OK: Birth Order AND Parents' Political Affiliation

[On the Road]

inspired by Zing Zing Zingbah's poll

This is a test of whether DUers conform to Frank Sulloway's theory of birth order, namely that firstborn children tend to adhere more closely to their parents' beliefs, while laterborn children (both youngest and middle children) tend to rebel. Personally, I don't -- I'm a firstborn and have developed radically different politics from my parents.

If it's difficult to decide how similar your politics are, think of whether it represents a rebellion against or a break with. If your parents have changed their beliefs, their views when you were an adolescent are the most important. If your parents have different politcs from each other, compare yourself to the most outspoken or most influential parent.

[RevolutionaryActs]

1. Youngest and my politics are dead on with my parents :-D

[trotsky]

2. My dad is apolitical

Tends Repuke, mainly out of ignorance. But he's had some really odd reasons for voting sometimes.

My mom is somewhat liberal, but not nearly as much as I am. But then she's not overly political either.

So I don't know if I'm rebelling or not.

[ohioliberal]

3. I'm a middle child

and I'm such a rebel my parents tease me all the time. My brother is the oldest and he's just like my parents, repukes. My younger sister works for the city government and she could care less. She can't stand the government.

[Guy Fawkes]

4. Youngest, and I'm more liberal then my parents...

But their pretty left-wing...

[saracat]

5. It is difficult in my case as my family boasted that we changed politcal

parties every generation. I have a great grandfather who was a Republican State Chair. My Grandfather was a Dem State Chair and a member of the Roosevelt Admin. My father was a Republican who worked for Rockefeller. You figure it out! Grin. And I am an only child!

[curse10]

6. I'm first born and my parents are nasty repugs

My dad and I disagree on nearly every single issue. My two younger brothers are not as political as I am, but both voted for Kerry :-)

[fluffernutter]

7. i'm with you - eldest at odds here.

[intheflow]

8. I am youngest and at odds with my parents.

But both my older siblings are also at odds with our parents' politics. In our family, I think it's more generational. Us kids were baby boomers, and Vietnam split our household.

[CO Liberal]

9. Middle Child and My Parents Were Both Democrats

Dad was more conservative than Mom, so I guess I take more after her.

[SaintAnne]

10. my parents have different politics

dad's an independent/republican (why? don't ask me...) and mommy's a democrat! and all three of us kids are liberals(two democrats and me)! I don't officially belong to any party.

[On the Road]

11. Very Interesting So Far

It doesn't seem to confirm the theory. Will kick for the morning crowd to get a bigger sample.

And as some people have mentioned, it IS more complicated than the eight responses. As an eldest child, I bought into my parents politics until my early 30s.

[FuzzySlippers]

12. Youngest. Parents Democrats and reasonably liberal.

I'm the furthest left in my family. Older of two brothers pretty liberal. Other brother (now deceased) was more centrist, but I think he always voted Dem.

[thoughtanarchist]

13. youngest. Parents are intelligent and progressive like me.

I rebelled like a little bastard on everything else though...

[MrSlayer]

14. This assumes both parents are likeminded politically.

My Mom is a Dem and my Dad is a raging Republican.

[tk2kewl]

15. I'm proud to say my family members are all very progressive

so is my wife. unfortunately her family, with the exception of a liberally-biased-journalist sister, are right-leaning mods to wingnuts

[Lady Effingbroke]

16. Eldest at odds.

[ebdarcy]

17. I'm the first of two children.

Both my parents are democrats; pretty much everyone in the family is. However, I am the most liberal of the bunch. My baby sister is also a democrat but she's kind of apolitical. She relies on me for her information.

[CBHagman]

18. Middle child of Republican parents.

Oddly enough, though, I was in some respects a conformist. I wouldn't say that my values are all that different from my parents', and of course I catch myself making an argument (or just getting angry) in the same fashion as my GOP parents. My mother, for example, was very much against advertising products to children. She would be an activist if she were around today.

[borlis]

19. Both of my parents are lifelong democrats

So are my sisters and their husbands and my husband too. No political arguing in this family. We just all shake our heads because we can't believe whats going on here. I am the baby of the family.

[Left Is Write]

20. I'm the middle child, and my politics are just like my parents'.

[Not_Giving_Up]

21. I'm the oldest, but it's a two part question for me really

I spent half my childhood with my mom and stepdad - fundie dems (how fun!)

The other half with my mom's parents - snotty repukes

So, maybe I rebelled because I was with my grandparents as a teenager?

Beats me

[BamaGirl]

22. Eldest, same politics as parents n/t

[China_cat]

23. Problem

I am the oldest and my political views are very close to that of my mother's BUT I was raised by my grandparents, adored my grandfather who was a die-hard Republican until Nixon (who he thought should have been committed) and even disowned my mother for voting Dem.

So, do we go by genetics or by nurturing? Come to think about it, I may be the oldest of 3 but I was essentially raised as an only child.

Talk about a screwed up family.

[DemExpat]

24. Middle child with Repub parents here.

DemEx

[shesemsmom]

25. First born

and I have 2 Democrat parents

[KDLarsen]

26. Youngest of 2 (well, 3..) & I go along with my parents..

.. we're all fiscally conservative (you have to be when you pay 40%+ taxes on a part time job) & liberal on the social issues.

[On the Road]

27. Kick for the Daytime Crowd

This is good. Lots of responses. I'm going to see I can forward this to Sulloway.

:kick: