<p>I think we all know what libertarians are, i just get angry when libertarians are associated with conservatives because nowadays by labeling yourself a conservative, you are seen as being socially conservative, even if it is not your intention. No libertarian I know wants to be associated with religious fanatics and southern people in general. So while fiscal conservatives share a lot with libertarians, and sometimes vote Republican, try to keep them separate.</p>
<p>"No libertarian I know wants to be associated with religious fanatics and southern people in general."</p>
<p>Um... that's a rather ignorant thing to say... to more or less equate southern people with religious fanatics. It's ironic, too, considering Ron Paul, a former Libertarian candidate for president and the most prominent proponent of Libertarian ideas currently running, represents Houston in Congress. Before you try to pick apart minor errors or generalizations in other people's reasoning, why don't you work on the major errors in your own?</p>
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Ron Paul... represents Houston in Congress.
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<p>Erm.. Galveston, not Houston. I know, little detail, but I'm from the area and it's a little pet peeve. ;) I agree with you nonetheless.</p>
<p>bananaphone -- I know plenty of republicans who wouldn't love those associations either (I also know at least one very southern libertarian who wouldn't care a bit). Not sure of your point. You'll also note that many above posters have not been confusing libertarian/conservative, but have been going off of the ways that students label themselves. So if these students are really libertarian but are choosing to call themselves conservatives, then I assume they're able to see past the stereotypes on which you're focusing.</p>
<p>And also, as bananaphone starts to point out, it is important to remember the fiscal/social split. For some reason, most of the college students I knew who identified as 'strongly conservative' were really interested in the fiscal side of politics, while those who identified as 'strongly liberal' were more interested in the social side. Obviously there's plenty of tie-in and overlap, but this was generally true of my experience in college. In fairness, I went to pretty liberal schools in SoCal, so I think that an above-average degree of social liberalism was taken for granted.</p>
<p>The self-reports of the Facebook samples look pretty plausible to me. A meta-analysis of 30 years of higher ed outcomes research has documented that one of the typical products of a higher education is a liberalizing of political views. It's not surprising when you think about it. Most of us are raised in a particular place by specific people who tend to pass along their own view of the world. When we go to college, we typically encounter a broader range of perspectives than we did in our upbringing and over the course of four years, the awareness that "different" does not necessarily mean "wrong" begins to grow and our acceptance of ideas that challenge common opinion expands. I'd suggest that those who enter pre-professional rather than liberal arts environments are less likely to find themselves immersed in experiences that foster a newfound appreciation for that which is different. That would account for the conservative - fiscal affairs link. Also, in many parts of the South there is a decidedly anti-intellectual culture that threatens college-educated people with ridicule for acknowledging any liberalizing of viewpoints. It's quite possible that there are a number of closeted liberals and moderates at Southern campuses who wear a more conservative facade in public. My own congressman - a Democrat - won re-election last fall with campaign ads that stated "I broke with my party's leaders to keep them from taking away our guns" and "How 'bout them Dawgs?" (a reference to the U. of Georgia football team). I was surprised to learn that his law degree is from Harvard.</p>