quo relatives gasping for air. As a child I got some vivid lessons about the attitudes of several of my conservative aunts and uncles and was not fond of them even then. Mom always said "Have compassion for them. They are not as perceptive as we are." She put up with a lot.

None of the 4 children is politically conservative. However there are some distinctions. The oldest and the youngest are the most outspoken and least compromising on issues, and more informed. The middle two are more likely to want to work behind the scenes and set a "good example" and try to see the positives in everyone--ie. the family diplomats. But they do follow politics and are willing to do some activism on occasion--one was active with the Million Mom March. I can talk politics with my sibs anytime which is nice. My sibs (and spouses) all get along, maybe a rarity, possibly helped by the homogenous political persuasion.

Even if the "youngest/most liberal" theory isn't proven, it's interesting to see all the various configurations of families here, re politics.

[non sociopath skin]

43. No conservatives in my immediate family.

My stepson flirted with middle-of-the-road Toryism when he was training as an accountant but he's back in the liberal fold again.

The Skin

[ernstbass]

44. Not many libs in my family!

Just me and my older brother (who is also the black sheep). Younger sister and parents - staunch conservatives. I went to visit my sister last week and all of her vehicles had W stickers. I wonder how she felt about my car in her driveway with all of my liberal anti-Bush stickers. To her credit, she didn't say a word (too busy preaching to me to go to church!!)

[progressoid]

51. Golly, a librul AND a heathen!

[Mrs_Beastman]

45. I have three sisters, one voted for Chimp

Of course, this is the sister who has a very rare birth defect that causes brain damage...seriously!

We all tried to convince her tha voting for Chimp is not what Jesus would want...My mom got to the point that she screens her calls when she is not in the mood to hear the jesus/rapture BS.

[Wapsie B]

46. Dear old Dad

He'd make a John Bircher look like a commie.

[curse10]

47. I'm the oldest- and the most liberal- the yougest is most apathetic

but both of my brothers voted for Kerry this election. My youngest isn't really political, but he knows he doesn't like Bush.

[ScooterTramp]

48. We killed the conservatives in my family.

We're liberal radicals.

[xmas74]

49. I am the oldest and I am, by everyone's accounts,

one of the most liberal people that they have ever met.

[More Than A Feeling]

50. My father.

He's a Clinton-cratic Doctor who believes that tort reform will bring down his premiums

My mom is apolitical

My younger brother is a good liberal.

[MrModerate]

52. My brother. He was a Goldwater Republican when he was 16 n/t

[Lindsey]

53. My Brother used to be the lone conservative.....

until he lost everything due to Enron where he worked for 30 years.He's also the oldest and the only boy. He's now a liberal. Both of my sisters and I are very liberal. I'm the youngest. My oldest sis is definitely the most informed - she's like an encyclopedia when it comes to facts and figures, who did what when, etc. She and I talk almost everyday (her in Chicago me in L.A.) about the state of our country. All of my siblings are quite progressive. :-)

[gollygee]

54. My younger brother by a long shot

He infuriates me. Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly, etc., - he's a fan of them all.

My husband is the youngest in his family, but none of them are anywhere near conservative. But he isn't from the US so maybe that is part of that.

I'm a middle child and the most liberal in my family. My older sister is liberalish, but she's become a born-again Christian as of late and that has tempered her liberal spirit some.

[Canadian Socialist]

55. No one in my family is "Liberal"

but that means something different here. We're all staunch NDPers.

[bigwillq]

56. My dad's brother Rich

He makes me wanna:puke:

[Lady Effingbroke]

57. I'm the oldest and (by far) the most liberal.

My brother (4 years younger) is clueless and apathetic.

My recently retired parents love Faux-snooze. :-(

[PassingFair]

58. Here's my family pedigree:

Dad: Was liberal before liberal was a bad word. Got REAL liberal afterwards.
Mom: Was conservative leaning (felt she "balanced out" my Dad). Upon Dad's death, she became vocally liberal. She drives a car that has "We Need A Better President" and "Grandmothers for Kerry/Edwards" stickers on it and worked as a volunteer when Kerry came to town. She is very proud to be part of her liberal Episcopalian church.

Brother 1: So far left he's almost right! He was a gung-ho "army guy" playing 'murkin when we were growing up. A late bloomer and convert (AFTER college) he is radically against *co.

Me: Liberal, vocal,l HATE the direction this country has taken.

Brother 2: Married to fundie, became kinda pukelite to get along. Cares NOTHING for those born into more challenging situations. Selfish, insular. I don't talk to him and his if I can avoid it. Funny though, I really like his wife's family, and they are at a loss to explain her!

Brother 3: Married to thinking fundie (union people) who voted for Kerry, which surprised (and delighted) me. Wife is a teacher (science!), so she doesn't buy into a lot of the dogma, and had become more liberal over the years. My brother is a liberal atheist who has learned to keep his mouth shut.

Sister 1: Effortlessly liberal. Never argues politics. She is not conflicted at all, and uses flawless arguments to stun her opponents. I am in AWE of her in this regard. She is the only child to have moved away and out-of-state.

[wildeyed]

59. I may be the most conservative person in my family.

I am also the most committed activist, so it kinda evens things out. They talk a liberal game, but I do the hard work.

Also, my family is REALLY liberal, so it is not too hard to be more conservative. And I consider myself a liberal, so it is really a matter of degree. But I am probably a hair more conservative on economic policy than my parents, and almost identical to my younger sis. We are all very political, keep up with the news, etc., so we have fun dinner conversation.

My husband's family, all repuke. But he is now a registered dem, so all is good on the home front :)