Do any of you consider yourselves liberal, but live in a rather conservative city/town? (university)

[gimme it]

What's it like and do you find it harder to make friends? Is it actually not a very big deal, like one would imagine?

[bchris02]

In Ft. Smith, Arkansas, unless you are a fundamentalist Baptist, watch NASCAR, like to hunt, fish, pro-Bush, anti-gay, you name it, you have a hard time fitting in. You also had to be born and raised here to really be considered "one of them." While I am fiscally conservative and socially moderate, I am way too liberal for this town.

[Ham Sandwich]

I live in a rural area just few miles south of Syracuse, Ny. I LOVE to hunt and fish. (By the way, I LOVE Bambi...Bambi is *tasty*!) But I also have this rather odd ideal that people have equal rights, and that skin color, ovaries, gender identityor sexual orientation shouldn't put people at the bottom of a very stacked heap...It's not a very big deal, as long as I bite my tounge...

[CMDallas]

nah, actually its the opposite for me.
I'm more moderate, but i go to these small towns often. They don't really care, and if they do I don't really care. 'up theres' what do i care if they don't like the way I think. I don't look Anglo(because I'm freaking Chinese and mexican) so if anything they know I'm not conservative (which i am but just not all out) they probably think I'm liberal, unless they think I'm vietnamese(which i do get a lot of comments on thats how i look), of which tend to be conservative. But I mean they seem more open actually, I get smiles from people and they act as if they known me forever. The country may seem violent but really is just quite the opposite, they're just loud and passionate...

[SteelCityRising]

I'm a liberal in conservative Scranton, PA, and I have no problems making friends. I simply don't flaunt my political/social leanings unless the topic arises at which point I whip out my debating skills.

[DC at the Ridge]

I'm a liberal in rural Arkansas. I find things in common with most people, it doesn't have to be politics, and go from there. I don't go seeking debate, but I don't shy away from it either. I will state my opinions when I think it's appropriate, and it's amazing sometimes how many others will tell you afterwards they agree with you.

DC

[mtneersalwaysfree]

Hey there - what a cool question from someone from NYC! Although I'm not one for labels, for simplicity sake I don't mind calling myself a liberal for the sake of simplicity. Last summer was a seasonal park ranger for the Blue Ridge Parkway in so. Virginia very close to Jerry Fallwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg. Although the natural beauty, non-materialism, and the bluegrass music of the area is heartening - it is probably among the most conservative hot spots in the nation and yeah, at times I felt lonely - and annoyed. I was spotted by evangelicals in department stores looking to convert me, I was lightly reproached by a Christian bank lady for knowing my horoscope, and the bigoted local radio was enough to make me swear out loud driving down the road, ...and I was only there 6 months. It didn't take long for me to watch my tongue in public for fear of saying anything that might give away that I voted for Kerry and don't like pesticide in my water. My one friend was nearly kicked out of his fiancee's town for his independent, open-minded views (and he's not even a "liberal").

So, to answer your question I'll say this: If you are a person who is very staunch in his political/social views in a place with equally strong, but opposite views can, I think, be terribly frustrating and actually can make it harder to make pals. If you are more of a non-political type I wouldn't say it matters all too much. ^__^ Hope this answers your question!