As I venture out in the Portland scene, I find that people are very liberal here. Everyone recycles, many people are Democrat, and there are vegetarian and even vegan dining options everywhere I look.
Coming from the Midwest, you would think I would find this a breath of fresh air. In some ways I do, but in others I don't. It does mean that my boyfriend and I can be totally open in public and not have to worry about getting our heads bashed in. That is pretty good actually. On the downside I am beginning to notice a brand of Portland liberal that in the name of diversity is as unaccepting as the right wing conservatives back in Tulsa.
I have come across a few of the "militants." The ones who are very liberal, very cause oriented, and they appear on the outside to be just wonderfully accepting of diversity. They are not. They actually have little tolerance for anyone who might be more conservative or less into the environmental issues that they feel strongly about. In short, they are just as close minded as their conservative counterparts.
I believe in free thinking and exchanging a diversity of thought. This world would be pretty boring if we just had the environmental liberals or the right wing conservatives. We need all types of people to make this world interesting. Am I on a soap box? Yes. If you don't agree with me then that is fine. In fact that is great because we then have the opportunity to open a dialogue that could be interesting and possibly educational for both of us.
Note: I do realize the irony that in my own way writing this blog entry makes me close minded about the militant liberals or the religious conservatives. Hmmmmmmmm!
