Here's an interesting take on how people choose their loyalties, including politics:
The Psychology of Fanboyism
In order to understand what motivates "fanboys" and "fangirls," we investigate the behaviors behind video-game fanaticism with the help of esteemed psychologists, authors, and experts on the subject.
All gamers eventually encounter one. The fanboy and fangirl, who you can find lurking on message boards or can hear shrieking over headsets on Xbox Live, are by no means a recent phenomenon-the first recorded use of the term "fanboy" dates back nearly a century to 1919. First used to describe passionate boxing fans-and later comic-book readers who prided themselves on knowing their cherished fictional universes inside and out-the word has since devolved as a description of immature and often obnoxious behavior in the world of video games.
Rest of the article at:
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/the-psychology-of-fanboyism/1407764