Has Living In San Francisco Turned Any Transplants Into Die Hard Conservatives? (city hall, neighborhoods)

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Pietro25

I have lived here for 35 years and remain exactly the same -- a straight-up liberal.

However, in San Francisco that makes me kind of conservative. The liberal-conservative spectrum is ****-eyed in SF (Beavis to Butthead: "He said 'ccock-eyed.'")

Yes, exactly. I've had people here on C-D call me a commie liberal Marxist, while people in San Francisco call me a bourgeois entitled right-wing Republican. Sometimes on the very same day.

A classic example of the ***-eyedness to which you refer is the fervent opposition to the proposed soda tax among "progressives," who otherwise love taxes and hate corporations but who now find themselves in cahoots with the likes of Pepsico and Coca-Cola. The reason they hate the proposed tax is that it was proposed by Sup. Scott Wiener, who has become a popular hate figure among "progressives" for putting forth a ban on public nudity and for (allegedly) not doing enough to ensure that the "right" kind of people are able to remain in the Castro, whether they can afford it or not.

Anywhere else in the US he'd be considered a far-leftist. But not here.

[ragnarkar]

Going to school at Berkeley has turned me more conservative than I could ever imagine myself becoming. Then afterwards, I lived a few years in Orange County which turned me more liberal again after getting sick of the Conservative rhetoric. So I started and ended as a moderate...

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by zdg

My wife and I moved from Texas to NYC to get away from the conservatives and be with fellow far left liberals.

What a bizarre reason to move.

[marcopolo666]

Originally Posted by marcopolo666

Just my liver - but then that's the part that was transplanted. It no longer has a sense of humor, complains about the Democrats all the time, says the new health care law was a huge mistake an failure, and thinks that we should kick out anybody not born here.

Basically, my liver is wrong all the time.

Uh oh - now my kidney is acting up (the transplanted one).

[G Grasshopper]

I used to think that old quote (I don't know who from) "If you are young and not liberal, you have no heart; if you are old and not conservative, you have no brains" might be a little true. I thought it had to do with wisdom. Now that I am older, I realize that it has nothing to do with wisdom. It has only to do with wealth accumulation; by the time you are older, you just want to protect your accumulated $$$. But having accumulated some funds, and now retired, I find that having a little $$ does not have to make you more conservative. I have always been a liberal, as as it was called in Wisconsin, where I grew up, a progressive. I lived for 35 years in CA, starting in various places south, and ending with 23 years in the Bay Area. While living in the Bay Area I discovered that I was not THAT liberal, but it didn't change anything in my general stance; I am still a moderate liberal. Now I live in Texas, and I am way more liberal than many (not all.) I am still very irritated with tea party people, gun toters, libertarians, closet racists, etc. So to answer the question, living in the Bay Area did not make me less liberal or more conservative. For me it was easier to live there, with more like minded people than it is to live in Texas. I would rather live with governor moonbeam (Brown) than with governor "good hair" (Rick Perry.)

[Tallysmom]

I'm more liberal than not, but I have to say -- I am tired of the "throw more money at it" attitude of most liberal people.

I've stopped voting for the parcels taxes to the Oakland schools -- money won't fix that problem. That's a societal, cultural and parental problem -- there's not enough money in the world to fix that.

[Ztonyg]

I became more conservative after living in the Bay Area for 2 years. I believe that there is some truth to the OP's statement.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by ny789987

Before I lived in SF, I was a die hard liberal. Back in my home town, I used to organize anti-war rallies, and was very power to the people. After living in SF for a few years, I became very disgusted with far left policies. I believe I am much more conservative today than I would be if I had never lived in SF. The constant attitude of not taking personal responsibility for yourself, constantly making excuses for bad behavior, and one mind thinking are tiring. The stench of feces and homelessness are everywhere you turn in SF, and the city gov't (who compensate themselves well) refuse to do a darn thing about it.

Honestly, when I used to be very active in this forum, I felt like I was turning into a die hard conservative. Some of the people in this forum will make excuses for a child murderer, but going crazy about a cop using lethal force.

With that being said, living in San Francisco has confirmed that I truly lean toward liberal ideals. I have family in Alaska and Texas and visit quite often. Every time I visit for a prolonged time, I miss the liberalness of San Francisco. The parks on prime real estate instead of being an exclusive gated community or prestige hotel. The lack of big box stores and franchised restaurants on every block. All the weird festivals in San Francisco. I do share your annoyance with the attitude against self-reliance etc, but I never was a die hard liberal. I consider myself a moderate that leans left.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

What a bizarre reason to move.

It isn't that bizarre, I moved to Alaska and I can say the vast majority of people there are very conservative and you can't go out to dinner without a conversation about how stupid liberals are and how they will ruin the country. It depends what city in Texas that member lived in, but my cousin lives in Henderson, TX and the same experience I had in Wasilla, AK was the same there. Seriously, talking about how awful Obama has been has to be discussed every single freaking day.

[alliance]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Seriously, talking about how awful Obama has been has to be discussed every single freaking day.

Hell, you can find that here.