4 ms·

How did we get to a point where people make decisions about where they move based on how the neighbors voted in the last election?

by thayne 5y ago

psychometry 5y ago
When one of the two major candidates decided the US shouldn't be a democracy any more?
Aeolun 5y ago
Well… like. If I were living in the Netherlands I would not care one whit. Seeing those raving lunatics roving over the capitol grounds gives me pause though. I know most people aren’t like that, but it’s hard to not be worried.
- commandlinefan 5y ago
  > Seeing those raving lunatics roving over the capitol grounds I know, the Kavanaugh protesters were totally unreasonable.
  - SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
    I think he either means the two left wing capitol bombings, or Jan 6th. Who can tell anymore!?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
seventytwo 5y ago
Did you live under a rock the last four years?!
asoneth 5y ago
I lived in multiple deep red communities in multiple red states while working as a military contractor. The warfighters I worked with were absolutely phenomenal but the broader cities and towns around were a poor culture fit for me. (To be clear, my neighbors were all very nice people, it was just the culture fit compared to purple/blue areas I've lived in.) I'd suggest that if someone is more than a couple of queer, atheist, racial minority, vegetarian, cyclist, artist, nerdy, career-oriented female, etc then they may find it even more challenging to fit in. It's worth looking carefully at any community before moving in, but it's worth looking especially carefully before moving to a deep red area in a red state. (Or vice-versa if you're a religious conservative -- you might find a dark blue community in a blue state a poor fit.)
jupiter90000 5y ago
It’s not that hard to see why this matters now. On the one hand you have folks that want to ban rights of LGBTQ folks, end ability to get an abortion safely, for example. On the other there’s those that want to remove powers of the police, allow homeless drug addicts to take over neighborhoods, and more authoritarian style lockdown policies in public health. There’s people that really don’t like some of that and will go where their lives feel less restricted.
- voakbasda 5y ago
  Indeed. I want to relocate where there are none of either persuasion. Every side is utterly wackadoo, and I would just as soon get out of here once and for all. But there is no place to go. The global status quo has me trapped here as a prisoner. There will no escape, no relief, and no freedom. I am and shall always be a slave of some State; I can only pick my poison. These words will ring true, for some, in every corner of the world. But by all means, continue to ignore, marginalize, and exploit us. That surely will end well.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - liketochill 5y ago
    People are mostly pretty chill in Canada
    - EricE 5y ago
      lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYbBKjh-zic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYbBKjh-zic Recent rulings in Canada over speech are pretty nuts too given their history. Worse than the batshit crazy stuff going on in Britain today :p
rsynnott 5y ago
... I mean, I think we've always been there, or at least some of us have? I live in Ireland, which is generally less politically divided than the US, but I don't think I'd be up from moving from my current area (where 75% of people voted to allow same-sex marriage) to one of the rural areas that voted about 50%. I'd rather live in a place where only a quarter of the neighbors think I shouldn't have basic civil rights than one where half do. This doesn't seem so out there? That's the personal angle of course, but also I'd generally prefer to live somewhere where the neighbors aren't out to get other marginalised groups, either... US political party identification is a decent though not perfect proxy for how your neighbors are likely to feel about a whole range of issues, and _people_.
- SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
  > US political party identification is a decent though not perfect proxy for how your neighbors are likely to feel about a whole range of issues, and _people_. Not nearly as much as you have been told it is. But that’s a really nice way to generalize conservatives as racists. The truth is as a local who has lived in both areas, I’ve met just as many left wing racists as right, just in different ways.
  - cloverich 5y ago
    People includes people who are gay, trans, muslims, etc. But i think the broader "whole range of issuse" claim was more to the point, as someone who has spent most of their life amongst deep red friends, family, and locations, those issues come up quite a bit. And more pointedly, for example i am pretty interested (and fearful) of climate change but can't even talk about it with half my friends/ family because they don't think its real or may be offended by some of the points. It takes a toll on you.
  - fundad 5y ago
    I find that many pro-establishment people on the left are uncomfortable acknowledging institutional racism and harbor some anti-blackness. I find more diversity of thought among anti-establishment left because what’s important to them/us is addressed by such a variety of movements rather than mainstream politics. In this sense establishment Democrats are a proxy for the anti-establishment left, many of whom can’t even vote.
lotsofpulp 5y ago
I get access to paid parental leave, an extra 8 weeks of parental leave, do not have to worry about women’s healthcare (abortion choice), higher minimum wages and a minimum salary, no tipped wages, assisted suicide, legal marijuana, etc. I can also get alcohol in the next aisle over instead of having to go to a different store (not that I drink outside of an occasion, but the principal of it annoyed me). And even though a bunch do not affect me, my kids might benefit from them someday. Was a no brainer for me to look at how my neighbors would be voting when choosing where to live.
remram 5y ago
This is the only way to vote in the US. The election system does not tally individual ballots, only number of inhabitants in blue and red states/counties. Given that system, this is a very democratic and rational move.
Revekius 5y ago
I highly recommend reading "The Big Sort" by Bill Bishop to give you a better idea of why we look at "politics". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2569072-the-big-sort https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2569072-the-big-sort The idea is a lot less about politics, and more about being comfortable in the area you live in.
fundad 5y ago
The strong correlation between voting and denying the Jan 6 attack, Climate Change and COVID-19 is how.
snotrockets 5y ago
Because some states could be dangerous to persons living there, as they have (or are legislation) anti-HR legislation that criminalizes the existence of some people. If at all, her maps don't take that into account, as this is also on a state level, so a "blue" region in a state that has harmful legislation is still a dangerous place to live in.
hiptobecubic 5y ago
Political "news" spewing out of radio and TV for the last forty years has produced generations of people who literally think the other party is actively trying to destroy them, their families and America in general. Living next to these people can be stressful if they think you're on the wrong team.

How did we get to a point where people make decisions about where they move based on how the neighbors voted in the last election?

by thayne 5y ago

How did we get to a point where people make decisions about where they move based on how the neighbors voted in the last election?

psychometry 5y ago

When one of the two major candidates decided the US shouldn't be a democracy any more?

Aeolun 5y ago

Well… like. If I were living in the Netherlands I would not care one whit. Seeing those raving lunatics roving over the capitol grounds gives me pause though. I know most people aren’t like that, but it’s hard to not be worried.

commandlinefan 5y ago
> Seeing those raving lunatics roving over the capitol grounds I know, the Kavanaugh protesters were totally unreasonable.
- SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
  I think he either means the two left wing capitol bombings, or Jan 6th. Who can tell anymore!?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

seventytwo 5y ago

Did you live under a rock the last four years?!

asoneth 5y ago

I lived in multiple deep red communities in multiple red states while working as a military contractor. The warfighters I worked with were absolutely phenomenal but the broader cities and towns around were a poor culture fit for me. (To be clear, my neighbors were all very nice people, it was just the culture fit compared to purple/blue areas I've lived in.) I'd suggest that if someone is more than a couple of queer, atheist, racial minority, vegetarian, cyclist, artist, nerdy, career-oriented female, etc then they may find it even more challenging to fit in. It's worth looking carefully at any community before moving in, but it's worth looking especially carefully before moving to a deep red area in a red state. (Or vice-versa if you're a religious conservative -- you might find a dark blue community in a blue state a poor fit.)

jupiter90000 5y ago

It’s not that hard to see why this matters now. On the one hand you have folks that want to ban rights of LGBTQ folks, end ability to get an abortion safely, for example. On the other there’s those that want to remove powers of the police, allow homeless drug addicts to take over neighborhoods, and more authoritarian style lockdown policies in public health. There’s people that really don’t like some of that and will go where their lives feel less restricted.

voakbasda 5y ago
Indeed. I want to relocate where there are none of either persuasion. Every side is utterly wackadoo, and I would just as soon get out of here once and for all. But there is no place to go. The global status quo has me trapped here as a prisoner. There will no escape, no relief, and no freedom. I am and shall always be a slave of some State; I can only pick my poison. These words will ring true, for some, in every corner of the world. But by all means, continue to ignore, marginalize, and exploit us. That surely will end well.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- liketochill 5y ago
  People are mostly pretty chill in Canada
  - EricE 5y ago
    lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYbBKjh-zic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYbBKjh-zic Recent rulings in Canada over speech are pretty nuts too given their history. Worse than the batshit crazy stuff going on in Britain today :p

rsynnott 5y ago

... I mean, I think we've always been there, or at least some of us have? I live in Ireland, which is generally less politically divided than the US, but I don't think I'd be up from moving from my current area (where 75% of people voted to allow same-sex marriage) to one of the rural areas that voted about 50%. I'd rather live in a place where only a quarter of the neighbors think I shouldn't have basic civil rights than one where half do. This doesn't seem so out there? That's the personal angle of course, but also I'd generally prefer to live somewhere where the neighbors aren't out to get other marginalised groups, either... US political party identification is a decent though not perfect proxy for how your neighbors are likely to feel about a whole range of issues, and _people_.

SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
> US political party identification is a decent though not perfect proxy for how your neighbors are likely to feel about a whole range of issues, and _people_. Not nearly as much as you have been told it is. But that’s a really nice way to generalize conservatives as racists. The truth is as a local who has lived in both areas, I’ve met just as many left wing racists as right, just in different ways.
- cloverich 5y ago
  People includes people who are gay, trans, muslims, etc. But i think the broader "whole range of issuse" claim was more to the point, as someone who has spent most of their life amongst deep red friends, family, and locations, those issues come up quite a bit. And more pointedly, for example i am pretty interested (and fearful) of climate change but can't even talk about it with half my friends/ family because they don't think its real or may be offended by some of the points. It takes a toll on you.
- fundad 5y ago
  I find that many pro-establishment people on the left are uncomfortable acknowledging institutional racism and harbor some anti-blackness. I find more diversity of thought among anti-establishment left because what’s important to them/us is addressed by such a variety of movements rather than mainstream politics. In this sense establishment Democrats are a proxy for the anti-establishment left, many of whom can’t even vote.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

I get access to paid parental leave, an extra 8 weeks of parental leave, do not have to worry about women’s healthcare (abortion choice), higher minimum wages and a minimum salary, no tipped wages, assisted suicide, legal marijuana, etc. I can also get alcohol in the next aisle over instead of having to go to a different store (not that I drink outside of an occasion, but the principal of it annoyed me). And even though a bunch do not affect me, my kids might benefit from them someday. Was a no brainer for me to look at how my neighbors would be voting when choosing where to live.

remram 5y ago

This is the only way to vote in the US. The election system does not tally individual ballots, only number of inhabitants in blue and red states/counties. Given that system, this is a very democratic and rational move.

Revekius 5y ago

I highly recommend reading "The Big Sort" by Bill Bishop to give you a better idea of why we look at "politics". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2569072-the-big-sort https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2569072-the-big-sort The idea is a lot less about politics, and more about being comfortable in the area you live in.

fundad 5y ago

The strong correlation between voting and denying the Jan 6 attack, Climate Change and COVID-19 is how.

snotrockets 5y ago

Because some states could be dangerous to persons living there, as they have (or are legislation) anti-HR legislation that criminalizes the existence of some people. If at all, her maps don't take that into account, as this is also on a state level, so a "blue" region in a state that has harmful legislation is still a dangerous place to live in.

hiptobecubic 5y ago

Political "news" spewing out of radio and TV for the last forty years has produced generations of people who literally think the other party is actively trying to destroy them, their families and America in general. Living next to these people can be stressful if they think you're on the wrong team.