Why do right-wingers outnumber left-wingers on most Internet forums?

[Jamaal510]

It seems like every messaging board I visit outside of DU and MediaMatters, conservatives tend to outnumber liberals. It has been the case from my experience so far whether it's reading comments from sports forums, Urban Dictionary, YouTube, or Yahoo. Whenever I hear somebody on these types of sites talk about something politics-related, it's usually some RW talking points or something that is anti-Obama.

[samsingh]

1. i dont know

[SWTORFanatic]

2. Sports forums: duh. Yahoo = duh, it's for people who don't use the

internet seriously (it's the AOL of the 2010s).

Youtube, urbandictionary I'm not sure.

Go to 4chan or reddit and you'll see more liberals :p Or an LGBT forum.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

30. Yahoo is also unmoderated

and refuses to take down blatant racism and violent threats, even after they're flagged for abuse

[SWTORFanatic]

43. I think the mods are RWers. I've had posts that do not violate the TOS at all

deleted, and I've reported blatantly racist names and posts and they stay.

[kestrel91316]

3. The Koch brothers have an awful lot of money available to pay trolls.

I have no doubt whatsoever that they hire large numbers of them.

[Bucky]

47. Why? Because internet discussion boards are so important?

Have you ever met a single person paid to do this? Of course not. Hundreds of thousands (but probably not millions) of people post their crap opinions for free. What a silly conspiracy theory you have.

[agracie]

4. We lefties have a real life...

while the righties need to get one ?

[Coolest Ranger]

17. right on, I like that

[2theleft]

20. That was my thought as well. n/t

[rightsideout]

5. Yahoo is full of them

Every story on Obama is full of haters there.

[agracie]

8. For sure. Some of the comments are downright disgusting. n/t

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

29. When I want to blow off steam, I go to Yahoo

and rub the Obama re-election in their faces.

The more downvotes and cursing I get, the more proud I am.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. Liberals have jobs?

[brewens]

7. Because contrary to popular opinion, we liberals are too busy working for a living. Many more

retired people, people with jobs that allow screw off time, adults living in their parents basement and unemployed right-wingers, have all day to spend online.

[datasuspect]

10. i'm pretty sure the rw'ers get gubmint "nut checks"

[brewens]

19. It's funny how early voting was a Republican idea. The theory was that working

people that would overwhelmingly support Republicans, had to work on election day. Opening voting up to them on weekends would be to their advantage. That didn't work out so well. Now they want to take early voting away.

[Bigmack]

25. I've have RWers complain that - because I'm retired ...

.. I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.

That's because I take a few seconds and fact-check their bullshit.

I can't tell you the number of back-and-forth posting arguments that I've killed with substantiated facts and sources.

There's usually a pause, and then I get some ad hominem crap thrown at me, and shit like "I get to believe what I want."

I have very little time... my retirement is a very busy time... but only seconds are needed to find reality. Even on the Web.

[Speck Tater]

9. Because they are losers who have nothing better to do all day. nt

[Shankapotomus]

11. Because their self-worth teeters precariously on

every argument and issue against liberals. They've got to pursue their little internet debates to the very end or what else do they have?

They're like that one guy in a flag football game who was a little too gung-ho and invested in the outcome than everybody else.

In short, they're face painters.

[jberryhill]

12. Nothing better to do

[Atman]

13. Same as on talk radio.

Positive reinforcement for their stupid ideas. You should see the RW responses to that story about the Oregon sheriff refusing to enforce a non-existent law ordering him confiscate guns. 90% (at least) calling him a hero. The few of us who spoke up against his stupidity were savaged, told to eff off, called every name in the book. I was told I shouldn't be posting because I love the dictator and not American.

In contrast, look at DU...disagreements all the time because we DISCUSS issues and ideas. Universal agreement isn't required for sharing our opinions, while the righties just need affirmation that they're not absolutely insane.

[TransitJohn]

14. They're just louder, is all.

Conservatives feel a need to espouse their conservatism no matter the venue, and then are always shocked that not everyone is conservative, too. I'm with you, it sucks. Bastards have ruined a couple of messageboards I've been on for a long time.

[NashvilleLefty]

23. Thank you, that's what I was going to say.

They are just louder. Although they insist that everyone agree with them, they had a psychological need to have their views "justified" by others. Whereas most Leftists tend to refuse to engage them knowing that the RW will never accept logic or truth.

Most Leftists seem to prescribe to the old adage by George Bernard Shaw:

“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig, you get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it.”

[silverweb]

15. A couple of thoughts come to mind.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"](1) RWers are usually pushier and louder than liberals to begin with, so their disruptive presence is obvious.

(2) RWers are often less educated and more likely to be unemployed, thus have more time for trolling.

(3) RWers are more likely to be paid to troll (and it's already been established that there are organizations paying them) and need the money.

(4) RWers have a sense of "divine right" and certitude, therefore a command to spread whatever fairy tales their masters have fed them. They need to justify themselves by beating down any dissent.

Just off the top of my head.

[Coolest Ranger]

16. Thank you this is something I have ALWAYS wondered myself

[Cal33]

18. Years ago I was at another forum. I wrote to the Repub. "You people are being paid to say

what you say. That takes all the fun out of a debate. I don't even know what you
personally really think about the topic being discussed. You have to say what you're
being paid to say."

The guy replied, "You mean you Dems. aren't being paid?"

Was he surprised when I told him "No, we're not being paid. We do it for the fun, the
enjoyment of having the chance to express our minds and opinions about these
topics. Haven't you guys ever done something for the pure joy of it, without any
money being involved?"

[Denninmi]

21. Gotta be paid trolls.

Or, the other thing I've heard, some of it is actually software programmed to respond to certain words and phrases, and designed to simulate a real person.

I don't know if that's true, but in this day and age I'm sure it's possible.

If the popular opinion mirrored the online, Obama never would have been re-elected, because the online is always overwhelmingly against him. So, clearly, something is out of whack, gotta be an organized propaganda campaign to sway public opinion.

[Dawson Leery]

22. They are paid to spam/troll the net with right wing propaganda.

[DollarBillHines]

24. Because they have nothing else to do.

Out of work and too lazy to make anything happen, they massage themselves by camping out on the innertubes.

[GeorgeGist]

26. $$$$$

[Drunken Irishman]

27. Na'. Most right-wingers I run into hardly have a pot to piss in...

It's not the millionaires out there posting their right-wing bullshit. It's generally the under educated, easily fooled who constantly vote against their self interests.

[annabanana]

28. paid trolls

plenty of money on the other side there.....

[Incitatus]

37. +1

[LisaLynne]

31. I think it's a combo of a lot of things already mentioned...a

And besides the actual political trolls are people who just like to lob grenades. They like getting people upset because they think it's funny. The Internet is perfect for that because you are anonymous and not likely to get punched in face, as you might if you behaved that way IRL.

[okaawhatever]

32. cuz the tea party & gop are organized, funded and pissed off. The DNC has allowed the gop to dictate

the terms in this battle for equality and fairness. Go to a website, we're defending stupid accusations about whether the Newton mass was a conspiracy, birther types, obama's ex orders are unconstitutional. All of those are false, but it doesn't matter. They've captured the news cycle. Also I don't think the gop has offered a solution so much as they have offered an enemy. Alot of America has been through a very tough time financially, and what do you hear from the gop? The actually titled the aca repeal bill, "repeal the job killing health care act", don't have enough money in your pocket? Big government, entitlements. People who elect Obama want free stuff, subconscious message: if you lack for anything in the next couple of years, the obama voters are to blame. They're driving cadillacs, using food stamps to buy drugs, collecting thousands of your hard earned tax dollars doing nothing. and where are the real freebies going? we all know of the 500milion tax break given to amgen for mcconnell. the gop/tea party has people fighting against their own interest. Go figure.

[Bonhomme Richard]

33. Grumpy white retired people that.....

Don't have a life.

[madrchsod]

35. hey! i`m old ,white ,and grumpy....

[Bonhomme Richard]

46. I never said it was exclusive to wingers. Ha! n/t

[madrchsod]

34. because we have a life beyond the thunder dome

[tama]

36. Wise stay silent nt

[JoeyT]

38. Do you comment on every single story you read?

Well they do. And their comments are all stupid so we don't even bother wading into the comment section. That's why it looks like there are more right wingers.

Edited to add: I have no idea why they comment on every story they read. Probably because they're utterly self-centered, which is why they're right wingers in the first place.

[daleo]

39. They have fewer flesh and blood friends

Thus they can be much more obsessive about the Internet. Plus, they are much more single minded in general than the rest of us, who have varied concerns and interests.

[B Calm]

40. We work for a living.

[Coyotl]

41. One word: outsourcing -- troll pay is so low overseas.

[Judi Lynn]

45. You must be right. It would also explain why they never go away!

They do it for a living.

At an affordable price.

[coalition_unwilling]

42. I'm pleasantly surprised at SeekingAlpha.com, a financial and investing

bulletin board somewhat akin to DU but in the financial\investing realm.

There, the Keynesians like me regularly give battle to the Chicago School douchenozzles and their knuckledragger cousins. While Keynes has not yet triumphed there, he's giving as good as he's getting.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

44. Conservative are just driven to spew their bullshit everywhere

They also thrive on arguments. And since they come from all the most broke-dick states with the highest unemployment rates, they have plenty of time to dedicate to it.

[bluestate10]

49. Touche!!!

[bluestate10]

48. Because Leftwingers don't talk about having a job and implying that others don't work,

Leftwingers are out working jobs and running businesses and don't have the time to sit around posting on the internet, insulting other people.