It seems like polarization in America is only getting more intense, and for some people, that’s left them feeling politically adrift. Between shifting party lines, culture wars, and endless debates about what counts as “too far” on the left or right, it can feel impossible to find your footing.
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That’s exactly how one person, u/throwRA8235309, feels. Posting in r/Politics, he asked if anyone else feels “lost” in today’s political climate: “I’m a millennial man (’94, so cusp of millennial and Gen Z). I read a lot about how men my age are drifting right, but honestly, a lot of what’s considered right-wing these days seems extremist to me. Then I read about the left, and a lot of that doesn’t fit either.”
He went on to explain that while he supports taxing billionaires, universal healthcare, and social safety nets, he also values “small government” when it comes to personal freedoms like abortion, being LGBTQ+, or owning guns.
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But he admitted he doesn’t align with everything on the left: “I’m pro-LGBTwhatever, but I’m anti-identity politics. I don’t put pronouns in my work email signature ’cause I think it’s performative bullshit. I don’t think the left should focus so much on identity. I think shit like cultural appropriation is nonsense.”
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His question: “What is my tribe in 2025? Am I a political island?”
Here’s the entirety of his post:
“I’m a millennial man (technically, I guess — ’94, so cusp of millennial and Gen Z). I read a lot about how men my age or slightly younger are drifting ‘right,’ but honestly, a lot of what’s considered right-wing these days seems extremist and alternative to me. Then I read about ‘the left,’ and a lot of that also doesn’t really fit with my opinions.
I’m definitely more left than right, but I’d distinguish between traditional left and some modern left shit. I do care about wealth inequality, and I think socializing services is the solution to that. Universal healthcare, for example. I think we should tax the fuck out of billionaires.
But then I also believe in small government, in the sense that people should be allowed to do what they want, provided it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Under that umbrella, I’d include abortion, being gay or trans, owning guns, fireworks, etc. I guess kind of libertarian views — except I know my feelings on guns and abortion fall across differing sides of the political aisle (even though I’d cite the same reason for both).
And then there’s left stuff I don’t align with. I’m pro-LGBTwhatever, but I’m anti-identity politics. I don’t put pronouns in my work email signature because I think it’s performative bullshit. I don’t think the left should focus so much on identity. I think shit like ‘cultural appropriation’ is nonsense.
I didn’t mean to offend every possible group in this post, but I’m guessing that might be the result. So my question is: What is my tribe in 2025? Am I a political island? Anyone else feel similar to me?”
And, well, the internet had a LOT to say.
Some — including the most upvoted responses — pointed out that America’s founding fathers literally predicted this kind of divide:
1. “America’s founding fathers feared exactly what is happening now: that political factions in a two-party system would tear the nation apart. Alexander Hamilton once called political parties ‘the most fatal disease’ of popular governments. James Madison wrote that one of the functions of a ‘well-constructed Union’ should be ‘its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.’ George Washington stated, ‘The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.’ Everyone needs to work on petitioning their states to get ranked choice on the ballot and get it passed if you want to restrain the polarization.”
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2. “To expand on this a bit, Washington made this a focal point of his Farewell Address when he left office.”
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“To wit:
‘All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle and of fatal tendency.
They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force — to put in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party; often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common councils and modified by mutual interests.
However, combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.'”
Others lamented how far public discourse has fallen:
3. “I would just like to add a small observation: Look at the sentence structure, vocabulary, form, and flow of Washington’s address. Can you imagine a society where a large percentage of the general public could comprehend it? Monumental evidence of a gutted education system between then and now.”
Many argued that the original poster’s frustration is more about vibes than actual policy differences:
4. “You can’t pick between left and right because of pronouns in your emails? They are cementing an authoritarian government with zero checks and balances. You may never vote in a genuinely free and open election again. I cannot believe you feel caught in the middle when your post is almost entirely leftist positions. Democrats do not want to ban guns; they want tighter regulations, licensing, universal background checks, and other measures that are appropriate for private ownership of any dangerous equipment.”
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5. “This post is literally the reason fascism is happening now. ‘I agree with Democrats on virtually every issue, but I just hate when people put pronouns in their bio.'”
Some thought the bigger issue was how propaganda has warped our sense of balance:
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6. “It’s not the hardcore right-wingers who are the real problem. Those people will always exist and have always existed, so there is no point trying to change their minds. The real problem is people like the original poster who have also fallen for the silly propaganda narrative about how ‘the left’ and Democrats ‘went too far’ and forced the rise of Trump and MAGA. That is the big lie that underpins the whole narrative, and even average people fall for it — and then think they’re being reasonable and centrist. But all they can ever really point to is non-government actions by people on social media or in HR departments as examples of ‘the left’ going too far. It is maddening how reality has been skewed and how many people have just gone right along with it. We need to wake up from this collective hypnosis.”
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7. “I am always amazed that this is the common story. ‘The left’ is always going too far with weird culture war things that only a few fringe people put forth. Where are all the people who agree with mostly right-wing opinions but are voting Democrat because of QAnon believers, election denial, or being against vaccines or masks during COVID-19? There are plenty of examples of the right going too far on things that are much more important but much more normalized. Yet pronouns in an email signature are stacked up next to it.”
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Several users stressed that politics doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing:
8. “You don’t need to agree with everything. You don’t need to make your political views the center of your personality. I’m not completely anti-identity politics; your identity plays a role in shaping everything that happens to you. But I think its prominence on the left has helped the right. I hate all the culture war stuff and am constantly annoyed at the left. But I always vote left because the left puts better safety nets in place, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
9. “I’ll go a step further: I think it’s near impossible in a two-party system to agree with everything.”
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10. “I’d also like to add that a great deal of ‘identity politics’ is brought to the fore by the right in an effort to denigrate the left. Most of the ‘cringe’ things that you see are amplified to create exactly the divide and feelings that the poster is expressing. There have always been fringe movements on both the left and the right that have been controversial, but lately, the media has found that amplifying the messages of fringe groups generates more clicks. I’d also like to add something to your thesis statement: You don’t have to agree with everything. Someone said, ‘Politics is not a marriage, you’re not looking for The One; it’s public transportation, you’re just trying to get a bus that’s going in the direction you want to go.'”
Others said his “dealbreakers” weren’t really political issues at all:
11. “One of the two things you described as non-leftist is something the government does not control and cannot control — whether you respect pronouns or put them in your email signature. So it is irrelevant. Do not buy into culture war nonsense; none of that stuff matters for your vote. The other is gun control. Plenty of left-leaning politicians are fine with gun ownership, with varying views of how to regulate that ownership or procurement. Very few are against there being any gun ownership at all. TL;DR: You are voting for a government, not a culture. You are on the left.”
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Some people even tried to map out his actual political alignment:
12. “So you basically agree with most mainstream left views, some further-left views, a vague version of a broad right ideology (small government) that conflicts with your more specific wishes (social safety nets, more tax revenue), and a couple of views that are generally considered right (guns) but do not fail purity tests on the left. You are basically a mainstream Democrat. I would also like to make the case that while you may feel like many progressives are ‘too woke’ with the pronouns and all, it is actually the right that is doing the identity politics and culture wars. But it’s 5:45 a.m. for me, and I’m awake for no reason, so maybe someone else will do it.”
And finally, a few shared personal anecdotes that hit close to home:
13. “My 67-year-old dad told me that he was a registered Republican until my sister said, ‘You are not a Republican, you’re just a Democrat who likes guns.’ Then he had a lightbulb moment. Now he donates money to all the Democratic political campaigns, has a gay pride flag in front of his house, is constantly reading books about social justice issues like The Color of Law, and goes to the gun range on the weekends. Honestly, I’m so glad my sister said that, but I always assumed he was a Democrat. He never talked much about politics when I was growing up, so I didn’t even know.”
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At the end of the day, the original poster isn’t alone — lots of people feel caught in the middle. But judging from the thread, most agreed that while no party will perfectly match every view, it’s about choosing the direction you believe will protect the most rights and freedoms.
So, what do you think? Do you feel politically lost in 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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