Living in a Red (Neck) State

Confedalot? Serious?

I’m sure it seems silly, but the truth is I forget sometimes. Yes, I grew up in Alablamastan. Yes, I lived in Georgia (but– in Atlanta, which is different). Yes, I live in North Carolina (but, again, in Charlotte– the biggest city in the state; so, it’s not the same). I realize I should be hammering home the Conservative talking points in my sleep if only by virtue of living so close to so many of them.

I do forget, though. I have never believed the same things that some my cohorts in the South have ingrained in their DNA. I have always been on the fringe, never really belonging to any one group or that. And, frankly, even though I registered as a Democrat– but only because the DMV forces you to register for a party in this state (My reaction, “Isn’t that private?” The state trooper growled and I chose one.)– I am not totally aligned with them, and never expect to be.

All the same, I was shocked yesterday when Mr. Wonderful and I took a drive through the country. He was trying to tear me away from my desk for a break, get a little sunshine on my thick skull, and, besides, we have been talking about moving in the not too distant future so we won’t have to choose between sending our children to shitty Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools or breaking our bank to send them to private school (I’ve already started scoping them out; what’s food if your kids need some learnin’?). Not five miles from our home every other driveway has a McCain-Palin sign in their yard– some homemade and some HUGE.

Seriously, I was scared. All we did was cross a county line and BAM, trailers with Rebel Flags and curtians (I am kicking myself for not getting a picture!) and McCain-Palin signs as yard art. Now we’re reconsidering our move; we’re looking at different states.

Of course, while I sat there in the passenger seat, jaw on my chest, I remembered a caller on Talk of the Nation, NPR, the other day. She is the audience about two signs in her yard: both she and her husband had custom made, both for Obama, both destroyed and torn from it’s place. (I wish I could find the transcript of her call, if I do I’ll post it here.) The woman is also from North Carolina. She is involved in politics in her county and let us all know that Republicans regularly destroy or remove signs in her district.

I believe it. I do. I’ve lived in the South long enough to know that people around these parts don’t like change. They aren’t fond of differing opinions and they can be vehement with their own. And, yes, of course I am overgeneralizing– don’t we all? Isn’t that how we became so polarized to begin with? You’re a this and you’re a that and you’re different and I’m normal.

Red Neck or educated executive, if we would all spend a little time getting to know each other I truly believe we’ll find we are all much more alike than different. We all want a safe country, we all want a prosperous economy, we all want our children to be taken care of, our health to be looked after and our elderly generation to be coddled. We all want jobs and money in the bank, a nice house to live in and a good car.

Let’s stop polarizing ourselves, it’s not getting us anywhere and I’m dizzy from the circles.