It’s always fairly easy to figure these things out, as a student.

Evan Sayet gives an example of a university professor who was “outed” because of her husband’s run for some local council position as a Republican and the university staff put two and two together based on the surname. All the usual travail followed, but I found the comments from students interesting. They said they always knew she was a Republican (or at least conservative) because she kept to the subject and didn’t keep injecting her own commentary on politics into the lectures, unlike all the other teachers in the department. Her field is molecular biology.

Basically, and it’s not even a matter of if-they-know-you-you-must-be-alright because they’re not even thinking that much about it, but if they find out you’re not (at Peter’s last job they were sitting around in the cafeteria and someone told everyone the hot news that some other guy not there was a republican and this one chick says “So-and-so’s a Republican?!?! But he’s so nice!!!”), it’s like finding out your coworker is a serial killer, it’s that kind of reaction. Obviously you wouldn’t ever size him up, make a judgement call, and think “Well, he seems nice enough so I don’t think he’s a serial killer” and then frame your jokes and serial-killer-related comments appropriately. It’s like that.

It gets really, really, really old.