I like the idea of a thread where people commit to being polite about things where politeness isn't always the norm. So I have a question that could be trollish, but I'd like people to believe it's asked in good faith. One of my students asked me why it is that, in general, the more educated people are, the more they tend to be a little leftish? She reports feeling silenced, overwhelmed before she speaks. I thought it was a good question, though I'm not sure its perceptions are entirely accurate. And what about folkies? I've seen a person posting really very moderate right-of-center views here get tomped on pretty solidly. BTW, insofar as I have a political identity, it's midly socialist (unfortunately not always a team-player on particular issues).