Is Maine a bunch of libral hippies or conserverative squares? (Portland: fit in, sales)

[TheKezarWoodsman]

Not to offend anyone, but i am getting very confused, from threads were it sounds like most of maine shares nmlms view on things, to being the exact oppisite. I am starting to become really confused on this.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Maine is as big as the other five New England states combined. You can find what you want in your comfort zone in Maine. Just today I posted about two tows with very different philosophies. This is possible because we have something called "home rule".

[Submariner]

It is a mix.

Since moving to Maine, I have met a few people who started off wanting to know what church you belong to. That is how they categorize other people. But you only think of the 'Bible belt' doing that, not New Englanders. So far I can only thing of 6 maybe that really stood out to me as doing that to me.

I wear a full beard. I have worn a beard for most of my adult life. It was seen as tradition within my careerfield. But in most places where I have been stationed, when you go off-base and deal with locals. Beards are un-common. Walk into a restaurant and if there are any men with facial hair, they each make eye contact and nod their head at you. It is like your in a fraternity. Otherwise the feminized men project onto bearded men that they must be 'bikers' or outlaws. I can site many examples. In my travels I have been many places stateside, where females will go to lengths to avoid passing near a bearded man on the sidewalk or int he aisles of a store. By contrast in Maine beards are a common sight, and they do not mean anything. Facial hair is fully accepted by the culture here.

Consider adolescent females, as a parent I have observed that there can be a huge amount of peer pressure put on girls to fit in, in terms of make-up, dress, music, teen idols, etc. Some states have it much worse than others. We were fostering some children, when I first began coming to Maine shopping for land. It was a stark difference that really caught me. Here a woman can be a sales clerk or a waitress, wearing comfortable shoes, flannel shirt and jeans. Or she can do the make-up thing, coordinated jewelry and outfit, but it is entirely up to her as an individual. The culture here is not forcing behavior on the members of society here.

I know a lot of Mainers who wear long hair, work clothes, and are generally dirty [meaning sweat, soil, grease]. You really can not tell from a distance if they are 'liberal' or 'conservative'. They may look to be hippies, but they do not fit the stereotypes.

Among the Mainers I know and deal with, the most 'liberal' individuals are also the most clean cut, well dressed and squared-away looking people.

If you want to see hippies, come to the Common Ground Fair 25 to 27 September in Unity. I will be there all three days

The other place is Harry Browns farm in Starks. He hosts a dozen rock concerts all summer long. Each concert is a weekend in length and has a long list of bands performing. Lots of hippies attend his concerts. [so I hear]

I do not think you can summarize Maine either way. There are liberals and conservatives. There are hippies and there are suits.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

So very polarized then, ok i was just confused, im used to the mass layout were most are highly liberal, with a few "conserveratives" which are more centerlined. You do get deep republican, but very very few.

[Submariner]

I am active with a couple different groups at UM-Orono; which 'seems' to be mostly liberals. I know a few who are on even the Democrat party pay-roll. However some on the university payroll that are tea-party [granted you need to know them first before they will reveal themselves].

I know a few among the John Birch society.

The only thing really missing, ... I do not know many who are actually 'straight' Republicans.

Watchmen, yes. Tea-party good God yes, like fleas on a dog. Birchers, yes. But when it comes to straight Republican, I know very few who actually like the Repub party.

I know many who lean Repub, simply because they hate every thing else more than they hate the Repubs.

[boiselover]

Wow this was interesting. So I grew up in idaho beards are normal keeps you warm and women seem to like them. I had a room mate in idaho who was dumbfounded by facial hair when he came up from southern california-he eventually gave in and attempted to grow a beard. Also same thing when I came back down to california they aren't common. Totally found a girl who digs mine though. Men aren't men anymore you have to be sensitive and shave and keep your nails clean and dress up etc. its out of hand.

Whole country is polarized. Anyway I get along just fine with most people as long as they tolerate my all over the place independence ha!

[namder1]

Depends on where you go really. Portland(northern Boston) is very yuppieish. there's pockets of old hippies everywhere. Blue Hill is a good example. In the woods where I live it's mostly old conservatives with a mix of new flatlander types moving in....sheesh.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by boiselover

Men aren't men anymore you have to be sensitive and shave and keep your nails clean and dress up etc. its out of hand.

Definitely not true here. And, you don't have to pretend to be anything you aren't. We are real here, and it turns some people off but so be it.

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by Submariner

If you want to see hippies, come to the Common Ground Fair 25 to 27 September in Unity. I will be there all three days

That's been on our calendar since we first heard about it. We're in South China, so we're pretty close to Unity. Looking forward to checking out the Common Ground Fair.

As far as Maine being a bunch of one thing or another, mostly it's a bunch of pretty decent people. Every point on the political spectrum is represented, but the vast majority of people seem to me to fall pretty much in the middle. I think common sense is valued more than political sense.

[mainebrokerman]

Portland is the liberal mecca of maine

north of Portland...it gets more conservative...more people hunt, more people like their freedoms,,,,more people want government out of their busness