History Main / StrawAffiliation

* The ''Day By Day'' cartoon outlined at the top of the page. It gets worse. It is later revealed that Damon is an orphan, causing Jan, the [[StrawCharacter Straw Liberal]] to declare that this explains why he's a Republican as he doesn't know ''how a black person'' is supposed to act. And they're now a [[OppositesAttract couple]]. That's after notable CharacterDevelopment on Jan's part. Her position as the cast's StrawLiberal has since been taken over by Skye.

->"Damon, you can't be a Republican!"\\
"Why not?"\\
"Because only Democrats fight racial stereotyping!"\\
"Well... why me?"\\
"Why?! Because you're '''black'''!!"
-->-- ''[[http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/2002/11/04/ Day by Day]]''

* In an episode of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', much of the cast decided to look up dirt on each other as part of a bet to see who could run for office. It's discovered that Donna (who is black) donated money to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke David Duke]] (of Ku Klux Klan fame) when he ran for president. She explains that, "I got a phone call. They said he would lower taxes."

Now, Alice picks one of these many groups, and simply assumes that because of that Bob has certain opinions, beliefs, even needs. If Bob doesn't agree, it's because Bob doesn't know what's good for him, or maybe doesn't even know what he really wants. She might even go so far as accusing him of being a CategoryTraitor. Or simply dismiss him as not being a [[NoTrueScotsman ''real'']] man/atheist/heterosexual/black/whatever.

See also GayConservative, BlondeRepublicanSexKitten, NoTrueScotsman, CulturalRebel, UncleTomFoolery, BlackRepublican. Contrast MarsAndVenusGenderContrast, where gender-based Straw Affiliation is justified by the narrative.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Marxist theorists refer to this trope as "false consciousness". That is, the only important thing about you (according to Marxists) is what social class you're in. If you're in the proletariat (working class/99%), then you should be a Socialist or Communist because it's in your interest. But the bourgeoisie (upper class/1%) don't want you to overthrow them so they invent fake issues to cloud your mind with so you'll support the unjust capitalist system. Usually, these affiliations are racial/religious/national identity.
** ''What's the Matter with Kansas?'' is one of many modern (non-Marxist) books that essentially advances the same argument.
** Creator/SethMacFarlane has criticized conservative "members of the 99%" for not supporting (modern) liberal economic policies.
** It also goes the other way, with white men/straight men/Christians, etc. who vote Democratic accused by Republicans of being wimps. But, of course, in a democracy, everyone should be free to choose which group to belong to, even if it is counterproductive to do so. Freedom gives people the right to make bad decisions.
* Postmodernist theorists posit a similar idea, but on a much more fundamental basis than economic class. Since language and culture is subjective, freedom of thought or affiliation as such ''does not even exist'' because every person is really a mouthpiece for underlying "power dynamics" informed by their group.
* Both in fiction and reality, middle-class black people are often accused of "selling out their race" or words to that effect, the {{Unfortunate Implication|s}} being that blacks should stay poor and uneducated. This is related to the NoTrueScotsman fallacy.
** Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} describes this as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality "Crab mentality"]].
* [[Webcomic/{{Sonichu}} Chris-chan]] is known to rant about how people with Asperger's are "stealing the glory" of autistics ([[ItMakesSenseInContext to cut a long story short]], [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery he uses his autism to excuse his bad behavior, which is convenient since there's so much to excuse]]); because of this, he angrily insists that the two aren't related, and that this "fact" is his idea. To make things worse, [[ItsAllAboutMe he tends to act like he's the only autistic who's special, describing other autistics as "zombies" or "windows into hell"]]. Most people on the autism spectrum [[StopBeingStereotypical refuse to associate with him]].
* Heaven help you if you're a GayConservative in the US. Or black conservative, woman conservative, Jewish conservative, etc.
** Condoleezza Rice manages to be a [[TwoferTokenMinority black and female]] conservative. ''And'' she was a prominent member of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's administration, even moving up from National Security Advisor to Secretary of State between his first and second terms. Liberals are somewhat torn over whether she should be regarded as a symbol of progress or as just another evil Bush adviser.
** Colin Powell got this as well his run as secretary of State under W.Bush. However, being a 4-star general beforehand tempered this somewhat.
** Joe Biden literally told a black man, that if he isn't voting for him, [[https://youtu.be/We6Qr9-dDn8?t=57 he isn't black]].
* During the 1920s, when the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan was as close to mainstream as it will ever probably get (even getting Klansmen elected to office in several states), many white Protestant Americans defended it -- not because they approved of everything the Klan was doing, but because it at least was standing up for the interests of "traditional" Nordic Americans at [[TheRoaringTwenties a time]] when their culture seemed to be threatened.
* If you are an atheist, apparently you must also embrace all things left-wing. Atheists of an economically right-libertarian bent get it from both sides, left and right. Similarly, if you're overtly Christian you'll be assumed to be both economically and socially conservative.
** On the flip side, due to clashes within the atheist community, as well as clashes between feminists and prominent atheists, atheists are apparently supposed to treat feminism as just as irrational as religion. However, in different cases, an atheist is supposed to automatically consider the feminist movement indisputably righteous, and to not be affiliated with anything related to pseudo-science or anything that deals with the supposed paranormal, [[ScullySyndrome such as ghosts or aliens]]. At least part of this is thanks to a fundamental disagreement on whether 'feminism' (i.e. dictionary-definition egalitarianism which both sides claim to represent) and 'the feminist movement' are the same thing (and interchangeable terms), directly opposed (the position of those who claim modern 'feminism' is repackaged misandry), or that the latter is completely irrelevant to your opinion on the former; the resulting 'debate' frequently degenerates into FourTermsFallacy with a bit of WhosOnFirst.
[[/folder]]

* The platform of the U.S. Libertarian Party supports abortion rights and open immigration, and anyone who describes themselves as libertarian is expected to endorse both. But as pointed out [[https://libertyjunkies.com/blogs/news/how-to-improve-the-libertarian-movement here]], many libertarians disagree with one or both of those, and get labelled as [[NoTrueScotsman "fake libertarians"]]. Ironically, this includes UsefulNotes/RonPaul, who is seen as the father of the modern libertarian movement.
* Also in the U.S., if you're pro-life or pro-gun, then you have to vote Republican, or else you're a traitor to your cause. Likewise, if you're [=LGBT=] or an ethnic minority, you have to vote Democrat, or else you're a traitor to your sexuality/race.

* The platform of the U.S. Libertarian Party supports abortion rights and open immigration, and anyone who describes themselves as libertarian is expected to endorse both. But as pointed out [[https://libertyjunkies.com/blogs/news/how-to-improve-the-libertarian-movement here]], many LP members[[note]]and non-members who still hold a libertarian political philosophy[[/note]] disagree with one or both of those, and get labelled as [[NoTrueScotsman "fake libertarians"]]. Ironically, this includes UsefulNotes/RonPaul, who is seen as the father of the modern libertarian movement.

* The platform of the U.S. Libertarian Party supports abortion rights and open immigration. But as pointed out [[https://libertyjunkies.com/blogs/news/how-to-improve-the-libertarian-movement here]], many LP members[[note]]and non-members who still hold a libertarian political philosophy[[/note]] disagree with one or both of those, and get labelled as [[NoTrueScotsman "fake libertarians"]]. Ironically, this includes UsefulNotes/RonPaul, who is seen as the father of the modern libertarian movement.

* The platform of the U.S. Libertarian Party supports abortion rights and open immigration. But as pointed out [[https://libertyjunkies.com/blogs/news/how-to-improve-the-libertarian-movement here]], many LP members[[note]]and non-members who still hold a libertarian political philosophy]] disagree with one or both of those, and get labelled as [[NoTrueScotsman "fake libertarians"]]. Ironically, this includes UsefulNotes/RonPaul, who is seen as the father of the modern libertarian movement.

* [[Webcomic/{{Sonichu}} Chris-chan]] is known to rant about how people with Asperger's are "stealing the glory" of autistics ([[ItMakesSenseInContext to cut a long story short]], [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery he uses his autism to excuse his bad behavior, which is convenient since there's so much to excuse]]); because of this, he angrily insists that the two aren't related, and that this "fact" is his idea. To make things worse, [[ItsAllAboutMe he tends to act like he's the only autistic who's special, describing other autistics as "zombies" or "windows into hell"]]. Most people on the autism spectrum [[StopBeingStereotypical refuse to assosciate with him]].

See also GayConservative, BlondeRepublicanSexKitten, NoTrueScotsman, CulturalRebel, UncleTomFoolery. Contrast MarsAndVenusGenderContrast, where gender-based Straw Affiliation is justified by the narrative.

* Postmodernist theorists posit a similar idea, but on a much more fundamental basis than economic class. Since language and culture is subjective, freedom of thought or affiliation as such does not even exist because every person is really a mouthpiece for underlying "power dynamics" informed by their group.