I have lots of friends who do not think the way I do, but they all have some sort of empathy. Even the dedicated FOX news watchers - they get afraid people are scamming the system, but when it comes right down to it, the right wingers I know don't want anyone to starve or live on the street. Maybe because most of my friends are older women now. I get to speak my stuff and they get to say theirs, but we can respect each other. I feel badly that you have this problem. My sister lives in NC as well, and she hates to hear people going off, but some of her friends are very right wingish, but again, they are older women and tend not to be quite so mean. They certainly would not consider it ladylike to key a car.

And I think it's been shown that it's easier to get people to care about others on an individual basis, rather than as a group.

It was just frustrating to me to hear right-wing talking points about nearly everything. I know that comes from whatever news media they see. It's not really just Fox, either anymore.

I don't think I'm better than they are; I'm just different. And I always have been. Most of the time I don't care, but it gets to be a bit exhausting always being the odd one out.

I see things differently than most of the people I know (one exception being my friend who writes a column for the local paper. He is the lone liberal voice and you would now believe the vitriol directed his way. Or maybe you would. In any case, he has more guts than I do).

I was speaking about supporting unemployment and food stamps, etc. There is more support near where I live, so that is why it is not so challenging for me. Plus I have a ton of bleeding heart liberal friends.

What town are you in

Fortunately, it isn't far from Norfolk and Virginia Beach, which have some museums and lots of activities. And a chapter of Drinking Liberally. It's hard for me to get to those meetings because they are always at 6 pm or so, but I need to make a point to go more often.

I am certainly not going to spend the rest of my life here. I knew that from the beginning. So I just have to put up with it until I move, whenever that might be.

At least, the western half, anyway. We're pretty liberal here. We have marriage equality, and you can buy marijuana over-the-counter if you want.

The weather might take a little getting used to; it took me two years to get used to the gray skies and seemingly perpetual rain. (I grew up in Texas) But the place grows on you. I love it here. I'm so much a Washingtonian, I have apple cider in my veins!

It's a little far away from our families at this point, though. And my boyfriend is really bothered by the earthquake risk in Seattle and the west coast in general. I told him risk is relative. We have to deal with hurricanes. "But at least you can run from a hurricane!" He says.

This is completely true. Assholes are everywhere, they are the only true universal constant.

Instead, my friend, you should look to move to someplace with a better class of asshole. Assholes with discerning tastes and less offensive aspects, rather than the low rent asshole to whom you are accustomed.

You need to move to a college town. Even in Red states you'll find that college towns will afford you access assholes of a much finer quality. Educated, Priviledged and arrogant. These assholes are like a fine wine, compared to the swill in which you're obviously drowning now.

And always remember MrScorpio's Progressive Scale of Asshole theory:

No matter how big of an asshole that you'd ever come across in life, invariably you could always run into an even bigger asshole than the first guy.

Edit: I love for someone to write out a formula to gauge the attractive force of assholism. I believe that one asshole attracts an even bigger asshole that tries to overcome the first one. This process is repeated and the scale of ambient assholism begins to expand at an exponentially constant rate.

What I'm wondering is that under current condition of asshole saturation, when will we arrive at the point of no return for assholism.

Fairly soon, I fear.

I'm just complaining because I am the fish out of water here; especially among my coworkers. They complain that the rest of our agency looks down on this place. Rightfully so, from my perspective at least. My colleagues do not seem to get that. But they are basically hayseeds when compared to everyone else. My boyfriend works in Fairfax County, VA, which does have a better class of asshole (or maybe worse, but certainly richer).

It isn't that I think people in blue states aren't assholes. It's just that I'm tired of being outnumbered when it comes to opinions. I feel like if I try to shoot down their arguments, I'l just be ganged-up on. So I bite my tongue and it's dificult.

I think, all things considered, I'll look for a place that has more bars than churches. It may be rougher, but at least people would be having more fun.

It was Reston, to be precise We moved there before Terraset was open and loved it. That school was absolutely the best experience of my life. Search its history if interested.

Anyway, don't fret too much as North Carolina has quite a few cool people around. One of my best friends from Reston lives there now and seems happy enough. He's as nice of a person you could ever meet

Hope you can find some balance

there are still more people you can pick for friends who are not crazy. I have a friend who claims to be a tea party memeber, but freely gives money to democrats,supports food stamps, is very pro- anything child. I think she claims to be a tea party person only because she is against abortion. She has struggled, needed unemployment, so supports that, worked ina nursery and met parents on food stamps, so she is for that, etc.
Now then you have people like my brother, that just reads headlines, watches FAUX news, and is just plain and simple a racist. Yes, he will help a neighbor, but is against every thing, even though he has been on food stamps has had to collect unemployment. (can credit anyone with helping him - years ago, when he could not get a job, I taught how how to write a resume and spent hours teaching him how to interview. It is as if none of that ever happened -- he is a self made man. It did teach me how important this is and how so many people do not have any idea about these skills that are so easy to teach). He was just unemployed, and hid it from me, when he got a job, he had no sympathy for the unemployed, but bragged,if he could get a job, anyone could - i.e. he went back to a previous employer - I did teach him how important it is to keep in touch with former employers as well. Christmas/Holiday cards are an important business connection.

IO am just saying the odds of having liberal friends is just a bit higher here, can't avoid all assholes, but you can find friends. The only problems, is once you move away, you can't afford to come back. Living is expensive here!! It I had not worked here all my life, making almost twice as much as my friends in the south, I probably could not have afforded to retire here.

I live and work in a large and fairly cosmopolitan metro area in NC but have many coworkers who hail from "crappy small towns" who are insufferable right wing blowhards. They are, generally; Categorically unread, "I got mine, the hell with you" types that lack empathy for anyone else outside their own circle ( even though they are in the exact same economic circle ), bigoted as fuck, paranoid gun nuts.....and yet: despite their ignorance, carry themselves and comport themselves as though they are absolutely certain they are smart and well informed! Even referring to anyone that disagrees with them as "low information voters".

No doubt just parroting the talking head du-jour they've heard that day. ( they do tend to parrot certain terms and buzzwords in synchronicity with the latest talking points in the MSM )

Most of them are OK co-workers or even people ( in a professional capacity ) if politics aren't a subject, but my thinking of them is nonetheless tainted just knowing their capacity for shit-headery.

In November 2002 when the repubs controlled the entire govt (House, Senate, WH, SCOTUS) Rove told the republicans "This is the beginning of the permanent republican majority.

Jump ahead 7 years and the repubs had lost 2 wars, crashed the nation's economy, and legitimately elected a Black president.

To me, Jan 2009 appears to be when the real hate started just after the repubs realized they were a total failure and a pack of whiny losers, imho.

At least Clinton and probably before that.

I don't think it has as much to do with Obama as it does with right-wing media. Every since Rush Limbaugh started his "empire". For years, the only talk radio was right-wing. Then Fox comes along and pretty much lies about everything.

Actually, I would probably make it 1994 or so, with Newt Gingrich and the Contract On America.

I remember first becoming aware of the lunatic side of Republicans at that time. Plus there was the Branch Davidian raid and the OKC bombing. Wingnuts really latched onto those in an attempt to blame Clinton.

the hate seems to have gone up a few notches.

I agree with you. Since the Fairness Doctrine was revoked in 1985 giving hate radio a foothold, and the weapons contractor GE (part of the vast military industrial complex) took ownership of it's own network news business (NBC) skewing our news, the hate has gotten real. But once we put a Black gentleman in the White House and it became apparent he was popular and would be a hard worker to fix the republican mess, it seems the repubs felt they have to hate harder and stop this guy no matter what.

I live just south of you--in Joe "You Lie!" Wilson's district. I know exactly what you mean by "doing time," and desperately wanting to get the hell out of here. I wish I had never moved here. Biggest mistake of my life.

Not only did I screw up my life moving here, I screwed up my daughter's and my grandsons' life, too.
Not to mention any additional children that may come.

Oh, and education in this state? Don't make me laugh.

I'd give my left arm to be back in Chicago right now. Or, just about anywhere else that isn't right-wing cesspool. I'm just glad I don't have kids. The educational system here is even worse than in NC.