Wasn’t there a saying back in the day claiming three things lovers should never discuss — money, politics and religion? Surely things have changed if the presence of online dating services to find your political soulmate is any indication. It seems only natural that our dating habits (and online services for those so inclined) would reflect the increased prominence of politics in our lives and its polarization in the country. Finding a mate is no longer just about attraction and compatibility, it’s about your view on abortion (there really is no middle ground) or what place you think religion has within the government. Liberals seeking liberals, conservatives seeking conservatives – you see where they were going when John Hlinko and Brian Barcaro founded political matchmaker sites ActForLove and Conservativematch a few years back.
But, before I get anymore earnest in talking about this subject, let’s poke a little fun, shall we? ActForLove’s tagline is “take action, get action!” No, really, it says it on the homepage. And they appear to deliver on both, the site has 50,000 members and urges liberals to get involved directing them to sites like the ACLU and StemPAC.org. Conservativematch calls for “sweethearts not bleeding hearts” (not as clever, I know) on their site and has an online mag with headlines like “Abortion Hurts Women: The Hard Proof” and “Male Passivity: The Root of All Evil,” which documents the mistakes Adam made with Eve. Really, both sites are worth a quick once-over, even if just for a chuckle, but if you find something more, don’t forget who to thank.
