You're problem Ethan, is that you have a specific world view already in place, and you confirm everything that reaffirms your point of view, and you reject everything that is contrary to your existing beliefs.

Confirmation bias is a problem, and I imagine I'm far from immune to it. But do you claim to be any different? What person doesn't have a specific world view already in place? Who doesn't resist changing their world view?

I would guess that most frequent posters at GirlChat share pro-legalization views, and from within this very small pond, based on "what everyone here believes", it looks like I'm just being stubborn in not going along. From a wider perspective, it's the pro-legalization views that are very rare and highly unpopular.

From Dissident's radical, distant perspective, everything I believe is part of the mainstream. I suspect that if people here took an honest look at themselves, many of them would find they are subject to the same criticism.

From the nearer, more realistic perspective of society at large, I am hardly a conformist. VP is considered a radical pedophile plot, and attracts lots of hate. Many people of good will say, "A pedophile who doesn't want to actually have sex with kids? It never occurred to met that such people might exist." Thinking adult-child sex isn't always harmful? That's heresy to an awful lot of the mainstream. Thinking simple child porn possession should not be a crime? I sure hit the mainstream on that one...

The truth is, a lot of the time mainstream views are popular because they're true. The earth is round. Obama was born in the US (I wish that was more universally accepted...) Computers work by physical principles and not divine intervention. It's not surprising if we mostly share mainstream views -- and values. Corporal punishment is bad for kids. You don't think white people are morally superior? How closed-minded and mainstream of you!

I think I do better than most people at taking unpopular positions when that's what the evidence leads me to, and taking popular positions for the same reason of evidence -- not because they're popular.