Stereotypes and prejudices you once held that DU helped dispel.

[Maddy McCall]

I once thought that all Star Wars fans were weirdos. But one DUer convinced me to go see the last Star Wars movie, so I went--and I loved it. Now I think that Star Wars fans are eccentric--and I count myself as one.

Tell me about prejudices or stereotypes that you once held that DUers demonstrated otherwise or helped you change. I will be very sad if at least one person doesn't say that their views of southerners has changed since meeting DUers from the south. :D

[MrScorpio]

1. That conservatives are simply racist, stupid and corrupt

I've found out from being on DU that they are so ASTRONOMICALLY racist, stupid and corrupt that it defies description

[evlbstrd]

2. That it might not be too difficult to unite us lefties.

Herding kittens, man.

[usedtobesick]

6. Amen, and kittens on a catnip rush to boot

but we are willing to talk about for hours as well.

[WCGreen]

3. I alwyas like the southerners....

My favorite people.... Spent a lot of time in Nashville over the years, even wrote a piece comparin' Nashville to Cleveland and thier respective Hall's of Fame....

A lot of the way the politics has turned out down south hasn;t been all that great but out sida Sherrod Brown and Dennis K., we ain;t got much to talk about here in the land of presidents....

[Kickin_Donkey]

4. That there are liberals who are working class ...

I grew up in rural California and went to college in the Bay Area at the most liberal university in the country. From those experiences, the lines were distinctly drawn.

The (white) working class in rural California is redneck or freepers or hillbillies or cowboys or "trailer trash" or Bush lovers or evangelical Christians. In my experience, there aren't streams of progressism among the working class like you might get with Prarie populism in places like Minnesota or Iowa; Yellow Dog Democrats like in the South; or the strong union movements in the urban centers of the East.

As a corollary, I associated liberalism with the educated middle-class; the cosmopolitan, sushi-eating upper-middle class; college professors and college towns; big city cultures and activism like those in San Francisco and Berkeley; and affluent Democratic suburbs in the Bay Area.

Given that dichotomy (in my experience), for the life of me, I couldn't imagine working-class people who were liberal, or liberals who were working class.

But from my experiences on DU, I see that there can be rural and/or working-class people who are liberals and Democrats.

[xmas74]

13. I'm one of the people who you are referring to.

I live in a rural area, grew up working class and still am. Yet I am also in the category of bleeding heart liberal-as are many of the working class people that I've met over the years.
I'm happy to help dispel this myth.

[wickerwoman]

5. I used to be very strongly anti-gun and anti-gun culture.

Now I can kind of see why someone would want one, even though I'd never go there myself. I wouldn't disassociate myself from someone just because they owned a gun.

[Magrittes Pipe]

7. I used to think that we progressives were automatically smart.

Then I went to GD: Politics.

:hide:

[underpants]

8. The McDonalds coffee case

I learned much from that thread (several years ago)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. You make me proud every time the issue arises

Anti-tort reform threads are some of my most shining DU moments

[GOPisEvil]

20. Yes, thank you for that. I've set many a person straight since then.

[underpants]

23. Stella Liebeck

http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbusters-free/MB_mcdonalds.htm

ON EDIT-if that was you THANKS that was a real eye opener. See how effective the BIG LIE can actually be?

[Shell Beau]

9. Well I hope that some people

have learned that all southerners aren't racist redneck trash who didn't learn correct grammar in school. But I have learned that even though we all share political likeness, we are all so very different. And that is a good thing.

[no name no slogan]

12. And there's not just one "type" of southerner, either

The south is just as diverse as any other place in the country. Although they share some things, there's as much difference between Louisiana and North Carolina as there is between Louisiana and Minnesota, for that matter.

I have gained a new appreciation of folks from the south because of DU, which has influenced my way of thinking on the red state vs. blue state "divide and conquer" mentality.

[Shell Beau]

14. Yay! Good for you! And you are absolutely right!

:)

[Sugar Smack]

21. Cheers!

I've travelled ALL OVER the south and I see vast differences in Southern communities and cities. The "divide and conquer" attitude goes nowhere with me (as you may have guessed from one of my earlier threads). :)

[no name no slogan]

25. And thanks to you!

Something about you southern wimmen... but especially one in particular. You're the greatest! :loveya:

[CBGLuthier]

10. Well, sadly, the one stereotype I have had dispelled

Is that all liberals are compassionate.

See, I believe that is the cornerstone of liberal belief. Compassion for your fellow human beings. All the rest falls into place from this one belief.

[tjwmason]

11. That all Americans are insular and ignorant.

eom

[kick-ass-bob]

15. wait.... is that what was dispelled - or what you learned?

:rofl:

:D

[Arkana]

17. I used to think that Southerners were all backwards morons.

But after coming here, I learned that there are people down South who are probably more devoted to the cause than me--and being in a red state is just making it that much more difficult for them.

So here's to you, Southern Democrats.

[kick-ass-bob]

19. I really don't understand how that one started.

Do you guys live in a place where there are only liberal people in the entire state? No conservatives at all? All one has to do is look at where they are and see that there are all types everywhere.

:shrug:

[Arkana]

22. No, but I live in a state where there are a LOT more liberals...i.e. MA

[Wapsie B]

18. Well I've met southern Democrats before I was on DU.

But this place made me realize how many Dems there are south of the Mason-Dixon. So it makes me feel good that these supposed solid red states are actually a brilliant shade of purple.

[bertha katzenengel]

24. All liberals are strongly "anti-gun." Hunters are backwards losers.

There are lots of 2nd Amendment advocates here, and lots of hunters. (I still wish people wouldn't hunt, but I'm not about to try to stop anyone. Unless they're hunting pets.)