Now that I have slightly more time -- I was talking about what I saw when I entered the US, when I knew nothing about politics, as an 18-20 year old half way around the world from where he grew up. Maybe it was just the loudmouths I heard . . . but that is what I saw when I got to the first election where I could vote (Bush vs Dukakis). The stereotypes are very glaring when one is seeing everything fresh through the eyes of a person who has spent most of his life outside the country -- one who has always been under the impression that the US was a tolerant, free and happy place. Instead I found religious rhetoric, anti-choice bigots shooting doctors and yelling and screaming at poor women walking into clinics, people who were against distributing condoms in schools, people who were trying to cut funding for public schools and state colleges . . . and these people were always Republican. It was an easy generalization to make then.
Yes, I have come across better Republicans over the years -- I said I voted for Bill Weld for example. In fact, I think I was actually registered Republican for a little while too. I was talking about my history of going from being an Ayn Rand devotee while in India to becoming a Democrat once I got to the US . . . I consider myself center-left -- a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. That means less interference from the govt, in both the public (as in tax paying, tax spending) and the private lives of people (as in legalizing abortion) -- at least, that is what it means to me.
Best,
-Atin |
