I think the common denominator seems to be about politics. Political topics have so greatly divided us these days that we've become ticking time bombs. You'd think that a group made up of Randy Newman fans would more or less be on the same page politically --
What has been lost is the art of polite discourse - it's no longer about ideas, it's about people - if I disagree with your opinion, I must attack
you. A sense of humor helps (as Larry will tell you, I've been known to post some pretty funny stuff that is very far afield from my personal beliefs).
Stereotyping political views based on artistic tastes is tricky. While I was a Midshipman, my bookshelves were filled with poems by Ferlinghetti, plays by Sarte, and stacks of LPs by Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary. My Magazine stack had MAD as well as National Review. While steaming in the Gulf of Tonkin, in between supporting bombing runs, I would listen to Judy Collins and Tom Lehrer.
Is it any wonder I ended up a Gay Republican?
der Brucer
I gained an interesting insight into political discourse on my first ship as an officer. A fellow young Ensign was a Harvard graduate who had been a member of their Progressive Youth Group (or some such Maoist coven); we could not have more diverse political views. However, when it came to practical action, we both generally agreed - coming from opposite directions, we regularly met in the center to agree on a public policy for the best: as long as we argued "what" and not "why", we could agree.