She wondered why her date only paid in cash and was building a house in the woods. Then he confessed he hadn't paid taxes in 3 years
'He is literally hiding from the government to avoid doing his civic duty...'
A man covering the first date is usually seen as a green flag. In fact, it looks like old-school chivalry. That's exactly what one woman (u/earthly_oddity) thought when she met Joe for the first time. He was charismatic, conventionally attractive, and seemed too excited about his new home. But what began as an intriguing romance quickly devolved on date two, when their conversation shifted to politics. Not only did Joe hold contrarian views; he identified as an anarcho-capitalist extremist who hadn't paid taxes in years. This prompted the narrator to share her experience on Reddit on October 23, 2026. Her post has since received over 9,000 upvotes.
The perfect first date
Stepping back into modern dating after a painful breakup is rarely easy. But for this woman, it felt promising when Joe entered the picture. Living only a few towns away in a secluded, heavily wooded area, he presented an intriguing rustic persona. To make things even more interesting, he was a newcomer constructing his home from the ground up. "He seems lovely and funny over text, so we set up a first date," the narrator explained.
The first outing seemed to confirm every positive impression, particularly because Joe was even more handsome in real life than his profile suggested. He also covered the bill, but instead of his card, he paid in cash. The date was good, but their conversation revolved strictly around the technical details of Joe's house. So, the narrator suggested another date to know more about him.
The tax evasion bombshell
The second date got awkward when Joe shared his political views. He identified himself as an anarcho-capitalist who rejected governing bodies. He argued that unrestricted free markets should govern everyday human life. "Basically an extremist, haha," he chuckled. To make matters worse, Joe confessed that he expanded his views on police and bare-bones laws because "people can be crazy sometimes," and "not everyone is willing to fight back like he is." It was enough for the woman to decide, but his final confession was the last nail in the coffin.
The conversation crossed outright into recklessness when Joe unveiled his real-world rebellion. Viewing civic duty as an unjust mandate, he nonchalantly revealed that he had stopped filing and paying federal income taxes altogether for three years. This unprompted confession immediately laid bare a grim trajectory. The woman began connecting the dots and realized not only why Joe was building a house in the woods and using cash only. "He is literally hiding from the government to avoid doing his civic duty," she noted.
A deal-breaker
This incident shows why many people prefer dating people with similar political views. In fact, conflicting political views are seen as a deal-breaker. According to a Dating.com survey, there has been a 43% increase in people talking about politics on dating platforms. Out of these people, a staggering 84% straight up refused to go out with someone with a different political view. Women are more likely to act on it, with 67% confirming so, compared to only 17% of men. Meanwhile, 67% of people admitted to ending a previous relationship because of different political views.
'He's dumb'
Meanwhile, reacting to the post, u/Pristine-Lack-8086 commented, "Anarchist, but makes an exception for the police, lol. The problem isn't that he's extreme; it's that he's dumb. Just think about how he's gonna look in 20 years, living in a chicken coop eating dinty moore stew." u/Best_Talk_6853 joked, "He doesn't believe in the IRS, but the IRS believes in him!"
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