Socially Liberal, Politically Conservative, and Currently Lost
Real people, real letters, real problems, no solutions.
Politics these days have become so divided and divisive that it’s become the norm to view the other side of the aisle as “the enemy”. People are being told to “pick a side” and that there’s no room for middle ground. We here at Phetasy believe that there are a lot more people in the middle than politicians and the media would have us believe.
We’re collecting stories from the ever growing number of people who are finding themselves Politically Homeless and posting them here on Substack. If you have moved from conservative to liberal, or liberal to conservative, if you feel you’ve stayed in the same place and your party has swerved drastically away from you, if you had a moment that awakened you to the insanity and hypocrisy on both sides, if you keep your mouth shut anytime a political topic comes up because you’re afraid your opinion will cause you to lose friends or your job, you’re not as alone as you might think.
Our goal is to shine a light on people’s earnest, individual experiences and show them they’re not alone.
Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you’re politically homeless and would like to share your story, please email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.
Letter 50:
6/21/23
First, my demographic.... I am a married white male, aged 54 with 2 adult children. I grew up in a upper-middle class home in Massachusetts with 5 siblings. My biological parents remained married until my father passed away from cancer in 2011. We were brought up (and really forced) to abide by The Roman Catholic Church.
When I was about 13 I started to doubt "the rules of society" and abandoned the church after I had the courage to do so (since I had been worried about the consequences of doing so with my parents) and by the time I went to college they no longer tried to coerce me to attend.
As a working adult, I quickly gravitated toward Republican values because mainly I believed in low taxes, national security, individual competition, and personal accountability. To this day, I believe that my responsibility as an American starts with myself, which includes taking care of my family. Also, security starts with myself, extends to the four walls of our home, and then into our immediate neighborhood and beyond. Too many politicians have this ass backward and people seem to naively buy into it.
However, I always had very liberal views socially such as sexual freedoms (in favor of gay marriage, Pro Choice, and sexual expression). I think that people should be able to do or say what they want as long as they are not inciting violence (literally, not figuratively) or physically harming their fellow humankind.
The only time I actually cast a presidential ballot for the GOP was in 2004, mainly because I despised John Kerry so much (still do). Usually, I either didn't vote at all or voted for the Libertarian Party candidate on the ballot. I voted for the latter candidates in both 2016 and 2020. I am proud to say that I never voted for Trump nor Biden because I think both presidents have been horrible presidents and their policies have been divisive and dangerous.
2024 is approaching and I am still looking for my candidate. I like some of the things RFK, Jr. is saying but I think his foreign policy vis a vis China is incredibly naive. I also like Tim Scott but I feel like he hasn't stood up to Trump so I worry about his intestinal fortitude.
I really appreciate you, what you do, what you say, and many of your incredible guests. I most admire your humility and ability to admit that you are not knowledgeable enough on certain subjects to make policy statements. Too many others, especially in the traditional media, spout off about shit they know nothing about and sound like complete nincompoops.
Thanks very much for reading!
Sincerely yours,
Politically Homeless
Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you'd like to share your story, email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.