Ash Hobbs
Conrad Hackett 
I'm curious about the extent of political diversity in the mainstream Fediverse.
If you're in the U.S, which is the best match for your political identity?
Republican
Independent
Democrat
Not in US
Poll ended at .
Can you name any prominent conservative or conservative-leaning figure on the main Fediverse network of interconnected Mastodon servers (i.e., aside from the separated Gab & Truth Social networks)?
As long as civility can be maintained, is ideological diversity desirable in the Fediverse or is it preferable to have a "big sort" ideologically among social networks?
@politicalscience @politicaltheory @sociology #politics
FilmWonkSomeone wants to make a sincere argument for conservative policy paired with a sincere effort to advance that policy, I'd love to hear it on any platform.
Haven't heard it yet.
They all just want free rein to break the law and not pay taxes.
RiderExMachina@conradhackett
Truth social and Gab are both in the Fediverse (they use Mastodon's code) They're just defeded from most servers
Truth social and Gab are both in the Fediverse (they use Mastodon's code) They're just defeded from most servers
@riderexmachina Yes, indeed. I'm wondering to what extent these social networks are reproducing "big sort" dynamics seen elsewhere in society.
Ryan@riderexmachina @conradhackett Maybe - but truth social and gab are extreme to the point that they’re toxic. Like; I’m not a big proponent of blocking instances because some people there have bad worldviews - but if most or nearly *all* of your members live in a fantasy world of propaganda and only communicate misinformation, it’s fair to see those instances as a contagion. I just think the bar should be high. TS and Gab hit that bar for me
@bigstormpicture @conradhackett
I feel like a fool now that Conrad has amended his post to specifically exclude TS and Gab.😂
They absolutely are toxic, but they're the biggest right-wing Federated servers we know of, which fit the original question.
@riderexmachina @bigstormpicture Sorry about that. I'm struggling to figure out the best terminology. Your response helped.
@conradhackett You're good! It's a hard question to word and there are always those weird outliers.
Representative Agent 
@conradhackett @riderexmachina @bigstormpicture
Terminology is hard. In my mind there are 3 main categories:
1. Conservatives. Traditional values, law & order, etc. business, rural interests. Liberal democracy.
2. Radical right. wants to change the system from what it was using non-violent means. Supports Illiberal democracy.
3. Far right - ready to use violence.
"Republican" seems to join opposites.
Coach Pāṇini ®@conradhackett @riderexmachina the word “reactionary” describes the faction and the phenomenon. It needs an “actionary” in order to react to. They sort themselves in contrast to others, because their worldview requires an adversary with principles. Their nihilist, fatalist principles can’t exist in a vacuum, nor propagate into the future. It’s a compulsively contrarian stance. #reactionaries #conservatives #liberals #moderates #radicals
ceoln@riderexmachina @conradhackett
I believe that Truth Social (and perhaps also Gab?) doesn't even use the federation code; so it's not that they're defederated from most servers, it's that they do not even offer federation; they want a walled garden.
@ceoln @conradhackett
Truth Social maybe, but Gab is on many server's defed lists.
I'd have to set up a Mastodon server to verify for myself, though, and I just don't have the time or energy to do so right now.
@riderexmachina @conradhackett
Thanks! If this is true, the Gab situation is probably a complicated mix of everything :) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25702077
ACAB for Cutie 
@riderexmachina is this how Counter social is setup too?
@CassOfDunshire
I haven't looked into it, so I'm not sure.
I haven't looked into it, so I'm not sure.
josh buermann@riderexmachina @CassOfDunshire
Counter-social is a defederated mastodon server (I can find accounts on there from here but can't see their posts) run by somebody who seems to qualify for the appellation "state sponsored cyberterrorist."
mf MD 
@conradhackett i can't name a single prominent conservative who isn't an extremist.
unless you still consider kitzinger a conservative. and i'm sure he'd be welcome here
unless you still consider kitzinger a conservative. and i'm sure he'd be welcome here
Chriz@mfreeman @conradhackett Schwarzenegger would also be welcomed
Sylv@mfreeman @conradhackett biden, Pelosi, the vast majority of democrats are non extremist conservatives
Koffie Verkeerd@conradhackett I hear Paul Krugman is on here now.
@JAReisberg Do you consider Krugman a conservative?
ChuckxI can't help but remember the Hirsch quote. Something like "an unabashed liberal ... he's ideologically colorblind" and on to say he attacked both sides with equal fervor. I've enjoyed his verbose railing against certain recent presidents. Especially a certain billionaire.
Félix Megret@JAReisberg @conradhackett hi! Quite surprised by this asumption. I always felt like he represented a sort of center-left leaning type of academics (doesn't he call himself a liberal?).
Are there some references to back this claim up? I may not be familiar with a recent ideological evolution on his part. Thanks!
Are there some references to back this claim up? I may not be familiar with a recent ideological evolution on his part. Thanks!
Bc Clarity Carlton-Martin@conradhackett @JAReisberg yes, a true conservative is not a moralist but sees the sustainability of a well-designed-purposed model.
Norman Wilson@conradhackett Does US citizen abroad, eligible to vote in US federal elections, count as `in the US'?
Peter Butler@conradhackett I think there's a difference between members of "third" parties and no party preference. Poll needs both 3rd party and NPP/Independent, imo.
Peace & Freedom:
Home - Peace and Freedom Party
The Peace and Freedom Party is committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism and racial equality. We represent the working class, those without capital in a capitalist society. We organize toward a world where cooperation replaces competition, a world where all people are well fed, clothed and housed; where all women and men have equal status; where all individuals may freely endeavor to fulfill their own talents and desires; a world of freedom and peace where every community retains its cultural integrity and lives with all others in harmony.
@peterbutler Sure, but the poll feature only allows for four options.
@conradhackett I take it all back! 😞
AstraLuma 
@conradhackett weird, it's like one of the parties would rather see fedi's core demographics just die.
c_lilley_ds@conradhackett The 2 % is surprising.
@c_lilley_ds What did you expect the number would be?
@conradhackett I just thought it would be more. Actually, I did not account for the non American responses. Although judging based on the posts I have seen, this is accurate.
Sara (Meg) Davis@conradhackett cool to see how many are not in the US. I hope this space continues to grow internationally
Stephan Matthiesen@saralmdavis
That's an interesting perspective. From my perspective Mastodon was until October almost exclusively European and overwhelmingly German, and no UK or US. It's only in the last three weeks that the anglophone world has arrived. However, most newcomers are still from Europe, now also from UK. The US is still underrepresented.
So, yes, it's great that it's growing internationally...
🐚 Undo Influence 🐚
John Lusk
Frank@conradhackett I vote Democrat, but only because its the only way for my vote to count. I'd rather vote social democrat/socialist but our system means that voting for anything but one of the two main parties is throwing your vote away.
Tusker@conradhackett, I need "monkey-wrenching leftist," if you please.
Prof Brendan Delaney@conradhackett in UK parlance (courtesy of a former minister) ‘I’m a member of the North London, Guardian reading tofu-eating wokerati’ ha…..
Jonathan@conradhackett So the Fediverse is basically Berkeley
Sam Bosbach@conradhackett Would be interesting to get at the left/right breakdown among indies as well. I'd wager, given the apparent lean, that most of these indies are leftists.
LadyOzma@conradhackett @s_bosbach well as an independent who thinks the democrats are a Conservative Party that needs to be booted just as soon as we get done booting the extreme conservative Republicans… 😂
@LadyOzma @conradhackett Haha there we go, then! My $0.02 on the Dems position on the political spectrum is that they're one of the more socially progressive mainstream parties in the world. On economics, they run the global center-left/center-right stretch. Biiiiig tent party for sure.
@s_bosbach @conradhackett most of the world considers the democrats right of center.
@LadyOzma @conradhackett Sure, there's a baseline for every country based on what sorts of social programs they were able to accomplish in the early-20th Century. Overall Dems are pretty centrist economically. Some more right, some more left. The US failing to institute comprehensive social welfare systems before the 1950s has allowed corporate and professional interest groups to entrench. Our economic politics reflect that. Drop many Dems into another country, and they'd behave more left-wing.
@LadyOzma @conradhackett On the social spectrum (gender and sexuality, for example) Dems have evolved into a very progressive party globally. That's getting big challenges from centrists who want to be inclusive of more culturally traditional voters, but the party leadership right on down is pretty dedicated to the socially progressive framework right now.
@conradhackett @s_bosbach literally no. Biden is hella conservative. My gosh.
@LadyOzma Conservative is a relative term. But I'm totally fine to not hash this out. If he's hella conservative in your perspective that's valid.
@s_bosbach to quote my friend form NZ in 2020 “Is the US going to vote for the conservative or the conservative for president.” 😂
Cornelius@conradhackett None of above, I consider myself closest to anarcho-communist but my main thing is I don't want my friends to die.
Daphne@conradhackett Many of the non-"mainstream" servers have been defederated for hate, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, violence.
It is not hard to predict what this poll would say, since these are major planks in the platform of one of the parties.
myrmepropagandistI don't know how well these categories capture the current landscape... but I also know you only had the ability to make 3 choices.
"13% independent" is often read as "half democrat half republican" but it's more likely people who are to the left of democrats or to the right of republicans.
Ashley Odell@conradhackett I'm (well) to the left of the Democrats, but "independent" is often used synonymously with "centrist ticket-splitter," so I guess I'm stuck commenting instead of voting. 🙂