2 ms·

I grew up in Alameda and have lived in LA for 10 years now. Oakland/Berkeley/SF notwithstanding, LA isn't that significantly different when it comes to politics

by spking 9y ago

I grew up in Alameda and have lived in LA for 10 years now. Oakland/Berkeley/SF notwithstanding, LA isn't that significantly different when it comes to politics and I'm sure Mr. Thiel is aware of that.

hashkb 9y ago
He wants more money. LA is untapped, relatively speaking.
- muzz 9y ago
  He's also a citizen of New Zealand
gpapilion 9y ago
Not that different but I’d say more tolerant. Just more diversity in people an opinions.
- _delirium 9y ago
  LA definitely feels very different to me too. It's similar politically if you take only one bit of information, "votes mainly for Democrats", in which case yeah it's also liberal. But that's a very broad lens for understanding the political and cultural climate of an area. SF has far more of a very specific kind of liberal, the affluent white liberal who is focused primarily on social issues. LA's median Democrat is instead Latino and makes $50k. His or her politics are also likely to be left-of-center, but not quite in the same way. In some ways probably more left, in other ways less left, but not the same profile of issues or overall cultural feel.
tannhauser23 9y ago
It goes beyond the general political mindset and what parties people in respective cities vote for. In SV people will blacklist you and even publicly call for you to be fired/ostracized if you are a conservative, as Thiel himself experienced. I have many friends who are moderates - not even conservatives - and they can't speak their minds among coworkers because they fear that their careers will suffer. It's a weird echo chamber where only the most radical left gets to dominate the conversation. In LA, I mean entertainment is a fairly liberal industry, but it's not the only game in town. Plus Orange County is nearby and that's the last bastion of Republicans in the state.
- busterarm 9y ago
  > last bastion of Republicans in the state. http://www.ppic.org/content/images/PoliticalGeogFigure-4_web.png http://www.ppic.org/content/images/PoliticalGeogFigure-4_web...

by spking 9y ago

hashkb 9y ago

He wants more money. LA is untapped, relatively speaking.

muzz 9y ago
He's also a citizen of New Zealand

gpapilion 9y ago

Not that different but I’d say more tolerant. Just more diversity in people an opinions.

_delirium 9y ago
LA definitely feels very different to me too. It's similar politically if you take only one bit of information, "votes mainly for Democrats", in which case yeah it's also liberal. But that's a very broad lens for understanding the political and cultural climate of an area. SF has far more of a very specific kind of liberal, the affluent white liberal who is focused primarily on social issues. LA's median Democrat is instead Latino and makes $50k. His or her politics are also likely to be left-of-center, but not quite in the same way. In some ways probably more left, in other ways less left, but not the same profile of issues or overall cultural feel.

tannhauser23 9y ago

It goes beyond the general political mindset and what parties people in respective cities vote for. In SV people will blacklist you and even publicly call for you to be fired/ostracized if you are a conservative, as Thiel himself experienced. I have many friends who are moderates - not even conservatives - and they can't speak their minds among coworkers because they fear that their careers will suffer. It's a weird echo chamber where only the most radical left gets to dominate the conversation. In LA, I mean entertainment is a fairly liberal industry, but it's not the only game in town. Plus Orange County is nearby and that's the last bastion of Republicans in the state.

busterarm 9y ago
> last bastion of Republicans in the state. http://www.ppic.org/content/images/PoliticalGeogFigure-4_web.png http://www.ppic.org/content/images/PoliticalGeogFigure-4_web...