I have a handful of Republican friends. They're not obnoxious though. My bleeding heart liberal friends are far more annoying. My dad is a cantankerous Libertarian mostly to annoy my bleeding heart liberal sister.
I think this has so much to do with the environment. The more insulated you are from opposition, the easier it is to be a prick about it.
I don't have a ton of conservative friends but the ones who are in liberal areas are generally not obnoxious about it. My dad, OTOH, lives in east Texas and is annoying as fuck about being a conservative.
And my liberal friend who lives in San Francisco drives me bonkers. I love her, but sometimes I think she is Portlandia personified.
Well I live in East TN, in the district that has been Republican since the Civil War even when the rest of the state was all southern Democrats. So yeah.
My parents are hardcore Republicans, but weren't always. They voted for Clinton both times I think but I know my mom voted for Reagan in 1980 too. So she's always gone back and forth until recently. My grandparents are diehard Dems and my aunts/uncles are either moderate Rs or very liberal Dems.
But really most people that are my peers that I am close to either don't pay attention to politics (which used to bug me but now I kind of don't blame them; it's depressing) or we agree on basically everything except what we prioritize and which party we tend to vote for. It's nice though because none of us demonize either party and roll our eyes at shenanigans equally.
God yes. I'm a Texan from an old Dallas family. The majority of my family and friends are republicans, though not really of the Tea Party persuasion.
My mother, brothers & I are the odd ones out.
ETA: My father is a brilliant-minded Rockefeller Republican* attorney (now retired) who always encouraged his children TO bring religion and politics to the table.
*only time he voted democrat in a presidential election was for LBJ in '64.
Post by penguingrrl on Aug 8, 2014 12:32:45 GMT -5
I have a decent number of friends and family across the spectrum. A few fox-news-watching people who are very misinformed on many issues, several who are socially liberal but vote based on feeling that Cons have better ideas on how to help the economy, and quite a few libs as well.
I will say that many of my younger Republican friends are leaving the party over social issues at this point. In the past year four or five people I know who always voted R have officially renounced the party. They are still fairly conservative with fiscal issues and many are abstaining from voting because they feel nobody represents them (a move I disagree with).
Almost all of my family are Republicans. Most of my coworkers are as far as I can tell. One sister is very Liberal. The other is a little wacky. Maybe Libertarian? I'm not sure.
My close friends are pretty much all Liberal to very Liberal. One friend in the circle is a moderate Republican. It doesn't cause any conflict.
I have friends in my extended circle who are Republicans. Quite a few.
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
Yes, I have both friends and family that are conservative. And many of my liberal friends, including DH are more moderate than I am. It's gotten a little interesting because DH's job requesting federal money for Medicaid has caused some conflicts with friends and family.
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
I live in Rural NC. My county voted 80 percent to 20 percent to create an amendment to disallow gar marriage. They voted 75% to 25% to not expand liquor sales. Almost everyone I know from here is republican. So yes, I'm friends with republicans. But I rarely talk politics IRL.
Post by sparkythelawyer on Aug 8, 2014 12:57:32 GMT -5
I can count on one hand the amount of times I have discussed politics with my friends. So I really have no idea.
If I had to peg, I probably lean to the left of many, many of my friends, but not by a ton. Some of them vote with thier fiscal policies, some of them vote with their social policies, but we're all sort of hovering around center, just leaning slightly one way or another.
I'm also the person that hides the people getting too ranty at election time, regardless of platform. I don't need all that anger on my FB wall!
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
Not me, though, right? (heart) (rose)
You don't even have FB horbag lolol.
But I think both sides operate from the viewpoint that it's not offensive if it's true. I think the difference is that the more obnoxious republicans post things they claim to be true but are actually false and that the more obnoxious liberals post things that they claim are fact but are more opinion, often abrasively or snidely stated.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular has illustrated both sides of this point.
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
Not me, though, right? (heart) (rose)
Just me.
If we're only counting IRL, I have my H and origami. Many of my friends are far more left leaning than I am, too.
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
This seems like a good place to put this. I find it weird that many liberals, including people on these boards, are all "I couldn't live anywhere that wasn't liberal." If you are from bumblefuck Texas and say that you couldn't go to any big city because it was too liberal, people would write you off as a parochial bumpkin. But somehow it's totally OK to be from a NE suburb considering a move to Milwaukee or Cincinnati or something and be like, "I don't know if that's liberal enough for me."
It's a weird double standard and I think it's hurting our country because people are essentially doing the gerrymandering for the politicians. I think it's good to be exposed to the "other" side.
I grew up as a conservative in a suburb of LA, but have been liberal since college (basically when I left my church and started forming my own opinions). I guess because I've always been the outsider, I don't really care if where I'm moving is mostly one or the other. I'll find a few people that are more my style and learn to live with everyone else.
And with that, I'm off to tour some off-site work facilities.
I am kind if one of these people. Part of my problem is that I lived in Texas and hated it so I am hesitant to live somewhere with a similar culture and part of it is lifestyle stuff. Ideally I want to end up somewhere that is supportive of alternative forms of transportation because DH and I don't like to drive much, and where we can have stuff like no front lawn, solar panels, and a compost pile without being that weird couple. DH eventually wants to replace our car with a fully electric one, so supportive infrastructure for that would be nice.
ETA: I live in a very liberal place currently which is sort of a coincidence since I did not choose it, my grad advisor moved here. The last place Iived was much more mixed politically.
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
You talmbout me?? All I do is call meetings and shit!
But I think both sides operate from the viewpoint that it's not offensive if it's true. I think the difference is that the more obnoxious republicans post things they claim to be true but are actually false and that the more obnoxious liberals post things that they claim are fact but are more opinion, often abrasively or snidely stated.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular has illustrated both sides of this point.
All I did was post that blog with the Arabs and Jews loving each other.
Can you tell how scared I am that you are talking about me?
Family are a bunch of tried and true Press the D button Dems. Most of my Maryland friends are R-leaning independents. Including husband. Skews con compared to me, but not really in the real world. My brother and his kooky ass friends include quite a few bunker dwelling, gun nut, doomsday prepper, pro gay marriage, environmentally conscience libertarians. That's a group that has some fascinating political debates - you truly never know what you're going to get. My college friends outside my brother's people are about as stereotypical liberal as it gets. True ivory tower libs that say some stunningly naïve things now and then. My high school friends I honestly have no idea. I know they're pro gay marriage because that's a deal breaker for me. Beyond that we never discuss politics.
This seems like a good place to put this. I find it weird that many liberals, including people on these boards, are all "I couldn't live anywhere that wasn't liberal." If you are from bumblefuck Texas and say that you couldn't go to any big city because it was too liberal, people would write you off as a parochial bumpkin. But somehow it's totally OK to be from a NE suburb considering a move to Milwaukee or Cincinnati or something and be like, "I don't know if that's liberal enough for me."
It's a weird double standard and I think it's hurting our country because people are essentially doing the gerrymandering for the politicians. I think it's good to be exposed to the "other" side.
I grew up as a conservative in a suburb of LA, but have been liberal since college (basically when I left my church and started forming my own opinions). I guess because I've always been the outsider, I don't really care if where I'm moving is mostly one or the other. I'll find a few people that are more my style and learn to live with everyone else.
And with that, I'm off to tour some off-site work facilities.
I didn't see anyone saying it here in this post, but I probably just never noticed before. We do Texas bash, yes. But that is universal R's and D's in my circle b/c Texas is so strange.
I was trying to find out why this was the case and searched "Democrats live in cities" and found this article on how people migrate to places where people think like them (conscious or subconscious). Oddly this WashPost article says it's actually helping the republican party win more counties than helping the democrats. Democrats are all hanging out in cities/metro areas and condensing themselves in smaller districts, so more districts in rural or suburb areas are republican and it helps win national influence.
Excerpt: As the second graph shows, the GOP's aversion to the city is much more pronounced than Democrats' aversion to small towns and rural areas. While 31 percent of consistent liberals and 44 percent of "mostly liberals" are happy as a peach in politically red small towns and rural areas, just 4 percent of consistent conservatives and 14 percent of "mostly conservatives" feel most at home in the blue city.
That suggests Republicans are much more likely to flee urban areas -- leaving ultra-concentrated Democrats districts -- than Democrats are to flee small towns and leave similarly concentrated GOP districts out there.
All of which reinforces -- and could even expand -- the GOP's "natural gerrymandering" advantage.
Oh...speaking of my own side being offensive as all hell - my mama has a friend that posts daily news stories about the "right-wing terrorists." I.e. the republican party and/or fox news.
Most of the time the shit he's posting is pretty damn bad - some of the more ridiculous rhetoric about our border refuges being the latest batch - but dude...terrorists? Really? Come the fuck on. I'm thisclose to just defriending him. (I don't hide. you either make the list or you don't.)
I don't think people always realize how fucking obnoxious their own side can be. I mean I'm FB friends with a lot of you and I have to contain my eye rolls sometimes over the obnoxious and insulting things some of you post, a few of you with serious regularity. Maybe you don't think the gays are injecting mexican children with Ebola and sending them across the border to live on my grandma's social security check but damn, I have no words sometimes.
You talmbout me?? All I do is call meetings and shit!
I ain't talking about you. Shaddup!
Texas is a crazy place though. But it's not hmm, I'm not sure how to explain it. I mean if you didn't like it because of the politics, you best not move to the rest of the south.
However, the political culture in Texas is distinct from the rest of the South though and there are issues in Texas you won't see in other southern states. Texas also has Austin so you know lol.
But the south is like that as well, where there are areas that are less conservative. But I think the difference in the south vs texas is that politics is often divided along color lines. Texas seems less so. Texas also feels less rah rah the south will rise again (though that element does exist) and more, this is Texas, y'all! Texas 4 lyfe! They are Puerto Rico with statehood. Texas first, American second.
One of our closest couple friends are R's. I was pretty shocked when I first learned this a couple of years ago, as we're pretty similar lifestyle/ viewpoints/ etc. It's based purely on their finances, & I know that he leads her (another topic for another day) on how to vote.
Excerpt: As the second graph shows, the GOP's aversion to the city is much more pronounced than Democrats' aversion to small towns and rural areas. While 31 percent of consistent liberals and 44 percent of "mostly liberals" are happy as a peach in politically red small towns and rural areas, just 4 percent of consistent conservatives and 14 percent of "mostly conservatives" feel most at home in the blue city.
That suggests Republicans are much more likely to flee urban areas -- leaving ultra-concentrated Democrats districts -- than Democrats are to flee small towns and leave similarly concentrated GOP districts out there.
All of which reinforces -- and could even expand -- the GOP's "natural gerrymandering" advantage.
I think there is a difference between flee and willing to take jobs that are offered to them. I do see republicans like to move when an area becomes too "liberal" for them. (White flight, shout out to NitaX) But I see a ton of dems who will not even look at job listings in certain parts of the country, much less take one that's offered in a liberal area.
I also think there is a difference between feeling uncomfortable in your town and being desperate to move because of politics.