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Which is more conservative: Charlotte, NC or Columbia, SC?


strawberriieee

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This has been a fascinating thread and it has elicited an amazing number of responses in one day. The most telling response, however, was from Charleston Native, who is a conservative and said that Columbia was too liberal for him. Nowhere would be too liberal for me, but alot of places would be too conservative and Columbia is the only place I would live in South Carolina. In North Carolina I would only live in Durham and in Georgia I would only live in Atlanta.

I totally agree.

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If YOU want to be accepted I suggest that you change your attitude and quit blaming your problems on being a Black Woman business owner. Nobody likes to be talked down to which is basically all that you have done since becoming a member here and I can only imagine that is why people are turning their back on you if that is what is happening...

Liberal people don't characterize an entire region of 120 million people as Zenophobic and Sexist. That is nothing but blind prejudice. And your implication that Gays don't face the same issues with discrimination further proof that you are grinding an axe and not really concerned with real prejudice. Practice what you preach. :rolleyes:

Your entire assertion is a complete assumption of how I feel. I have no real "problems" in Charlotte and I never said that I did. I simply feel that the conservative quotient here is much too high for my tastes. People here are actually friendlier and much more genuine than many Californians, I must say. Again, most of the folks I've come across here -- of all colors -- are just too conservative for me. I listed many issues that conservatism is generally not very progressive about; color stereotypes is just one of the many.

I don't feel that anyone has "turned their back" on me, in this website. I don't know how I even intimated such a thing.

In reference to the gays, at the risk of going waaaaay off-topic, many (not all) people of color (Latino, Black, Asian, etc.) do not equate the gay struggle with the hardships overcome by persons of color. For the record, I do support basic gay rights. I don't much about being gay, so I am unequipped to debate that topic.

For the record, I am a native Southerner. Also, this thread is NOT about prejudice. (Prejudice -- of any form -- is just a tiny part of non-progressiveness, anyway.) This thread is about degrees of conservatism.

I really do not want to sound as if I'm "bashing" the South. Personally, I think people take negative opinions about various locales too much to heart. Perhaps my skin is just thicker than most other people's.(I'd assert that at least 80% of this country is conservative, and the conservative areas span waaaay beyond the South's borders, BTW!)

Finally, I can only interpret my surroundings, via my own experiences -- be they positive or negative. Furthermore, I am only speaking in generalities. Believe me, I of all people, realize the great necessity of offering up the benefit of the doubt to everyone, and not hastening my judgements of individuals nor groups. However, to pretend that there aren't cultural differences that sometimes are drawn along regional lines, is silly to me, because it's ignoring the obvious.

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This has been a fascinating thread and it has elicited an amazing number of responses in one day. The most telling response, however, was from Charleston Native, who is a conservative and said that Columbia was too liberal for him...

yeah, I loved that! LOL! It kind of told me that Columbia is one place I'd want to be! LOL!

I agree with the rest of what you said, also.

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I'll only comment on this for now - because that comment is absolutely unfair. Rather than demonizing whole regions / geographic areas, realize that there are all types of people in any location. Of course certain locations will have more or less of a specific type - but there is absolutely little difference between those in Greenville, Charleston or Columbia to make such a wide sweeping distinction. Though I would concur that I do believe Columbia to be home to the larger amount / rate of liberals between the two - I wouldn't go as far as to simply dismiss the other two as 'conservative' & Columbia as 'liberal'.

Conservates are in the majority in the south, & that includes the metro areas - where only 'intown' locations being home to just a greater ratio of liberals. That said - you can't blame Charleston & Greenville just as you can't proclaim Columbia as being progressive. If you're going to blame the Confederate flag on anyone, you have to blame everyone in the entire state - though the reality is you should blame majority White rural areas & outer ring suburban / exurban areas around the cities - including Columbia. Similiarly, the Northeast / Midwest can't blame the South for electing Bush, we all elected Bush.

agree 100% with everything stated, actually; I just believe Colu has a few more liberals than Greenville and Charleston.

And yes, the city center of any metro is usually much more liberal than its suburbs.

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Also, this thread is NOT about prejudice. (Prejudice -- of any form -- is just a tiny part of non-progressiveness, anyway.) This thread is about degrees of conservatism.

Finally, I can only interpret my surroundings, via my own experiences -- be they positive or negative. Furthermore, I am only speaking in generalities. Believe me, I of all people, realize the great necessity of giving offering up the benefit of the doubt to everyone, and not hastening my judgements of individuals nor groups.

What a contradiction. Isn't this exactly the essence of "prejudice". You seem to be doing an awful lot of labelling during this entire thread, which doesn't seem very "progressive" and "open-minded" to me.

Oh well. Wherever you go, there you are.

BTW: What does this..

8. many people exercising along the riverfront pedestrian path?

have to do with being conservative/non-conservative? :lol:

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This is quite an interesting thread. Move on up to the Triangle is what I say (of course I'm not biased or anything)!

Now that's DEFINITELY a plan!!! I luuuved the Triangle, when I visited! I has a "cool" vibe that Charlotte just seems to lack. The Triangle is much more my style than Charlotte. However, it's very far from the mountains. Dude, we Californians like our mountains!

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It amazes me that people feel they must apoligise for the South, when people make unfair charges against it as has been done in this thread. And this Triangle is better than Charlotte really does get pretty old.

--but nobody has even hinted that the Triangle is "better" than Charlotte. I don't believe that any place is "better" than any other place. Some cities are simply BETTER FITS for a particular person than others, based on that person's priorities.

Moreover, the fact that I luv the Trianlge is proof enough that there are indeed liberal-friendly Southern hubs. So you see, not all of the South is "bad"!!! --I mean conservative. LOL -- just a little liberal jib, that's all. (--hope I didn't ruffle any proud conservative feathers)

I don't think anyone was saying that the Triangle is better than Charlotte as a whole, just when it comes to being more liberal and having a better arts scene and creative class. Also, there is an overwhelming abundance of the Charlotte is better than the Triangle attitude in general every day convo with people I know in Charlotte, as well as in this forum.

that rivalry reveals the never-ending liberal vs. conservative angst, moreso than anything else

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In reference to the gays, at the risk of going waaaaay off-topic, many (not all) people of color (Latino, Black, Asian, etc.) do not equate the gay struggle with the hardships overcome by persons of color. For the record, I do support basic gay rights. I don't much about being gay, so I am unequipped to debate that topic.

I just had to respond to this. If the moderators think it is too off topic, i don't have a problem with it being deleted. That statement really upsets me. Growing up as a gay man, I went to school with many different races. Never were they harassed. Keep in mind that I grew up in a rural area, where one might assume people would be racist. As for me on the other hand..well..I was tormented every day school was in session. I have been kicked in the back, spat at, had people flick lit cigarettes at me, punched in the back of the head, had my car trashed, had my yard trashed with huge letters drawn with toilet paper and plastic forks that spelled out hag, and got called everythng but a child of God. None of the people of color that I know have had experiences like this. I'm not saying it doesnt happen, because I'm sure it does, just never to any people of color I have known. So, I would most certainly say that gays have faced plenty of hardships, and to this day the "f" word is still used in an extremely derogatory fashion quite often, and many of the people who have called me this are people of color. If the "n" word is out of bounds, then the "f" word should be as well. Sorry about the rant.

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But Columbia also has a lot of gay people for a city its size, and a very active gay and lesbian community community and business guild. And a pretty high-profile gay community at USC.

I think that's fantastic. I whole-heartedly champion basic gay rights; it's only fair, in a democracy. I think people of color should work with the gay community to collectively herald tolerance.

When conservatives think of liberalness, they shouldn't automatically equate it ONLY with homosexuality. Being a liberal means a myriad of things, some of which liberals ourselves cannot agree upon. LOL.

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I agree 100% with this sentiment. I long ago stopped identifying my views as "Republican" or "Democrat", "liberal" or "conservative". I try hard to keep an open mind and listen to ALL sides, and then draw my own conclusions. Doing so has been very liberating.

Anyway, back to topic...

As far as Columbia goes, I think Waccamatt's posts (#27 and #28) are dead-on. I lived in Cola for 8 years and it is indeed as he describes. I too would recommend living in the city limits. Elmwood Park, Earlewood, Cottontown, Shandon, Rosewood, and others are all excellent choices.

As for the Confederate Flag, that is there primarily because of a few narrow-minded legislators (Glenn McConnell, et al) more than anything else. Charleston's mayor was the chief proponent of bringing it down from the statehouse (and it would have happened a lot sooner if he had been elected Governor in '94, but that's another topic).

I find Charlotte residents to be very materialistic and they look down on the rest of the region, particularly SC. Maybe it's just the few I have been exposed to.

I remember back in the mid '90s, One of the "Angels in America" plays played in Charlotte, and there was a big controversy because of the homosexual theme and a scene with male frontal nudity. The same play played at Trustus a couple of months later without any controversy at all.

Atlanta is very liberal and diverse. It would certainly pay to spend some time there before making a final decision. Women, particularly black women, are in several high positions of government (or recently have been). Just a few years ago, Atlanta had a black female mayor and sheriff (Fulton County) and an openly lesbian city council president (white). The Southeast's only openly gay legislator is a white lesbian from Atlanta /Decatur. Atlanta is without a doubt the center of black power and wealth in the US. That is not to say that blacks are the only minority. Hispanics and orientals are in abundance as well. I'm not a vegetarian, but the DeKalb Farmer's Market is a godsend for anyone with such a diet (or just about any other diet for that matter).

I'm surprised that anyone thinks Myrtle Beach is liberal. Not sure what that is based on.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

thanks a million for the info.! :):)

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I'd rather your reason for relocation be a result of your business not thriving, not because a place is too liberal or conservative (In the words in Micheal Jordan "Republicans buy sneakers too"). In the big picture what in the world does it have to do with the way you function as a person. I've lived in LA, DC, Indianapolis, Denver and now Raleigh/Durham (hell, I'd live in Butte, Montana for a while if the dollars are right). As an engineer, I've dealt with bigots, rednecks (YOU don't have to be from the South to be a redneck.....rednecks live in LA, NY, Chicago and all over the West Coast) and good people in all of those environments.

Your comments about places like Charlotte being stuck in the 1950's and people thinking you're poor if you ride a bike or walk around town....... are absurd, narrow-minded and actually damage your credibility on the subject matter.

What I'm trying to say is people make to much of a deal about a place being too liberal or conservative (When I go to the MALL, GYM, LIBRARY, JOGGING TRAIL, PLAY, etc...who really gives a damn). It's what YOU make out of it because most cities have something unique to offer. So, stop complaining make YOUR money, invest it and build your own damn city.....because moving to Atlanta or Columbia is only going to change your geographical location not your mindset.

agree with some points, disagree with some points

In short, the comfort in which a person feels in their environment impacts relationships forged, which, in turn, affects one's happiness. There is more to happiness than money. I would also want widespread, genuine, mutual tolerance.

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Well said!!!

Politics are really a dumb way to judge if a city is livable or not.......you go for the overall picture.

Case in point: My brother is a liberal that lives up in Boston, Mass and can't wait to get back down here in 'ole NC!! He doesn't care if it is more conservative, he just wants to be back down here because it is less crowded, people are generally nicer, and buildings, roads, houses are generally better kept up down here.

I sure hope strawberriieee uses a better attitude being a business leader than she has shown here. I really wonder what type of "business" she owns??

Politics are not my sole litmus test for livability. (fair to say, that this thread may be giving that impression) Some of the reasons I'm back in the South, in the first place, is because of the proximity of the ocean, mountains, and several rivers -- I'm an avid outdoors person!! The lower cost of living and housing is another HUGE factor! I'm simply focusing this thread on the one (general) disadvantage to living here.

If I didn't have a laundry list of priorities and pro and cons for the relocating to the South, then I really would NOT have much business acumen, now would I????? (Your quib about the "business" was NOT lost on me.)

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I just had to respond to this. If the moderators think it is too off topic, i don't have a problem with it being deleted. That statement really upsets me. Growing up as a gay man, I went to school with many different races. Never were they harassed. Keep in mind that I grew up in a rural area, where one might assume people would be racist. As for me on the other hand..well..I was tormented every day school was in session. I have been kicked in the back, spat at, had people flick lit cigarettes at me, punched in the back of the head, had my car trashed, had my yard trashed with huge letters drawn with toilet paper and plastic forks that spelled out hag, and got called everythng but a child of God. None of the people of color that I know have had experiences like this. I'm not saying it doesnt happen, because I'm sure it does, just never to any people of color I have known. So, I would most certainly say that gays have faced plenty of hardships, and to this day the "f" word is still used in an extremely derogatory fashion quite often, and many of the people who have called me this are people of color. If the "n" word is out of bounds, then the "f" word should be as well. Sorry about the rant.

I completely sympathize with your plight. I believe in ALL-INCLUSIVENESS, for gays also.

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What I'm looking for is a liberal Southern city. A major advantage to living in the South is the low cost of living; however, I don't want to sacrifice my happiness over it. So far, the only places that I like are NC's Triangle, Columbia and Atlanta (Atl. to a lesser extent than the other two). My original plan was to settle down in Charlotte, but that's just not going to happen.

Salaries in Columbia are very low, but I like the river.

Frankly, what I appreciate about liberal places is that they don't feel as if they're stuck in the 1950's. For example, people don't seem shocked when finding out I'm a business owner, or that I'm not another negative statistic. Liberals are comfortable with progressiveness with various issues, such as the environment, recycling, minority business ownership and political participation, public transit, just to name a few. Also, liberals tend to be comfortable going outside of their comfort zone, in iniating friendships with people who may look different from them. --all of these are important to me, not only as a former liberal Californian, but also as a Black woman.

Another good thing about the Columbia area is that it has the highest percent of minority & women owned firms in the state. It is not an uncommon notion for minorities to be professionals, business owners, bankers, professors etc.. It's similar to Atl in that regard. There is a large minority middle class, something that other southern metro areas lack in some regard. But I would think that would be in CLT too?

Also if you like the mountains Cola is only 2hrs from Asheville.

You and I seem to have a bit in common. I am a black male born in the NE grew up southern but I have "liberal" social lean, which sometimes goes agaisnt my traditional southern african-american up-bringing. Places that are centers of learning and have highly educated populations are more my speed. Columbia is unique in the fact that of course USC is there but also 3 historically black universities are in the area as well, Benedict College (my aunt went there), Allen University, and SC State in Orangeburg (both parents went there). Most graduates from these institutions, if they don't flock to Atlanta, end up in Columbia becuase there is opportunity there, and there is a concerntration of like minds in the area as well. Cola is a cool town, and I'd recomend it to anyone. Also another good thing about the area is that it has a very diverse and stable economy (state govt., manufactoring, health care, research center, military, & insurance just to name a few).

Anyway good luck and hope you are pleased with wherever you choose.

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Your entire assertion is a complete assumption of how I feel. I have no real "problems" in Charlotte and I never said that I did. I simply feel that the conservative quotient here is much too high for my tastes. People here are actually friendlier and much more genuine than many Californians, I must say. Again, most of the folks I've come across here -- of all colors -- are just too conservative for me. I listed many issues that conservatism is generally not very progressive about; color stereotypes is just one of the many.......

Degree of conservatism is in the eyes of the beholder. What is conservative to one is is liberal to another. It's just like an opinion. Everyone has one and everyone should know what that is worth in the scheme of things.

However that is irrelevant to this conversation as I will point out that you said you would never live in the Sexist and Zenophobic South again. Your own words and I don't think you can be more clear on why you are really posting here. You can pretend your intentions are innocent, but this is pretty clear to me. Honestly I could care less what you think as I and others have already recommended that you move to where ever you think the liberal people exist and quit droning on about it here on this forum. If you were really interested in Columbia you would have made a post asking about Columbia and not one where you beotch about Charlotte and the South.

By applying labels to everyone you are simply behaving as badly as the people you are criticising as being too "conservative" for your tastes and certainly not a mark of a "progressive" person. At best this is the mark of an elitist and bigoted at worst. Frankly this has gotten old too and not the first time we have seen posts such as this here at UrbanPlanet.

Before you make any further posts here at UrbanPlanet, I recommend that you read our rules again and stop the forum trolling and baiting posts. I am closing this thread. If you want to start a thread on the Columbia section where you truely ask about the city please feel free to do so, but somehow I don't think you have much interest in doing that. :rolleyes:

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