Potential move to Austin - how progressive IS it? (Portland: new home, buy)

[testmo]

There are pockets in nearly every city that are progressive or at least have progressive people. In Austin this does exist as it does in other large metros in Texas. But when the entire state is the complete opposite it wears down on a person. If what you are talking about is really important to you I would suggest not moving to Texas. I would avoid Colorado as well - controversial "far right" religious conservatives have quite a vocal presence there. Why Austin is listed like that is false and should be corrected. That is just setting up people who move here to be angry

I'm "far left" and live in part of Houston where many others are as well. But election years will ALWAYS make you sad. Like I said it wears you down

do i think the dividing terms are dumb, yes but in trying to make my point clear i used them in """

That being said, if this stuff is important to you but in the end can take a backseat to just living somewhere you can afford that has amenities and is inexpensive to have fun I think you'd like Austin or the other large metros in the state. If you want cultural diversity you won't get much of it in Austin though (cultural not racial/ethnic)

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I'm Hispanic, and although I don't typically call myself anything... if someone were to call me Hispanic, I would not be offended. In fact, I prefer that term to "Latino". Although I understand Latino/Latina is preferred by some -- particularly those who primarily speak Spanish -- I think Hispanic is fine and accepted my the vast majority of Texans.

Now, I'm going to disagree with some of the above posters about using the term Mexican. There is nothing wrong with that, but you do want to be careful and not just call anybody that... first off, those Hispanics not from Mexico will be offended. Second, even some of the people I know from Mexican families don't want to be called that. Mexican definitely has a connotation in Texas, whether right or wrong, and some folks prefer to avoid that.

Finally, getting back to the Hispanic/Latino thing... There is a growing population of young Hispanics who don't speak Spanish (and don't care to learn). I'm not sure if it's just a Texas thing. Anyway, I think among this group, Hispanic is preferred to Latino, because it is the more English word. A good example of someone like this is the current popular mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/ma...pagewanted=all or his brother in the TX state senate: Joaquín Castro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Personally, I love the trend -- to me, language assimilation is important and I'd love to see Hispanics assimilated in the same way as the European ethnicities which came to America. While I don't mind those folks who want to speak Spanish as the "mother tongue" and prefer the Latino/Latina label, that's not for me and I consider them borderline "activists" rather than just regular folks. I'm just waiting for the day Hispanic and Latino/Latina don't need to be used at all.

I'm only half, but I can tell you Hispanic is more than just a language. It is a culture, and a proud one at that. My husband calls himself "Hispanic" and "Mexican-American", and is not offended by "Mexican." Personally, I am fine with people wanting to have dual heritage. I have always felt a bit left out because I didn't know my father's language or appreciated his food (back then), or identified with anything from his culture. Assimilation is a good thing, but sometimes it comes at a cost.

[love roses]

My nieces say that they are Americans of Puerto Rican descent.

[N. Olikee]

Loaded word......."progressive," since I consider myself quite progressive, but not Liberal or Democrat on many issues.

I think it's a little "narrow-minded" and "un-progressive" if you are looking at "liberal" areas in which to move, or to feel "comfortable." You really need to think about OTHER things as far as what suits you and your lifestyle..........NOT politically............very '90s.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by RaphRod

Oh dear, I am already having issues. Latin people prefer to be called Latin; Hispanic is actually only used by government (some) entities anymore. Hispanic, Mexican, you name it - all out the door. Acceptable is Latin, Latina, Latinos. I grew up in CA, and although white, I respect whatever it is they would like to group themselves as. If I said Hispanic in the Bay Area, I'd get a dirty look and someone would correct me.

If this upset you, then you will not find Austin to be "progressive" at all. If you walk in here, intending to compare everything to the Bay, you'll miss everything that makes Austin ten times more truly accepting and "progressive" than every major metro in CA.

From Mark with the big Chevy truck with the McCain sticker still on the back, gun rack in the window, complaining about gas prices being too high at $3.55 per gallon while he makes his "hellish" 45 minute-on-a-bad-day commute down MoPac, to Preetham and Joslyn with their Porsche and Lexus (D.I.N.K.) to Joe and Steve with their 3 English Bulldogs, Hajit and his odd predilection for masonry around every tree, Ada and Mike and their two kids under 5, I know one thing about my neighborhood in Austin for sure:

Redneck, Indian, Hispanic, Gay, Persian, Turkish, whatever... what you "identify" them as is not nearly as important as who the person is, and I'm sure each one of those people would rather you call them by their name than by whatever ethnocentric tag has been established as "correct".

Oh, and if you ever tell my wife that she's "Latina", she'll gladly remind you in two languages that she's a goddamn American.

And that, my friend, is what you will find in Austin. There's a certain level of we've-had-enough-pc-garbage, balanced by quite a bit of down-home friendly that just gets straight to the cut.

California loves to hype how "unbiased" it is by going out of its way to make sure that everyone understands the correct bias they are to identify with, then calling that dichotomy "acceptance". You won't find as much of that here, but I consider that a relief.

[N. Olikee]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

If this upset you, then you will not find Austin to be "progressive" at all. If you walk in here, intending to compare everything to the Bay, you'll miss everything that makes Austin ten times more truly accepting and "progressive" than every major metro in CA.

From Mark with the big Chevy truck with the McCain sticker still on the back, gun rack in the window, complaining about gas prices being too high at $3.55 per gallon while he makes his "hellish" 45 minute-on-a-bad-day commute down MoPac, to Preetham and Joslyn with their Porsche and Lexus (D.I.N.K.) to Joe and Steve with their 3 English Bulldogs, Hajit and his odd predilection for masonry around every tree, Ada and Mike and their two kids under 5, I know one thing about my neighborhood in Austin for sure:

Redneck, Indian, Hispanic, Gay, Persian, Turkish, whatever... what you "identify" them as is not nearly as important as who the person is, and I'm sure each one of those people would rather you call them by their name than by whatever ethnocentric tag has been established as "correct".

Oh, and if you ever tell my wife that she's "Latina", she'll gladly remind you in two languages that she's a goddamn American.

And that, my friend, is what you will find in Austin. There's a certain level of we've-had-enough-pc-garbage, balanced by quite a bit of down-home friendly that just gets straight to the cut.

California loves to hype how "unbiased" it is by going out of its way to make sure that everyone understands the correct bias they are to identify with, then calling that dichotomy "acceptance". You won't find as much of that here, but I consider that a relief.

Touche'..... FRENCH for all you "progressive" sorts!

[N. Olikee]

Originally Posted by love roses

My nieces say that they are Americans of Puerto Rican descent.

ON......esp. St. Patrick's Day, I say,"I'm Mostly Irish" ......which I am. And the point is............?

[love roses]

The point is,although not in line with this thread, is that most people no matter their heritage in the US are Americans first. It seems like some people associate themselves so strongly with their culture of heritage that they identify primarily as that, no matter how many generations they've lived here. Although I love my German, Scottish, French Canadian and English heritage, I don't claim that I am German before American. I still celebrate those heritages and they are where my ancestors were from, but I was born in this country, so I identify as American. I hope that makes sense....my husband calls me Edith Bunker if I take to long to explain something

[N. Olikee]

And, THAT'S what I wanted to hear.....and why I pressed you about it! You have made an important point!

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

If this upset you, then you will not find Austin to be "progressive" at all. If you walk in here, intending to compare everything to the Bay, you'll miss everything that makes Austin ten times more truly accepting and "progressive" than every major metro in CA.

From Mark with the big Chevy truck with the McCain sticker still on the back, gun rack in the window, complaining about gas prices being too high at $3.55 per gallon while he makes his "hellish" 45 minute-on-a-bad-day commute down MoPac, to Preetham and Joslyn with their Porsche and Lexus (D.I.N.K.) to Joe and Steve with their 3 English Bulldogs, Hajit and his odd predilection for masonry around every tree, Ada and Mike and their two kids under 5, I know one thing about my neighborhood in Austin for sure:

Redneck, Indian, Hispanic, Gay, Persian, Turkish, whatever... what you "identify" them as is not nearly as important as who the person is, and I'm sure each one of those people would rather you call them by their name than by whatever ethnocentric tag has been established as "correct".

Oh, and if you ever tell my wife that she's "Latina", she'll gladly remind you in two languages that she's a goddamn American.

And that, my friend, is what you will find in Austin. There's a certain level of we've-had-enough-pc-garbage, balanced by quite a bit of down-home friendly that just gets straight to the cut.

California loves to hype how "unbiased" it is by going out of its way to make sure that everyone understands the correct bias they are to identify with, then calling that dichotomy "acceptance". You won't find as much of that here, but I consider that a relief.

Beautifully put! And very Austin!