Two Geographies of the Left and Right

[SecularMotion]

A glance at a red state/blue state divided map of America will reveal the different geographies of Conservatives and Liberals. Conservatives inhabit the wide open countryside, mostly in the south and Midwest; Liberals inhabit the densely populated urban mega-cities concentrated in the northeast and west coast. How do these different landscapes affect their political beliefs?

Conservatives and Liberals prefer and have a natural affinity for very different landscapes/cityscapes. This causes the urban apartment dwelling Manhattanite to sneer upon the vistas of verdant Indiana cornfields dotted with small towns and groan "where would I possibly get a good cappuccino there?" It also causes the Indiana fourth generation farmer to sneer back at the concrete and steel sky scrapers of apartments and groan "where am I going to park my dual wheel four door hemi truck?"

How can an urban dwelling Liberal be expected to support with every grain of their being the National Rifle Association when their only encounter with wild animals ready to pounce on them is the alley rat? Where is he supposed to take up his target practice -- Central Park?

But for a country-loving Conservative, the NRA is an organization to be venerated because the need for guns out on the open range is paramount, where hunting is a significant cuisine enhancer and the need to protect your family from Indians and scoundrels and wolves goes back to the pioneer days when self-reliance was a cherished value -- and besides 9-1-1 is for sissies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-cooker/two-geographies-of-the-le_b_2002777.html

[Decoy of Fenris]

1. Pretty solid writing.

Definitely something worth exploring further, in regards to the nature of... well, nature... to urbanites and country folks. Solid piece.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

18. solid, alright

solid piece of shit.

[Db Owen97]

2. Short sighted...bordering on racism

if you ask me.

I'm a liberal and I'm living in the country (Moved from a "blue state" to a "red state&quot and for the most part...I think I'll spend the rest of my days here.

Also in the article it mentioned that the only thing a newyorker could use to justify ownership of a firearm would be "alley rats" unless that is some type of slang term for street thug I would have to say the article was completely bias....though it seems to be just like every other post made by the O.P.

[rl6214]

3. "it seems to be just like every other post made by the O.P. "

Figured that one out already, eh?

[Db Owen97]

4. Kind of a dead give away to be honest.

[Decoy of Fenris]

5. Genuinely, it's not, though.

Throughout history, geographical divides have caused numerous distinctions, from the physical to the mental and yes, even the social. While the article -is- significantly biased, I believe the arguments have merit, and I wouldn't particularly call them "racist." Worth looking into, at the very least.

[Db Owen97]

7. Why then...

did it have to mention "Indians"?

[Decoy of Fenris]

8. Because...

" the need to protect your family from Indians and scoundrels and wolves goes back to the pioneer days"

That is, in fact, true. Starting at the frontier-based expansion westward, there was a territorial and geographical -need- for firearms. It was not a desire; it was a necessity to survival. Indians, as they were contemporaneously called, were a genuine threat. "Indian" as an extrapolation towards the future, along with "Bandits" and "Robbers" is a tracking of a continual potential threat. Granted, the chances of getting robbed are far more slim than being attacked by native americans back in the day, but the sentiment remains.

[holdencaufield]

10. The demographics of the threats might have changed ...

... however, threats still exist.

I doubt the Pentagon still planning on a Japanese attack anytime soon, but that doesn't mean they're out of a job.

[Db Owen97]

11. In a modern context???......

Are you really going with that given the modern context I was speaking of?

[holdencaufield]

6. I'm a country-loving, city-raised Liberal.

I love riding, shooting and I know where to get a GREAT cappuccino. I hold two degrees AND I know how to milk a cow and what time of year to plant corn.

The problem with putting people in boxes -- they tend to grow out of them.

So, take your condescending, divisive, psuedo-elitist, twaddle and throw it on the compost heap.

[glacierbay]

14. I was born in the country

grew up in the country, will die in the country, however, I drive appox. 40 miles to get to work in a big city. I could never live in a big city, too fucking crowded for me, I need room to stretch my arms.

[slackmaster]

9. Interesting piece, but dividing the country into two stereotypes is oversimplistic

It says nothing of the undistributed middle; i.e. people like me.

I live in a suburban home with about 1/6 acre of land to call my own. I have a strong aversion to shared walls, and to neighborhoods that have been built up to urban density without adequate provisions for parking. I have friends who don't live far away, whose neighborhoods were allowed to be in-filled to a mixture of single family and multifamily buildings.

The shortage of parking in that part of San Diego and many others is chronic, and there is a significant ongoing culture clash between the owner class and the renter class, many of whom are quite poor, subsidized, working multiple low-paying jobs, etc.

I enjoy the conveniences of having coffee shops and retail stores close to home, and major malls and big-box stores just a few minutes' drive away. I also like being able to drive a modest distance be in a place where human impact is minimal, San Diego's beautiful mountain and desert parks and BLM lands. A person living on Manhattan would have quite a drive to get to a place with shooting range suitable for rifle practice. That's not true for me. I can get to an organized range or wild open space in under an hour. I also have a selection of indoor handgun ranges including the historic San Diego Police Pistol Range at my disposal.

Perhaps consistently with the theme of John Cooker's essay, my own political values are a mix of conservative and liberal. I have often called it Chinese Restaurant Menu philosophy - Two from Column A, one from Column B, choice of vegetable or hot and sour soup, with party of five or more you get free egg rolls.

That was a good short read. Thanks, SecularMotion.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

20. IDK...

...if they allow rifles but NYC's West Side Pistol Range used to be friendly to out of towners. I like egg rolls.

[gejohnston]

12. Kind of shallow

and over simplistic. The "911 is for sissies" made it condescending. It is more accurate to say 911 is useless because of the much longer response times.

[Eleanors38]

13. A few too many stereos & pop up images to be very insightful.

Even as far back as the early 70s, Texas was 75% urban, Florida more so. May be more accurate to say "rural" folks dressed and act out of nostalgia for the "wide open," from their new digs in Davie, Fla.

Rats are the only thing that pounce in NY? really.

Okay primer for discussing regional prejudice in media

[Jenoch]

15. While there is some truth

to the theory in the OP's copied, but has no opinion herself, post there of course are exceptions to the theory. Minnesota is a blue state, the last time Minnesota went republican in the presidential election was in 1972. In fact, most of rural northern Minnesota is solidly Democrat and you won't find a place in Minnesota that is more pro-gun than the Iron Range.

[PavePusher]

16. Binary thinking in an analog world... this will not end well.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

17. what a crock of steaming shit.

[oneshooter]

19. How can you stuff this much crap in one place, without flushing.

[-..__...]

21. LOL... "when their only encounter with wild animals ready to pounce on them is the alley rat"?

Where is he supposed to take up his target practice -- Central Park?

Never mind the four-legged "wild animals"... I'd be more concerned with the two-legged variety if I lived in his urban oasis.