
Americans Are Shifting the Rest of Their Identity to Match Their Politics - jeffmcmahan
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-are-shifting-the-rest-of-their-identity-to-match-their-politics/
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tmux314
This is not a new observation. Robert Putnam wrote about this in his book
American Grace [0]. We saw this in the 70's and 80's with the rise of the
Moral/Religious Right. Church attendances, especially in newer, Evangelical
churches grew. This demographic/identity shift was essentially a reaction
against the major social movements of the Sixties - civil rights, women's lib,
and the youth movements.

[0]
[https://books.google.com/books?id=cKmXDES703wC](https://books.google.com/books?id=cKmXDES703wC)

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tonysdg
When the author says someone "stops identifying as X", I have to wonder what
exactly that means. Does it mean they no longer wish to emphasize that piece
of their identity? Did their actual beliefs change? Or are they simply hiding
those pieces of themselves? The answers (and implications) are fascinating.

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Sileni
It's probably different for each person; "identifying as" is a subjective,
self-reported marker. That said, I'm sure at one point you tried out being
"punk" or "preppy" or whatever label you were attracted to as a kid. At some
point it just sort of... stopped being you. Did all of the factors that made
you feel like you belonged to that group disappear? No, some were useful in
your general personality. But you stopped calling yourself "punk".

~~~
tuesdayrain
>That said, I'm sure at one point you tried out being "punk" or "preppy" or
whatever label you were attracted to as a kid.

No, I literally never labeled myself like that. It felt too one-dimensional
and restrictive. I still have a hard time understanding why people feel the
need to do such things.

~~~
wmeredith
r/iamverysmart material there.

