Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Article: There's No Place Like My Ideologically Homogeneous Home

TL;DR: In the US, neighborhoods are becoming more red and blue.

This whole nation was a heck of a lot more ideologically homogeneous when I was a kid. So now people feel a little disoriented by the environment of constant change in US society, and they're seeking their own "kind." And now that's more about political/economic bent than skin color or religion. I'm not sure I agree with the author of this piece that this movement is bad for the national interests.

It's the same as "white flight" back in the 60's and 70's. When they integrated the schools, all the racists moved out to the burbs. Now they are stuck out there, having to drive 30 miles to work at $4 a gallon in their SUV's. I don't feel sorry for them.

Does anyone have any hard data that might predict anything about the future of this process? I find it interesting, but I struggle to reach any concrete conclusions about the impact.

I have some soft speculations; when it comes to predicting hard data is a kind of oxymoron. The way I see it nothing ever changes. People have always tried to align themselves with those similar to themselves. It's just that instead of nationality, language, or skin color, people are now aligning themselves according to politics. Also, for the first time, this alignment is immediate and global.

I think this hypothesis is compatible with people being divided according to "[socioeconomic] class" on a global basis. This will break down the idea of the current nation states.

jacob wrote:...this alignment is immediate and global.

I think this hypothesis is compatible with people being divided according to "[socioeconomic] class" on a global basis. This will break down the idea of the current nation states.

"Global" seems to be the more important and major difference in this wave.

Angelpie wrote:It's the same as "white flight" back in the 60's and 70's. When they integrated the schools, all the racists moved out to the burbs. Now they are stuck out there, having to drive 30 miles to work at $4 a gallon in their SUV's. I don't feel sorry for them.

Sure, it was the racists. The surging crime rates of the inner cities had nothing to do with it.

The White Ghetto in the National Review suggest the homogeneity of Appalachia is the result of adverse selection.

http://nationalreview.com/node/367903/print

I think another factor here is the long term growth in the government at fed and state levels makes it increasingly hard to decouple lifestyle with the politics (particularly state and local level), making it more important you actually agree with what the poliTICs are doing.

Our criteria was not so much prevailing attitudes (liberal or conservative) as it was big or small government of any flavor, and debt loads. I think I'd prefer liberal leaning small state government if it existed.

Could just be my confirmation bias too though...