Wash Times: Ron Paul’s campaign finds Big Gender Gap

[Tal]

A lot of women just find politics boring I think, a forum I post on has something like 100 men and 3 women and of those 3 women only 1 of them actually debates the guys, the other 2 just chit chats in the off-topic area.

I think it might have something to do with debating being confrontational and women generally dont like confrontations I think, they prefer being nice.

As for why so many of them dont like Ron Paul I guess that is because socialism in general is seen as the soft and caring system while capitalism is seen as the hard and brutal system by women and women tend to find softness and niceness appealing.

 

[specsaregood]

When people say women aren't good in economics

Anyone that says that hasn't seen what women can do with coupons when so inspired.

 

[pinkmandy]

+ rep for pen_thief. Well said. I see the same and it is so disturbing to me. Tptb did quite a number on most people and it takes a lot of reflection and soul searching to sift through the bs that we've been told, allowing society to tell us who we are instead of defining that for ourselves through our own hearts and experiences...that's true for males and females. I think part of growing out of it, seeing through it all, is spending time alone with your own thoughts.

 

[Deborah K]

A lot of women just find politics boring I think, a forum I post on has something like 100 men and 3 women and of those 3 women only 1 of them actually debates the guys, the other 2 just chit chats in the off-topic area.

I think it might have something to do with debating being confrontational and women generally dont like confrontations I think, they prefer being nice.

Say wut??

 

[moostraks]

When people say women aren't good in economics, etc. the implication to me is that they are idiots. I take it back if that is wrong.

It isn't about long term goals. Equality can also be a long term goal.

Some people may put equality (which can be obtained quickly and with economic benefit to most overnight) over economic wealth (which only will come with time).

An example might be the Amish, who don't value increased economic well being.

My point is only that the other side also has a point. Once we understand that we can have a respectful discussion on the core issues that might change their minds.

The Amish aren't socialist. To look for a socialist group you would need to look towards the Hutterites.

Being respectful doesn't mean ignoring issues with their argument but learning what makes people tick so you can discuss with them on the same level...

 

[da32130]

The Amish aren't socialist. To look for a socialist group you would need to look towards the Hutterites.

Being respectful doesn't mean ignoring issues with their argument but learning what makes people tick so you can discuss with them on the same level...

OK, hutterites. But the Amish aren't concerned with economic growth, so it can happen.

Also, convincing someone doesn't mean ignoring that they have a reasonable argument in some area. In fact, once you have found that common ground you may be able to actually convince them at a deep level.

 

[revgen]

IMO, education and research is key to becoming a Ron Paul supporter.

Women in general are more interested in researching their family genealogy than researching how the Federal Reserve works.

An ad that would appeal to women would have a hook like this "Imagine if all the money you are trying to save for your children to go to college won't even pay for half of the bill when it's time for them to go..."

 

[NewRightLibertarian]

Maybe it's because women are more affected by the propaganda that they are under attack from by the government. I think it was Hitler or one of his underlings that said you target the women and the children with the propaganda and the men will follow. That's my guess

 

[PursuePeace]

Thanks to me, my wife loves Ron Paul and votes for him

Thanks to me, my husband loves Ron Paul and votes for him.

 

[Kevin Smyth]

Say wut??

Women like confrontations but not over politics, women generally like competing with other women over who has the more expensive house or car, that's what most women are competitive over so that's what they are interested in. My mother is voting for Romney because he's rich and good looking, so he's the type of man she would want to date. She says Ron Paul is creepy looking. She doesn't have a clue about the issues and she doesn't care, she's more interested in watching Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. I doubt that my mother is the only woman who acts this way.

 

[Ssd]

I think women like big government and men like small government.

 

[da32130]

Women like confrontations but not over politics, women generally like competing with other women over who has the more expensive house or car, that's what most women are competitive over so that's what they are interested in.

and guys like competing over who has the better women.

 

[pinkmandy]

Have you been pregnant recently? A good number of the voting public will be in some stage of this process and they will feel very responsible to making their voice heard. I have been pregnant and given birth to 8 children and very few were the days that physical issues did not cause my objectivity to be questioned. Take a tour of BBC's birth boards and try to see the 'rational' discussions that occur by those who discuss anything close to politics. To dismiss this facet of females is like putting blinders on. Sometimes the truth hurts, but women need to own a bit of the irrational behavior. Men can speak for their own issues on that segment of the chest beating public that thinks that the wars are like glorified football games...

Reframing the issues requires tact and some insider knowledge of how women can be emotionally driven to make short sighted choices based on prior conditioning.

I'm on mothering boards and we do have rational political discussions and have for many years (since before Paul's first run). Quite a few have been converted to RP, too. Yes, I have kids growing up and homeschool them as well. And I still have a different perspective than you do. Your truth is based on your judgments and experiences, same holds true for me. And it doesn't hurt. Humans as a whole, imo, need to own their irrational behavior and it certainly isn't just a woman thing or something we need to "own". I doubt there's a human alive who has not acted irrationally (however you define irrational which is often based on how you personally define rational based on your own personal judgments) at different points in his/her life. When I consider rational vs. irrational I think of humanity as a whole. We- as in all of humanity- should have figured out by now how to live in peace, how to keep our environment clean, how to help each generation of children be smarter and wiser than the previous one, how to leave the world a better place for future generations. We are collectively doing the exact opposite- humanity at large is "making short sighted choices based on prior conditioning".

Now, how does this conversation help get Paul elected? I posted earlier in the thread about creating ads geared towards women- did you read that post, too? Any thoughts? I also started a thread in HT days ago about getting more women on board? Comments? I have made suggestions on the appealing to female voters thread that was started a little while ago. Realistically, this conversation is a rehashing of a topic that has been around and around and around and does more harm than good to the movement imho. It isn't something to be solved in grassroots central. It's full of opinions because we all have them. But, ultimately, while it's fun to discuss at times it isn't doing much to elect Paul.

For now I bow out of this conversation. I may rejoin if it is moved to OT or another sub. I just don't see how this benefits us at all. Can you imagine if we were discussing the irrationality of another "group"? We'd be skewered. We can't lament that we don't attract female voters when analyzing and labeling them is what we're doing in grassroots central.

 

[RockEnds]

OK, hutterites. But the Amish aren't concerned with economic growth, so it can happen.

Also, convincing someone doesn't mean ignoring that they have a reasonable argument in some area. In fact, once you have found that common ground you may be able to actually convince them at a deep level.

I live in a county that is probably a third Amish (and conservative Mennonite)--at least when it comes to who owns the land. The Amish are very concerned with economic growth, and they're darned good at competing in a technologically advanced society. They may not put new technologies to use (sometimes they do, just not as we expect), but they are very good at adapting to changing economic opportunities. They're actually quite shrewd business people.

 

[Lymeade-Lady]

My wife is voting for Ron Paul. I'm pretty sure it's because I talk about him every day. She isn't really into politics and probably wouldn't vote if I didn't try to talk to her about it.

Well, my husband is for Ron Paul b/c I talk about him so much! But if it weren't for my illness leading to being into alternative health, I wouldn't have listened to the first Ron Paul youtube (google interview) and then researched more.

I can give it to you personality wise (Myers-Briggs). Ron Paul is a "Thinker"--logical more than emotional. 2/3rd of males are. Only 1/3 of women are. He appelas well to thinkers. The opposite is "Feeler" and that's based on values. We need to promote values. (BTW, I'm a feeler, but I'm also a researcher and he was promoting one of my values--HEALTH.)

 

[bobbyw24]

Thanks to me, my husband loves Ron Paul and votes for him.

Excellent

But there cannot be more than one Ron Paul voter in NoVa can there?

 

[RockEnds]

IMO, education and research is key to becoming a Ron Paul supporter.

Women in general are more interested in researching their family genealogy than researching how the Federal Reserve works.

An ad that would appeal to women would have a hook like this "Imagine if all the money you are trying to save for your children to go to college won't even pay for half of the bill when it's time for them to go..."

I enjoy researching both genealogy and the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is a bit easier as I'm not required to read French, Latin, and gothic German to study it. Researching genealogy requires all three of those. Researching genealogy requires freedom, also. Just last month, we lost the Social Security Death Index. Apparently dead people require privacy. Or something. The freedom vs excessive government interference effects all aspects of life.

 

[da32130]

I live in a county that is probably a third Amish--at least when it comes to who owns the land. The Amish are very concerned with economic growth, and they're darned good at competing in a technologically advanced society. They may not put new technologies to use (sometimes they do, just not as we expect), but they are very good at adapting to changing economic opportunities. They're actually quite shrewd business people.

I'm sure you know much more about them than I do. But fundamentally, when they first started and didn't use the latest farming (or whatever) technology there must have been a greater value to them in something else that the technology might take away. To the extent those feeling could come about in them, it seems reasonable those feelings may come about in other people putting equality over further technological development. And that is not to say someone may not value new technology, but that some other value is put above it.

 

[Xenophage]

I think women like big government

I guess size DOES matter!

 

[moostraks]

OK, hutterites. But the Amish aren't concerned with economic growth, so it can happen.

Also, convincing someone doesn't mean ignoring that they have a reasonable argument in some area. In fact, once you have found that common ground you may be able to actually convince them at a deep level.

Do you know any Amish? They argue over the number of pleats in their kaps! LOL! They are concerned with economic growth but they are limited by what their benevolent dictator allows them to have within the confines of their insulated group. Each family can choose their occupation and benefits from the income they generate. Hutterites do everything in communion.

Ignoring reasonable arguments would be not meeting people where they are and proposing why one solution is better. Ultimately a solution has to be decided upon. If we lack courage of our convictions it will be because the solution lacks substance. This is why local politics is best because the larger the geographical area the government covers the less effective it is and the more tyrannical it becomes. Many of us hardily disagree when it comes to solutions we want implementd at the local level, but courteously agree to disagree for the common goal of destruction of dangerous federal policies.