The Definition Of Liberal In Portland (Eugene, Corvallis: theater, high school, college)

[karlsch]

From the NY Times about Portland gentrification: “They think they live in the best city in the country, but it’s all about saving the environment and things like that. It’s not really about social issues. It’s upper-middle-class progressivism, really.”

The whole story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us...zTgNiy7RG4rYog

[oldtintype]

I think it's fair to disclose that the quote you're mentioning comes from a Portland resident unhappy with gentrification, not the NYT itself.

Originally Posted by karlsch

From the NY Times about Portland gentrification: “They think they live in the best city in the country, but it’s all about saving the environment and things like that. It’s not really about social issues. It’s upper-middle-class progressivism, really.”

The whole story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us...zTgNiy7RG4rYog

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

I think it's fair to disclose that the quote you're mentioning comes from a Portland resident unhappy with gentrification, not the NYT itself.

Fair but unnecessary because it would be obvious to anybody who read the article.

[suncat]

I think that's funny, because last year the NYT couldn't gush enough over Portland. They were some of the biggest contributors to Portland's hype.

[suncat]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

I think it's fair to disclose that the quote you're mentioning comes from a Portland resident unhappy with gentrification, not the NYT itself.

There's more than one Portlander who is unhappy with gentrification.

The irony of the "Portland Restorative Listening Project" is that it appears to have been started by whites who want to alleviate their guilt for displacing blacks who have lived in those neighborhoods for generations.

The whole thing smacks of "look at us! Aren't we edgy and cool? Aren't we so progressive? We can dialog with the black people and that makes us so special!"

[oldtintype]

Yeah, I'm aware of that. But the article is about the (probably pointless) dialog, not about the one "artist's" opinion. Especially since she's white herself and lives in the area being gentrified. Apparently she's excluded from the whole gentrification thing herself, which makes her quote even more stupid.

[Minervah]

I think Joan Laufer from the article would consider herself a Portland liberal. Actually I have never thought of Portland as a liberal city at all.

[Pippa]

That's what we call them here if they fall under the category of being "liberal" but are not very OPEN or FRIENDLY.

[Irishtom29]

There are social liberals and economic liberals. Economic liberals tend to be blue-collar trade unionists or old-style New Deal Democrats. Basically they're after the money and let the social problems settle themselves once people have more money. In other words lets not build "affordable housing", let's pay people enough so they can afford regular housing.

Social liberals are into diversity, ecology and "liberal style"; the idea that an office worker in an Audi is somehow different in some basic way from an office worker in a Buick. Many are economic conservatives with a contempt for working people. They may think it's OK for Gays to get married but not OK for them to join a labor union.

Social liberals are a diluted form of liberalism which makes no real threats to powerful corporate interests and demands no money from them. Indeed social liberalism is actually an opprotunity for business because in the guise of "green" they get to sell people new stuff and make more money. The social liberal then gets to feel righteous because of his purchases which in America is having your cake and eating it too. Thus the new bougeois gets to feel "hip", quite a paradox and one the new bourgeois don't like to dwell on.

Of course there are liberals who combine the economic and social. A few.

[JiminCT]

Here's my angle from the east coast...liberalism in the Northeast (I live in Connecticut) is often basically a bunch of BS. New Englanders who vote Democratic often have the mindset of supporting gay marriage, wind power etc...as long as it isn't in their area (or as long as it doesnt affect THEM). The opposition of a proposed wind farm in from of Martha's Vineyard is the classic example of NIMBY liberalism here. Racial integration? lol...see Massachusetts on how well that works.
Lots and lots of rhetoric. The Northampton-Amherst liberal is a whole other animal...MANY of whom live up in the region without much regard to how to make a living...the trust fund or parental support takes care of that variable.

My version of liberalism takes more of the NYC grandparents who felt it was a good thing to make sure our schools are supported and our quality of life is upheld...which flows into areas like higher minimum wage, univeral health care.

The organic, NPR, outdoor variable within liberalism doesnt really fly with me. I feel many times people subscribe to that lifestyle more for the "hip" variable....not for true beliefs.