Mal always pegged me, especially given the Western context and Joss having read The Killer Angels on the air plane when getting the idea for Firefly, as the sci-fi equivalent of a Southerner who didn't go to war for the right to own slaves but for the right to independence, but who nonetheless thinks Northern abolitionists are wishy-washy folk with no idea what they're talking about.

Now Simon of course is a socialist-progressive love bunny.*g* And true to form a rich kid. *veg*