Lists Change Formatting

I’ve noticed that when I insert a list in a RTF document (Format/List), the base font of the document is changed.

For example, if I insert a dash (-) or check (?), without a suffix marker, the font changes. However, if I insert a number, or dash or check followed by a ), the base font is as expected.

weird–

Personally, I find Tiger/TextEdit “lists” to be one of the poorest feature implementations Apple has ever done. “Weird” doesn’t begin to describe it’s behaviour.
The thing’s a mess and I’ve stopped using it altogether.