Does Alaska deserve its reputation as being full of right-wing miscreants? (Anchorage: house, living)

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by phlinak

Metlakatla,

Kudos to you!

I think that is one of the best, if not the best, response to a post that I have ever read. You made your points, eloquently and thoughtful, without being rude, offensive, terse, or judgmental of the original poster. I tip my hat to you.

Again my dear, kudos!

I don't agree. Although much of the post was balanced and informative, how a person can pretend telling someone they are confrontational and superior isn't a rude or offensive lead-in to the response is a head-scratcher. But then again, you did follow-up with your own longer list of offensive adjectives directed at the original poster. You couldn't swing writing the same sort of comment you gave kudos for?

BTW, I didn't have the same response to his questions at all. My feathers weren't ruffled even a little bit.

[pgrdr]

We do have more than our share of antisocial misfits and criminal types hiding up here. Alaska is a good place to live if you don't like people. But social misfits is what one expects to find on the last frontier. We have a high violent crime rate too, and we do have the anti-government wing nuts.

We're not alone regarding wing nuts though. They are holed up all over Idaho and AZ, scattered around rural parts of OR. No doubt there are plenty more in rural places across the country. Most of those though are the racist groups. Ours are the ones who want to secede from the Union and believe they must prepare for war against the federal government. Those too are in other regions, we just have more than our share up here.

Washington has more than its share of serial killers and shady characters hiding from other parts of the country, but Alaska is the last stop so a little too often the really serious twisted individuals and cons head up this way.

All states and regions have diversity among their populations, but they also have an overarching cultural "personality" and we are no different. Hence, it is unfair to take offense just because someone tells us what sort of impressions we are making. We are culturally different from the rest of the country, just like Louisiana is different from the rest of the country. Just a walk down any street will show you that.

Like others wrote, a lot of people come here in the military and to work for the government in some capacity. A lot of people did come up here in the 1970s and made big bucks on the pipeline, while others came up to wheel and deal and build themselves little business and/or real estate empires. They took advantage of the loosy-goosey way things were done so far from the continental U.S. and still do to some degree, although a few years ago the changing times and expectations caught up with some of them. Nevertheless, the empire builders are still here and some of them run the state.

There is still opportunity here, but not like there was. We actually have things like semi-enforceable building codes now! And the oil is running out. Only a few will money fishing.

There are families, business owners, employees, teachers, ministers, working class, professionals, regular folk here just like there are everywhere. One fun aspect of Alaska is how such people live by and rub shoulders every day with people very different from them. Go to any event in Alaska and you see all sorts of widely disparate people side-by-side, not paying any attention to each other for the most part. Most people just do their thing and don't care what the other person is into or what they look like. You also never know if that grizzled old guy looking like he just came out of the wilderness is a bum or a multimillionaire. Up here, he could be either one.

Alaskans do keep voting in these family empires. It's as if once we know someone's name, we'll just keep voting for them so we don't have to learn a new one. It doesn't really matter what sort of shenanigans our politicians are up to either. Once we vote them into office, we usually keep them in anyway.

Sarah Palin isn't a lone Alaskan force in her religious theology politics. She is just so obnoxious she alienated even many of those who'd been tight with her so she gets the most criticism. However, Jerry Prevo is tight with Franklin Graham and they run their little army of God up here, with too much power over state and local government. Like the Mormons in AZ.

In Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, and Palmer, a person can't turn around without falling over a fundamentalist zealot talking God as if we're all on the same page (talk about presumptuous!). Interestingly, while many Alaskans aren't crazy about Texans, the right wing religious zealots up here have close ties to the fundamentalists in Texas. They are all part of the same club, which is why that uber right-wing Christian law group from Texas rushed up here to sue our legislators for daring to investigate our Sarah when she was running for Vice President. Apparently a lot of those Christians in the valley are transplants from Texas. At least that is what some old timers I've talked to claim. I don't know. I've never asked them.

Liberals don't get picked on to their faces up here; they are just called names and have ridiculous stereotypes applied to them (like the one about being lazy and greedy. I've never known a liberal who didn't work for a living just like their conservative neighbors do.) on the web, in newsletters, and in private conversations they aren't part of (except when the people using the clever but childish name-calling don't know the person they are talking to is a liberal. lol) So except for a couple of high profile liberals in the state, I don't think most liberals here feel persecuted. More just ignored as if invisible.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

The stereotype I was referencing when I made that post was specific the OP's questions about whether people are drawn to Alaska because they see it as a place to earn big, easy money. Of course that still exists to some very small extent, but it is nothing...and I do mean nothing...like it was thirty or so years ago in that respect.

I understand.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by Wynternight

TL;DR version: Alaska is full of conservatives, I hate conservatives, I'm still obsessed over Palin, I hate Alaska, I want to leave.

My, what narrow thinking you employ. Imagine, if you can, a world where people are not quite that simple minded. But then, you will fit in when you get back just fine, won't you? Thank you for living up to the stereotype.

[pgrdr]

Originally Posted by Rance

So how would you define your post? Non aggressive and judgmental?

Point out what isn't true.

If it is true, then it isn't necessarily being judgmental is it? Especially when positives are also included.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by pgrdr

I don't agree. Although much of the post was balanced and informative, how a person can pretend telling someone they are confrontational and superior isn't a rude or offensive lead-in to the response is a head-scratcher. But then again, you did follow-up with your own longer list of offensive adjectives directed at the original poster. You couldn't swing writing the same sort of comment you gave kudos for?

BTW, I didn't have the same response to his questions at all. My feathers weren't ruffled even a little bit.

Maybe because I'm not "pretending" anything; just letting the OP know that the phrasing of the first post was probably contributory to some of the responses.

[AGuyFromCleveland18]

From my outsider perspective there are 3 main types of people in Alaska:
1) Right ring nutjobs - 30%
2) Hippies - 20%
3) Relatively normal people - 50%

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by AGuyFromCleveland18

From my outsider perspective there are 3 main types of people in Alaska:
1) Right ring nutjobs - 30%
2) Hippies - 20%
3) Relatively normal people - 50%

Are you describing Alaska or Cleveland!

[AGuyFromCleveland18]

Originally Posted by Alaskapat528

Are you describing Alaska or Cleveland!

I have limited experience with Alaska, was only there once, but from what I saw, and what others saw, the further you get away from anchorage the more you get the two dichotomies of rut-wing nut-jobs and hippies. In Anchorage it's mostly normal people, hence the 50%.

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by AGuyFromCleveland18

I have limited experience with Alaska, was only there once, but from what I saw, and what others saw, the further you get away from anchorage the more you get the two dichotomies of rut-wing nut-jobs and hippies. In Anchorage it's mostly normal people, hence the 50%.

Well as you said, you have 'limited experience' to draw upon. BTW curious as to where you got your percentages at??