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Political Segregation in America


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2012 Sep 21, 5:32am   7,265 views  16 comments

by freak80   ➕follow (1)   💰tip   ignore  

Americans are self-segregating into communities of like minded people.

http://www.economist.com/node/11581447

It's not anything new of course.

Is this why the extremes keep getting more extreme?

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1   freak80   2012 Sep 21, 6:11am  

"Intriguingly, the more educated Americans become, the more insular they are. (Hence Mr Miller's confusion.) Better-educated people tend to be richer, so they have more choice about where they live. And they are more mobile. One study that covered most of the 1980s and 1990s found that 45% of young Americans with a college degree moved state within five years of graduating, whereas only 19% of those with only a high-school education did."

2   edvard2   2012 Sep 21, 6:18am  

This is something I noticed myself after moving from the rural south to first the east and now the west coast. What I always found to be rather ironic is that even though a lot of people on both coasts in the cities I lived in identified themselves with being liberal and open-minded, there was also a somewhat common mindset that they couldn't live anywhere other than places that also had loads of liberal people in them.

As a liberal, I think that's a problem. When everyone in a certain area more or less has the same general opinions ( and I realize that's a broad statement) then in turn there is seldom any real debates. This goes for both sides. As a result nobody ever has their thoughts or opinions challenged. Perhaps if they did then maybe both sides would have a different understanding. I grew up in a household of people who voted for both parties. So it was interesting because we did talk about these things but the conversation tended to be respectful. Perhaps that would happen if people would "get out more" and talk to others who might not totally agree with what they think.

3   freak80   2012 Sep 21, 6:23am  

edvard2 says

What I always found to be rather ironic is that even though a lot of people on both coasts in the cities I lived in identified themselves with being liberal and open-minded, there was also a somewhat common mindset that they couldn't live anywhere other than places that also had loads of liberal people in them.

I'm not surprised. Groupthink is the most powerful force in the universe, after compount interest.

4   edvard2   2012 Sep 21, 6:36am  

freak80 says

I'm not surprised. Groupthink is the most powerful force in the universe, after compount interest.

Agreed. But I think maybe more so amongst those who are on the outer fringes of politics. Whenever I go home I definitely run into my fair share of tinfoil hat conspiracy theory conservatives and in many ways they're about the same as their tinfoil hat wearing liberal cousins in California. The problem I think is that unfortunately its these types of people who make the most noise and thus unfairly become the stereotypical representation of their parties. Most people are relatively moderate and carry common sense.

5   freak80   2012 Sep 21, 6:44am  

edvard2 says

The problem I think is that unfortunately its these types of people who make the most noise and thus unfairly become the stereotypical representation of their parties. Most people are relatively moderate and carry common sense.

I'd probably sleep better at night if I could convince myself of that. It's probably true but as a human I'm hard-wired to "assume the worst."

6   edvard2   2012 Sep 21, 6:49am  

Well, I have a good example. I have a 90 year old Grandmother who reliably votes Republican no matter what. Doesn't matter who's running, she's gunna' vote for em' regardless. She likes to watch and listen to a lot of those right wing shows.

That said, her and I are able to have fairly interesting conversations about politics and in most instances I'd say that we agree on about 90% of the issues. Of course we disagree on some things, but we respect one another for being open about those things. On the other hand I've the same conversations with others- on both sides where any and all talk about anything other than what their part tends to tell them is unacceptable.

7   Honest Abe   2012 Sep 21, 8:20am  

I think the one thing we can all agree on is neither party is serving the people, their only concern seems to be the retention of their office and the power that goes with it.

I'd like to continue but I've got to get back to work so I can pay for someones else's EBT card (now proudly accepted at 7-11 stores), someone else's health care, someone else's section 8 housing, someone else's new Government Motors compact eco-car, or whatever.

8   rootvg   2012 Sep 21, 8:22am  

This part of California has been that way for years. There's Danville which is about sixty percent Republican next to Walnut Creek which is half and half (so I'm told) which is next to Lafayette that's very progressive and probably sixty percent Democrat and the rest full blown socialists and Commies who work over at Berkeley.

9   freak80   2012 Sep 21, 8:32am  

rootvg says

the rest full blown socialists and Commies who work over at Berkeley.

I liked your earlier analogy of the Star Wars bar scene.

It seems like college campuses are their own little alternative worlds. Especially the far-left ones like Berkeley and Santa Cruz. Academia is a whole different system than the "real world." I learned how to work in the academic system when I was getting my engineering degree, and then I found the "real world" to be totally different.

But to be fair, there's plenty of far-right craziness out there. Like the Birther movement. And the belief that any kind of tax increase on top earners = socialism. Heck wasn't it Buffett who said he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary?

10   rootvg   2012 Sep 21, 8:39am  

freak80 says

rootvg says

the rest full blown socialists and Commies who work over at Berkeley.

I liked your earlier analogy of the Star Wars bar scene.

It seems like college campuses are their own little alternative worlds. Especially the far-left ones like Berkeley and Santa Cruz. Academia is a whole different system than the "real world." I learned how to work in the academic system when I was getting my engineering degree, and then I found the "real world" to be totally different.

But to be fair, there's plenty of far-right craziness out there. Like the Birther movement. And the belief that any kind of tax increase on top earners = socialism. Heck wasn't it Buffett who said he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary?

I really think we're setting up quite nicely to come apart as a nation. Should Obama win another term, we'll start hearing those oh so familiar rumblings in southern states about secession. This shit doesn't sell down there.

11   edvard2   2012 Sep 21, 8:53am  

You know, as a Southerner myself I sometimes get really tired of the stereotypes. Sorry to break the news, but the South isn't one big conservative utopia. The truth of the matter is that a lot of those states are similar to most others: The cities tend to be more liberal and the rural areas more conservative. Take a drive in most any part of rural California: Its most definitely for the most part heavily conservative. Now why its that way, I don't know. But the difference here is that the cities in the Northeast and the West Coast just happen to be a LOT bigger and hence a larger percentage of the population lives in those cities and thus they are more liberal.

There are parts of the South- like Asheville, NC, Savanah GA, Memphis TN and so on that are every bit as liberal as SF. There is far more political diversity than most people ever give the region credit for, and what's more, its changing a lot faster than anywhere else because so many people are moving there.

12   Politicofact   2012 Sep 21, 8:56am  

Thanks to Fox News, Rupert Murdoch and Carl Rove.

13   Politicofact   2012 Sep 21, 8:57am  

edvard2 says

Well, I have a good example. I have a 90 year old Grandmother who reliably votes Republican no matter what. Doesn't matter who's running, she's gunna' vote for em' regardless. She likes to watch and listen to a lot of those right wing shows.

That said, her and I are able to have fairly interesting conversations about politics and in most instances I'd say that we agree on about 90% of the issues. Of course we disagree on some things, but we respect one another for being open about those things. On the other hand I've the same conversations with others- on both sides where any and all talk about anything other than what their part tends to tell them is unacceptable.

Was wondering if you will both be happy to have Ryan Medicare replacement with Vouchers?

and an extra 6k a year expense for the same service so the top 2% can have a 250k tax cut?

Just wondered how often you and your Grannie vote against your own interests?

Thye do say "WE" are our own worst enemies!

14   freak80   2012 Sep 21, 9:02am  

Yep it's more about rural vs. urban, I think. That's why I think the whole "Red States are Deadbeats" meme is b.s.

Of course urban areas subsidize rural areas. But that money isn't going into Farmer Bob's pocket, its going into roads so that crops/forest products/minerals can get to the cities for processing.

In the old days we let private railroad corporations handle land transport. But that sounds more like a Republican idea than a Democrat one.

To be fair, there are quite a few old folks living on SS/Medicare in rural areas. The young folks move to the cities to find better jobs.

15   dublin hillz   2012 Sep 21, 9:32am  

Perhaps what we need to fix the growing polarization issue would be to have a TV show with objective and non-partisan analysts going over pros and cons of various issues without taking sides. This would actually educate the public by emphasizing risks and rewards of various political ideas. However, I don't think that this will happen unfortunately because both sides are represented by maniacs who sound like crazed prophets on market st since this drives ratings and brings in advertisers.

16   Politicofact   2012 Sep 21, 10:42am  

The left refuse to be dragged beyond too far off center of right. Why should they go further?

They won't!

The right want to drag the country towards Fascism.

Stop blaming "BOTH" sides.

Obama wanted to govern from the center, Mitch McConnell made sure he couldn't.

The republicans say one thing and do another, for example, they say there is no war on Woman! Yet they pass over 1000 new state laws concerning womens health!

The right need to get over themselves. America is for Americans, not FASCIST CORPORATISTS!.

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