Do you assume I'm a liberal because I wear Grateful Dead shirts?

• November 19, 2008
• James Skemp
• philosophy, political

I ran into a co-worker who suggested that I probably held a certain environmental view, because I was wearing a Grateful Dead shirt.

While I knew it to be true, I'd never really thought that my political views too may be out there based upon the band t-shirt that I was wearing.

Wearing Grateful Dead? Liberal.

Wearing Bruce Springsteen? Liberal.

Wearing Fleetwood Mac? Liberal.

Billy Joel? That's probably liberal as well.

My co-worker Rob (looks like his domain expired) was wearing a OS X shirt. Liberal? Conservative? I know it's the former, but it raised the question (in my mind), would a conservative ever wear that shirt? Would they ever wear one of my shirts?

Do I like the Grateful Dead because I'm a liberal, or am I a liberal because I like the Grateful Dead? How about technology?

Hmm ...