“I’m So Old Fashioned It’s New Age” — Man Who Wants Smaller Government Says He’s Progressive

Comedian and TikToker J.D. Scranton ( @jdscrantoncomedy ) posted a viral clip that's accrued over 388,000 views detailing how he's currently being viewed as carrying progressive or liberal ideologies because he's "so old-fashioned."

In the video, Scranton expresses how he wants a "smaller government" that looks less and less into people's personal lives and ultimately just leaves them alone. Which includes the type of clothing they like to wear.

"I'm so conservative it's somehow progressive," Scranton states at the onset of his video as he drives and talks to the camera. "That make sense? I'm somehow so old-fashioned it's new age."

He explains his position further. "My friend said to me, he said, 'Hey man, what you think about drag queens? Think that should be illegal?' And I was like, 'I think government should stay out of people's lives.'"

"That's what I think," he went on to state. "I don't want government telling me how to dress. I don't want government telling me, no one, how to live their life. I don't ... I think the government should step back. That's what I think," he says to his viewers.

"I'm conservative," he says into the camera. This prompted his friend to tell him, "'You sound liberal.' And I'm like I think I sound pretty conservative."

He then went on to explain his stance even further, decrying the idea of a larger government micromanaging more decisions for people's lives.

"I want a smaller government and not a bigger one focused on drag queens, OK? Somehow that's progressive now. Isn't that crazy?"

In a follow-up video, he explained how when someone asked him if he "back[s] the blue," he's not into that line of thinking.

"I don't want to live in a police state, man. That's a conservative idea," he stated, before going on to thank police officers for their work. "We don't have to put them up on some weird pedestal where they're above the law," he clarifies in his clip.

He goes on to state that in addition to advocating for second amendment rights, many conservatives should "scream about the fourth and fifth as well" as they were designed to protect citizens from police. "How safe is your gun if police can unreasonably search and seize it?" he asks viewers.

It seems that there were a lot of folks who responded to J.D.'s videos who believed in his type of critical thinking and desire for less government interference in average Americans' lives. One person said that the biggest argument between political parties was simply "tax policy."

Another wrote that the government's main priority should be to physically defend citizens, police corporations from engaging in shady business practices, and ensure property is protected. "I feel like the government should only be involved if it's to protect the people, like stopping corporations from price gouging [or] discriminating against employees. Making sure businesses are safe."

Another said: "I just want the government to handle the country's finances and THAT'S IT."

Several TikTokers said that their beliefs tend to fall in the middle of liberalism and conservatism: "This is why I don't talk about politics. I'm too right for the lefts and too left for the rights."

Someone else replied that they just want a stable economy and for the government to leave them alone: "I'm 'Let everyone do whatever they want as long as you lower the grocery prices and don't bother me.' Whatever party that is."