I have many relationships that cross an idealogical divide. I was surprised to learn from a group of coworkers during a conversation about this that many of them didn't know any conservatives! Seattle can be such a bubble, particularly in the social service nonprofit sector in which I work. I definitely feel like knowing and loving people who think differently that I do keeps me from dehumanizing "the other side."
I mentioned this in another post, but I'll say it again here: Monica Guzman's book "I Never Thought of it That Way" is excellent on this topic.
I think more and more of America is becoming these sorts of bubbles. Glad to hear that you're breaking through! And thanks for the rec, I'll add that book to my TBR.
My husband Big Sorted, moving here (Seattle) from Oklahoma. Part of me wants to move to Oklahoma partly for his family (they aren’t liberal like me, but boy do I love them) and partly because I’ve never taught in the South and think it would be fascinating. As a Civics teacher, I wonder how long I’d last…
it's so great to maintain these strong family ties, even across ideologies. I so admire the teachers who are working against these restrictive education laws and book bans, though it's certainly a tough gig.
I do maintain relationships with people who think differently: mostly, my brother. We’ve just committed ourselves to never vilifying the other and to trying to keep an open mind to what the other is thinking. In the end, we both want to live in stable, healthy communities where people are decent to each other, so we try to focus on our huge areas of agreement more than our few areas of disagreement. Like his voting for Trump in 2016! Ugh.
*sigh* yes, the big, red elephant in the room. I try to remind myself that one binary decision doesn't define a human being, even if I find it baffling.
kind of related - often folks from small towns (read, non-liberal) are so willing to give you the shirt off their back, so to speak, yet have such vastly differing views on politics. individually, very generous. on aggregate, not so much (or at least that's how it reads). definitely baffling, and it makes me little angry how easily we're divided by some b.s. media
Well, that's the difference between seeing people as individuals, versus masses. A few people do this naturally, but most of us need the personal experience. City dwellers are more likely to have met many individuals different from themselves.
it's easier to get to know/trust someone on an individual level in a smaller community, for sure. I do think the diversity in cities helps people be more open-minded, generally, but I also notice that people in cities often pay a lot of lip service to diversity and equality while racially and economically segregating themselves.
I have many relationships that cross an idealogical divide. I was surprised to learn from a group of coworkers during a conversation about this that many of them didn't know any conservatives! Seattle can be such a bubble, particularly in the social service nonprofit sector in which I work. I definitely feel like knowing and loving people who think differently that I do keeps me from dehumanizing "the other side."
I mentioned this in another post, but I'll say it again here: Monica Guzman's book "I Never Thought of it That Way" is excellent on this topic.
I think more and more of America is becoming these sorts of bubbles. Glad to hear that you're breaking through! And thanks for the rec, I'll add that book to my TBR.
No deep thoughts, just really enjoyed reading this from my own family vacation in rural Iowa.
thanks, Charissa. Looking forward to hearing about your trip!
My husband Big Sorted, moving here (Seattle) from Oklahoma. Part of me wants to move to Oklahoma partly for his family (they aren’t liberal like me, but boy do I love them) and partly because I’ve never taught in the South and think it would be fascinating. As a Civics teacher, I wonder how long I’d last…
it's so great to maintain these strong family ties, even across ideologies. I so admire the teachers who are working against these restrictive education laws and book bans, though it's certainly a tough gig.
I do maintain relationships with people who think differently: mostly, my brother. We’ve just committed ourselves to never vilifying the other and to trying to keep an open mind to what the other is thinking. In the end, we both want to live in stable, healthy communities where people are decent to each other, so we try to focus on our huge areas of agreement more than our few areas of disagreement. Like his voting for Trump in 2016! Ugh.
*sigh* yes, the big, red elephant in the room. I try to remind myself that one binary decision doesn't define a human being, even if I find it baffling.
kind of related - often folks from small towns (read, non-liberal) are so willing to give you the shirt off their back, so to speak, yet have such vastly differing views on politics. individually, very generous. on aggregate, not so much (or at least that's how it reads). definitely baffling, and it makes me little angry how easily we're divided by some b.s. media
I've noticed this, too. I wonder how much of it has to do with who is defined as being in the community.
Well, that's the difference between seeing people as individuals, versus masses. A few people do this naturally, but most of us need the personal experience. City dwellers are more likely to have met many individuals different from themselves.
it's easier to get to know/trust someone on an individual level in a smaller community, for sure. I do think the diversity in cities helps people be more open-minded, generally, but I also notice that people in cities often pay a lot of lip service to diversity and equality while racially and economically segregating themselves.