I'm not crazy (at least I don't think so). But I do reside in liberal Los Angeles. When I visit a place like Boise, ID, Anchorage, AK or Raleigh, NC, I just get odd looks because people assume that I must be one of those crazy liberals from the "left" coast.
And those are the jokes that kill. When I make a crack about the, "left" coast or how it's like someone picked up America, tilted it towards California and shook it so that all the loose pieces would fall towards the west, they get a good laugh every time.
Conservatives are not unique in this. I was talking to an old high school classmate just last night whose one hope when her husband eventually chooses a job after finishing graduate school is that he lives in a, "blue state." And you can probably imagine that people in Los Angeles are far from envious when I tell them I'm visiting largely conservative states.
People blame Bush for this heated division (perhaps some blame does lie there), but I say it's the media. Conservative or liberal, I think there are too many outlets that care little for the traditional rules of reporting and would rather just try to grab a quick buck by satisfying the animal needs of their readership, viewership or listenership by expousing broadly stereotypical views about the other side.
I see it on this message board all the time. People love to post links and articles highlighting the odd or depraved side of humanity with the connotation that it's the "liberal" or "conservative" in them that's prompting people to act badly.
Please, people. Lighten up. Nobody is ruining your country. If you actually get to meet people from both sides you'll generally see that they are all good folks. They may make bad decisions or have beliefs that run opposed to yours, but they are hardly the evil scourge they would appear to be by reading some of the rubbish posted on this board and in the media.
And those are the jokes that kill. When I make a crack about the, "left" coast or how it's like someone picked up America, tilted it towards California and shook it so that all the loose pieces would fall towards the west, they get a good laugh every time.
Conservatives are not unique in this. I was talking to an old high school classmate just last night whose one hope when her husband eventually chooses a job after finishing graduate school is that he lives in a, "blue state." And you can probably imagine that people in Los Angeles are far from envious when I tell them I'm visiting largely conservative states.
People blame Bush for this heated division (perhaps some blame does lie there), but I say it's the media. Conservative or liberal, I think there are too many outlets that care little for the traditional rules of reporting and would rather just try to grab a quick buck by satisfying the animal needs of their readership, viewership or listenership by expousing broadly stereotypical views about the other side.
I see it on this message board all the time. People love to post links and articles highlighting the odd or depraved side of humanity with the connotation that it's the "liberal" or "conservative" in them that's prompting people to act badly.
Please, people. Lighten up. Nobody is ruining your country. If you actually get to meet people from both sides you'll generally see that they are all good folks. They may make bad decisions or have beliefs that run opposed to yours, but they are hardly the evil scourge they would appear to be by reading some of the rubbish posted on this board and in the media.
