Would liberal Democrats from NYC be at peace in Grapevine? (Dallas: house, taxes)

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Is there a noticeably different crowd that frequents one instead of the other? What's really strange is that Woodlands Mall in The Woodlands near Houston used to have two Gloria Jean's coffee shops, one a stand and one a sit-down, very close together. Both now are out of business anyway.

Not that is aware of, but I honestly don't go to GVMM very often.

[Allison81]

Originally Posted by xS☺B☺s

Right. Didn't yer mama tell you - never talk religion or politics in public? Just bad manners.

Let's add gay marriage to that topic too. I'm so tired of that debate.

[thenewtexan]

Most of the more newer, rapidly growing, upper middle class, DFW suburbs like Grapevine have a decent number of educated transplants from all across the country. It's not like a liberal democrat will stand stand out like a sore thumb. If you were in some one horse town 50 miles or so outside the metroplex, it might be a different story. As long as one doesn't blatantly attack anyone , and uses a little diplomacy upon differing views, no big deal. You would be surprised to find the reasons for conservatism are merely because of fiscal issues, not social issues. Fiscal debates are a lot less emotional, and a little boring, imo.

[Eric Fred Norris]

I really dislike people who talk any politics at a party of all places, tbh.

[kidicarus89]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

It's not that I'm inflexible, and I'm happy to have a rational debate. But (i) a party is generally not the time or place for such a discussion, and (ii) most debates are over deeply held fundamental opinions that aren't going to be changed. I'm not going to convince some hardcore Christian conservative that they should suddenly throw all their efforts into legalizing gay marriage. A hardcore pro-choicer is never going to sway me to their point of view. So why bother? I fully understand their position, I just fundamentally disagree. It's a losing proposition to enter into a debate in which neither party will win and the most likely outcome is being upset at over it.

I argued with a co-worker who believed that the Earth was only 6,000 years old, and while I'm not sure I completely convinced the poor sap, as a geologist I couldn't in good conscience not lay into him for it.

And if someone gets upset over a simple debate about viewpoints, they're probably not worth talking to anyway. Or they belong in American politics.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

OP: As I'm sure you've gathered from the posts so far, the DFW suburbs aren't exactly made up of a lot of politically engaged individuals, but they do tend to be very red. I share some of the sentiments expressed thus far: I think there is a purpose to a healthy and polite debate, and I don't think it is true that politics and religion should be off the table at all times. That seems to be true here, though. I would not call the DFW suburbs particularly intellectual, although they may be more educated than the average place.

And yes, topics like gay marriage and the age of the earth are somehow still debates here!

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Would they get killed for sharing their honest, non-conservative opinions perhaps at a party?

Probably. But it also depends on how they share it...and who they share it with. I'd say they need to get to know their crowd very very well first. Its rather divisive.

Sports? Now you're talking! Feel free to be as obnoxious as you want on that topic.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by BLDSoon

Probably. But it also depends on how they share it...and who they share it with. I'd say they need to get to know their crowd very very well first. Its rather divisive.

Sports? Now you're talking! Feel free to be as obnoxious as you want on that topic.

There's no debate there. DOOK just won, which means it's a National Day of Mourning everywhere but Durham, NC.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Eric Fred Norris

I really dislike people who talk any politics at a party of all places, tbh.

Depends on the party, I think. I have a friend who has parties periodically during the year where she invites a small select group of friends for a barbecue, a dip in the pool, or a night around the fire pit. Some of us have very different opinions about what's going on in this country, who is to blame, and how to fix it. Even when we converse passionately about it, we don't get ugly or argue. It IS possible.

But if a complete stranger walked up to me at a party and started blabbing about politics...whether I agreed with him/her or not...I'd find it off-putting.

[4Movingeast]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Depends on the party, I think. I have a friend who has parties periodically during the year where she invites a small select group of friends for a barbecue, a dip in the pool, or a night around the fire pit. Some of us have very different opinions about what's going on in this country, who is to blame, and how to fix it. Even when we converse passionately about it, we don't get ugly or argue. It IS possible.

But if a complete stranger walked up to me at a party and started blabbing about politics...whether I agreed with him/her or not...I'd find it off-putting.

This

And there are political discussions besides the national social issues type. For instance, there are a number of road projects, school board issues, and development type situations going on in my area, and I like to hear what people think, even if they disagree. I tend to form my opinion quickly, but so appreciate hearing others reasons for why they might think differently. Shoot, at our neighborhood Easter Egg hunt a guy was handing out pamplets for his school board candidate of choice. I am honestly interested to know more about the candidates and welcome some discussion about it as long as people can be respectful. I know this scenario was not really what OP posted about but it is what I had in mind when I posted that I hoped people could become less reluctant to talk about things in groups.