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This is off topic, so I hope we don't get into a big sub-thread about it, but I want to respond a little.
I guess my story didn't make it clear enough that from the nods and uh-huhs, everyone in the group of around 10 people I was describing, was fully aware of the basic facts about Cindy McCain, while not one knew the equivalent info about Michelle Obama. You can submit that this was a complete non-typical sample of East Cobbers, if you like.
Certainly, I have no problem with the rest of your post.
The point of my post was to provide a catchy anecdotal example of how the majority of folks in my part of East Cobb aren't so much actively hostile to liberals as just unaware because they move in a pretty monolithically conservative culture where liberal ideas and values (and, secondarily, personalities) just don't ever come up, because they've been dismissed a priori. When my daughter was a middle schooler and topics like family political views started to be discussed around the lunch table in the cafeteria, she found that almost all of her fellows thought that her family's Democratic leanings were outlandish. It was as if we were members of the Flat Earth Society, or something. Other kids found it just weird that we could have views that "everyone" knows are simply wrong.
I suspect that a similar situation may prevail in at least parts of NYC, except the boot would be on the other foot. So NYC liberals looking for a "liberal area" in the Atlanta suburbs could easily find themselves feeling fishes out of water, depending on the location they chose.
I had very similar experiences growing up in Newnan. I remember the first time I really felt that my families beliefs were very different from everyone else's was when I was in fifth grade (2000) and we had a mock election. I think I was the only kid who voted for Gore. My parents liked Gore, so I thought everyone did; I quickly found out that where I live this wasn't the case.
It was very similar my Senior Year in High School during Primary season. I was part of only a handful of (white) kids who was even considering voting for Democratic candidate. Some of my friends were shocked when they found out I voted in the Democratic primary- for Mr. Obama btw. And it's not like these kids are even all that conservative, it's just that they knew what their parents believed and never really bothered to look at the other side. Voting for a democrat was just out of the question.
Just a quick note: no matter who you voted for in the last election, your favoured candidate is probably a CFR-trained social parasite who would gladly spy on you, exploit you, sell your country to China, and send your children off to murder third-world peasants by the thousands at the beheadst of their corporate overseers.
ludlow, if you're still around...is there any reason you can't live in the city? It's a slower pace than a city like NYC but it's pretty liberal so you wouldn't have to worry about feeling a bit like an outsider.
And, yes, in person most of the conservatives I lived amongst during the 2004 election were perfectly polite. OF COURSE they were. Because when dealing with actual people most people put on their good behavior, especially if they already have a good impression of you.
However, I did get the finger a heck of lot while driving my car (because of my Kerry bumper sticker). Someone finally ripped it off. One contractor who came out to our house to give us an estimate stormed off after seeing our yard sign.
And people constantly wanted to talk about God and church and what church activities they were going to and did we want to come try out THEIR church. My husband's an atheist and I am a...not sure...agnosticish? Once that piece of info was out it seemed to either scare them (like we were Satanists on the prowl for our next baby sacrifice) or excite their sense of church mission and they REALLY tried to recruit us.
Anyway, after moving into the city...no nastiness when we put up the 3-D Obama yard art installation (made by our artist tenant) and nobody talks about church except when, on Sunday, we're outside and my son asks the neighbor's son to play and he says, "I can't right now because we're going to church. But I'll come over when I get back home."
Fully half of your neighbors in John's Creek or Alpharetta will be transplants from other areas. Some of those areas are considered liberal. If you don't want to discuss politics with conservative neighbors, then don't. What's the big deal? All these posters who would lead you to believe you would be ostracized for your religious or political leanings don't know what they are talking about.
In my five years here I have never been asked about what church I belong to. During the presidential election, comments were made, many of which I didn't agree with. I agreed to disagree, and changed the subject. And, believe it or not, there were Obama signs in area yards. I never understood the purpose of them, it isn't like placing a sign in my grass would change anybody's mind, but, to each his own.
Thanks to everyone who responded. I would like for our kids not to have the experience that RainyRainyDay described in East Cobb of having their friends all think our views are so wrong - and you're right that its the exact opposite here, though the one Republican family in our building happens to be our good friends. It'd be nice to not be so polarized, so ideally communities could be a little more diverse politically as well as racially.
Tresninas, maybe we'll see you in Alpharetta...
thanks again everyone.
We need to relocate to Atlanta area to care for an ailing parent and we have 7 & 11 year old kids. We're coming from NYC and would like the change of pace, but would hope to find a community that isn't ultra-conservative. We're eye'ing Chattahoochee HS zone. Can anyone rec'd neighborhoods/developments w/ houses under 500k where our kids could make friends & we wouldn't be seen as political outsiders if we still like Obama?
Many thanks for any tips.
I don't know of particular liberal or conservative areas anywhere in Atlanta...as far as I know, all neighborhoods are mixed and open to people of all political views. Sometimes they even intermarry.
There is no need to be afraid of non-liberals. They don't bite.
I don't know of particular liberal or conservative areas anywhere in Atlanta...as far as I know, all neighborhoods are mixed and open to people of all political views.
LOL! Not quite, but since you belong to the dominant ideology I don't fault you for thinking that everything is peaches and cream for all parties involved. It's easy to think everyone is equally represented when you're being fully represented, because all of your experiences confirm this representation.
I grew up in the northeast suburbs in a relatively conservative household (pretty average for Ga, come to think of it) and thought nothing of it, I just figured I was in a 'normal' part of town. Then I went to college, got introduced to different ways to look at the world, and started leaning liberal. Then I started realizing that once you get outside certain patches of relatively liberality close to the city (midtown, decatur, etc) you're almost certainly going to be in a part of town that is decidedly red, and generally hostile (maybe not aggressively hostile, but definitely strongly opposed to) to beliefs that liberals believe very strongly
Quote:
There is no need to be afraid of non-liberals. They don't bite.
No, but if you feel strongly about your political beliefs it can be annoying to be constantly surrounded by people who disagree with you and who are actively working towards goals that you think are abhorrent. To go to work or the grocery store or whatever and see people rejoicing when a politician that absolutely breaks you down gets elected. You find yourself constantly holding your tongue and supressing your feelings because there are very few people around you that share your beliefs, and it's not like you're going to change people's minds by talking it out (nor should you). I remember driving around Cobb county and seeing those "MARRIAGE = MAN + WOMAN" bumper stickers, and even though I'm happily married and straight, every time I saw a car with that on the back I got a very real reminder that I was living in a part of the country where people vocally profess the importance of depriving certain citizens of rights that I feel other people should have. It turns a feeling like "man the system stinks" into "Wow, I'm surrounded by people who believe so strongly in this stinky system that they'll plaster it all over their car." And this isn't about whether gay marriage is right or wrong, or whether or not it should be outlawed or not, that's beside the point. The point I'm trying to make is that when you hold X beliefs very strongly, and you're surrounded by people who believe the opposite of X, and have no problem making that known, it wears you down after a while. After college I lived in Cobb county and worked at the northern tip of it, and while I had a lot of friends at work, talking politics (which I enjoy doing) was pretty much a non-starter, because it was either argue about politics or don't say anything. I think humans have a certain desire to be able to share their passionately held beliefs with others who feel similarly from time to time, and not being able to do so after years and years can make you feel sort-of lonely in a way. Not lonely for friends, but lonely for people who feel similarly. And i'm not saying that people should surround themselves ONLY with people of like minds, because I think there is a part of us that yearns for intelligent discussions with those who we disagree with... this is often the only way we can truly develop and test our ideas.
A couple years ago I moved to a neighborhood in Columbus that was more liberal than conservative, and I have to say that after all those years in political siberia in northwest atlanta it feels pretty good. I miss Atlanta like the dickens, but it sure is nice to see the 'fair tax' and anti-gay bumperstickers replaced with stickers that quote ghandi and mlk. Not saying one group is BETTER than the other, it's just nice being around people who feel the same way I do about issues that I find important, and are actively working to promote these issues that I feel are important. I like living in a community that votes FOR a minor tax increase for a fund to benefit the mentally disabled, or will allow the elderly to attend a handfull of college classes for free (assuming there is an open spot in the class, sort-of like a standby ticket that costs the university next to nothing but makes a big difference in these old people's lives).
I'll end with an anecdote lol. The other day I was getting tires installed and a woman in the waitingroom made some comment about the news that lead to a discussion, and even now I'm marveling at how nice it was to be able to strike up a conversation with someone that feels the same way that you do about certain issues. Liberals like living around other liberals because politics becomes a way to make friends, as opposed to a never-ending point of contention/disagreement (even if it is a civilly-worded disagreement). Same reason that conservatives like living around conservatives, though. I gaurantee that most Alpharetta conservatives would feel a lot less comfortable in San Francisco than they do in Alpharetta. It's just part of our nature to want to be around kindred spirits sometimes.
The other day I was getting tires installed and a woman in the waitingroom made some comment about the news that lead to a discussion, and even now I'm marveling at how nice it was to be able to strike up a conversation with someone that feels the same way that you do about certain issues. Liberals like living around other liberals because politics becomes a way to make friends, as opposed to a never-ending point of contention/disagreement (even if it is a civilly-worded disagreement). Same reason that conservatives like living around conservatives, though. I gaurantee that most Alpharetta conservatives would feel a lot less comfortable in San Francisco than they do in Alpharetta. It's just part of our nature to want to be around kindred spirits sometimes.
LOL! Not quite, but since you belong to the dominant ideology I don't fault you for thinking that everything is peaches and cream for all parties involved. It's easy to think everyone is equally represented when you're being fully represented, because all of your experiences confirm this representation.
I grew up in the northeast suburbs in a relatively conservative household (pretty average for Ga, come to think of it) and thought nothing of it, I just figured I was in a 'normal' part of town. Then I went to college, got introduced to different ways to look at the world, and started leaning liberal. Then I started realizing that once you get outside certain patches of relatively liberality close to the city (midtown, decatur, etc) you're almost certainly going to be in a part of town that is decidedly red, and generally hostile (maybe not aggressively hostile, but definitely strongly opposed to) to beliefs that liberals believe very strongly
No, but if you feel strongly about your political beliefs it can be annoying to be constantly surrounded by people who disagree with you and who are actively working towards goals that you think are abhorrent. To go to work or the grocery store or whatever and see people rejoicing when a politician that absolutely breaks you down gets elected. You find yourself constantly holding your tongue and supressing your feelings because there are very few people around you that share your beliefs, and it's not like you're going to change people's minds by talking it out (nor should you). I remember driving around Cobb county and seeing those "MARRIAGE = MAN + WOMAN" bumper stickers, and even though I'm happily married and straight, every time I saw a car with that on the back I got a very real reminder that I was living in a part of the country where people vocally profess the importance of depriving certain citizens of rights that I feel other people should have. It turns a feeling like "man the system stinks" into "Wow, I'm surrounded by people who believe so strongly in this stinky system that they'll plaster it all over their car." And this isn't about whether gay marriage is right or wrong, or whether or not it should be outlawed or not, that's beside the point. The point I'm trying to make is that when you hold X beliefs very strongly, and you're surrounded by people who believe the opposite of X, and have no problem making that known, it wears you down after a while. After college I lived in Cobb county and worked at the northern tip of it, and while I had a lot of friends at work, talking politics (which I enjoy doing) was pretty much a non-starter, because it was either argue about politics or don't say anything. I think humans have a certain desire to be able to share their passionately held beliefs with others who feel similarly from time to time, and not being able to do so after years and years can make you feel sort-of lonely in a way. Not lonely for friends, but lonely for people who feel similarly. And i'm not saying that people should surround themselves ONLY with people of like minds, because I think there is a part of us that yearns for intelligent discussions with those who we disagree with... this is often the only way we can truly develop and test our ideas.
A couple years ago I moved to a neighborhood in Columbus that was more liberal than conservative, and I have to say that after all those years in political siberia in northwest atlanta it feels pretty good. I miss Atlanta like the dickens, but it sure is nice to see the 'fair tax' and anti-gay bumperstickers replaced with stickers that quote ghandi and mlk. Not saying one group is BETTER than the other, it's just nice being around people who feel the same way I do about issues that I find important, and are actively working to promote these issues that I feel are important. I like living in a community that votes FOR a minor tax increase for a fund to benefit the mentally disabled, or will allow the elderly to attend a handfull of college classes for free (assuming there is an open spot in the class, sort-of like a standby ticket that costs the university next to nothing but makes a big difference in these old people's lives).
I'll end with an anecdote lol. The other day I was getting tires installed and a woman in the waitingroom made some comment about the news that lead to a discussion, and even now I'm marveling at how nice it was to be able to strike up a conversation with someone that feels the same way that you do about certain issues. Liberals like living around other liberals because politics becomes a way to make friends, as opposed to a never-ending point of contention/disagreement (even if it is a civilly-worded disagreement). Same reason that conservatives like living around conservatives, though. I gaurantee that most Alpharetta conservatives would feel a lot less comfortable in San Francisco than they do in Alpharetta. It's just part of our nature to want to be around kindred spirits sometimes.
WOW. Since I didn't express my political views, I'm not sure how you came up with me "belonging to the dominant ideology". But okay.
I was just trying to say that even if you live in a neighborhood that is mostly conservative, there will still be a good number of liberals and liberal-minded people. Keep in mind that if an area is 65% conservative, it's still 35% non-conservative - so everyone isn't of the same mindset.
I don't have a problem with people who disagree with my views...and don't need to worry about surrounding myself with those who agree with me. I don't try to force my views on them and I won't allow them to try to force their views on me...we can easily coexist because I value diversity - but to each his own.
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