People talk about how strange it must have been growing up on a farm in North Dakota. But I think kids who grow up in Manhattan have the weirdest understanding of what the world is like. They essentially don’t even live in America. They live in this place where nobody drives, where you can get anything you want at any given time, where diversity is normal. A political moderate here is somebody who, like, doesn’t want McCain to die. To me, that would be weird.
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-Chuck Klosterman
(via theoriginaljoefisher) (via peterwknox)
i spent some time talking about this exact thing this weekend. while i do not agree with the “heartland conservatives”, i can completely understand where they are coming from. i feel like most new yorkers dismiss republicans a “stupid” and don’t go any further to try and understand what shapes their opinions.
(via jamesnord)
I totally agree with the Klosterman quote, having met several born and bred New Yorkers who have confessed to never being in a forest.
That being said, having also been born and bred in Atlanta, GA (in Newt Ginrich’s Congressional District no less.) like James, I also have a pretty good understanding of what shapes many Republican’s opinions, and while I can sympathize with their world view, I still strongly, strongly disagree with them on the vast majority of issues.
There seems to be a general sentiment these days (particularly on TV) that to even consider the other side’s view point is to concede defeat. This is something that liberals and conservatives are guilty of, but I do feel that conservatives are the prime perpertraitors of this world view. I suspect it comes from the conservative Christian, binary way of seeing everything. “You’re either a Christian or you’re going to Hell.” “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution” Right or wrong, black or white, conservative or liberal, patriot or traitor, etc. etc. etc.
These days it seems that everyone could be a little more understanding.
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