voting percentages in perspective

[leah]

this is pretty interesting

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2008/?map

a lot of times when you see the maps, it looks a lot redder than you'd think; this puts things in perspective according to number of electoral votes or population. pretty cool!

[Tikker]

yup, not bad

[Tossica]

I just laugh at the fact that people who live in the sticks can have such strong opinions about matters that have ZERO effect on them.

Almost every single heavily populated area in the country is Democratic. Almost every single lightly populated area in the country is Retardlican or "Libertarian" (ie Retardlican but afraid to admit it). You've already seperated yourself from the bulk of the countries population geographically so why the FUCK do you care what the social human beings in our country do? I don't get it.

[Lueyen]

As usual to make things look favorable to liberals they must be viewed in some twisted abnormal way.

In all seriousness though it was an interesting article.

[Martrae]

I just laugh at the fact that people who live in the sticks can have such strong opinions about matters that have ZERO effect on them.

Almost every single heavily populated area in the country is Democratic. Almost every single lightly populated area in the country is Retardlican or "Libertarian" (ie Retardlican but afraid to admit it). You've already seperated yourself from the bulk of the countries population geographically so why the FUCK do you care what the social human beings in our country do? I don't get it.

And you never will.

[Tossica]

And you never will.

Probably not since it makes little sense and I tend to be a sensible person.

[Drem]

I just laugh at the fact that people who live in the sticks can have such strong opinions about matters that have ZERO effect on them.

Almost every single heavily populated area in the country is Democratic. Almost every single lightly populated area in the country is Retardlican or "Libertarian" (ie Retardlican but afraid to admit it). You've already seperated yourself from the bulk of the countries population geographically so why the FUCK do you care what the social human beings in our country do? I don't get it.

And you never will.

wow tough
So why don't you explain it? I really hate it when people think they know something, or they're better than what someone just said, but they won't explain why

I agree with Tossica. Fuck small towns. Go live in a small country if you want a secluded life that's detatched, morally backwards, and completely out of touch with reality. People aren't meant to be alone. People staying in la la land in these towns with 100 people get stuck 30~40 years behind the times. Even Eugene's stuck in the '70s. I hate small towns. We should only have huge metropolis, or smaller cities that respect their larger neighbors. But I'd rather just have big massive cities and preserve the rest of the wilderness for hiking and hunting. Small towns are such a waste. And I don't care what you think about me because I said that.... I grew up 17 years in a town of 500ppl. IT SUCKED

[Martrae]

Because there's no point in trying to explain it to Toss.

Short answer, people who care about personal freedoms don't like the restrictions imposed by cities. City dwellers are used to having everything from how loud they play the radio to the very air they breathe being policed and regimented. Urban or rural people prefer more leeway in their lives.

[Arlos]

Bullshit. Some city dwellers like cities because there are vastly more options available. Places to go. Restaurants to eat at, especially ethnic restaurants. There are more concerts, more cultural events, more places to go, more things to do, etc. My first time around in College, I was in a small town, less than 20 thousand people. I went stir crazy from boredom with nothing to do but maybe go to 1 mall or drive randomly through wheat fields.

There is no government regulation of life in a city, no governmental agency controls where I can go, what I can see, and when or how I go about doing it. I keep my stereo down because I respect my neighbors, and actually practice something called common courtesy.

Rural people have less exposure to new things, less exposure to different ways of life, different viewpoints, different peoples and different ideas, inevitably so because there's simply less people there, and less occurrences of difference. You live in the sticks, you're running away from the chance to experience a greater richness of life, where you're forced to interact with people different from you. Insular rural living isn't more freedom, it's closet xenophobia. Believe me, I saw plenty of it in that small town, and all over Kansas, when I lived in both places.

-Arlos

[Zanchief]

So why is it exactly that their votes should count more?

[Arlos]

There are other results with having the electoral college as it is now too. Candidates just spend their time in battleground states and ignore ones they have no chance of winning or losing. How many times did Obama and McCain go to spots in smaller states like New Hampsire or even medium sized states like North Carolina, compared to how often they came to California? We are the most populous state in the country, yet got no or almost no visits once the primaries were done. Obviously, that's because McCain knew he had no hope of taking California, and Obama had no chance of losing it.

It makes no sense to me that it should be profitable to ignore the largest population group in the country, just because of how the electoral college system works.

-Arlos

[Tossica]

Because there's no point in trying to explain it to Toss.

Short answer, people who care about personal freedoms don't like the restrictions imposed by cities. City dwellers are used to having everything from how loud they play the radio to the very air they breathe being policed and regimented. Urban or rural people prefer more leeway in their lives.

Yep. Totally full of shit.

You live in the sticks because you are an ignorant fuck and socially retarded. That's the short answer.

You are a frightened simpleton. Brown people scare you, homosexuals scare you, other religions scare you, anyone who is different than you scares the shit out of you because you are not equipped with the social skills and empathy necessary to accept the fact that MOST of the human race is NOT LIKE YOU. If you live far enough away from society and "them", you will never have to come to grips with your own ignorance and you like it that way. Good for you!

[Drem]

Let me explain it differently. I don't think I mean that one vote should be more important than the other... the votes come from two completely valid standpoints. It's just that one has no effect, or a negative effect, on the other. And generally, the two different types of people want nothing to do with eachother, as well.

See if I had it my way there would be two seperate votes. One for urban issues and urban voters and the other for rural. That would make a huge divide and ultimately break the country, which tbqh, would probably be a good thing. It would get rid of a lot of needless hostility between the two parties on issues that are viewed so polarly opposite that trying to decide by voting just incites hate wars when the other party loses. I think that would be the best solution to this country's political divide. We're definitely the most polarized and intense about this kinda shit. It'd be nice if we could grow up, since this is going to happen every four years, and it feels like it's escalating every year and getting more and more hateful and crazy

edit: deep down I do feel like Tossica, but I also respect anyone's way of life, no matter how fucked-up or senseless it is to me. As long as they don't intervene in my life or tell me how to act or feel, I could really care less about someone that's afraid of brown people and gays. Not my problem and it's their loss. I always imagine people that are that stupid just get what's coming to them eventually, and get totally embarassed in public in some way by the people they hate oh so much for no reason whatsoever. And I've seen that happen a few times and it's very lol

[Iccarra]

I like living in a small town...I don't like being in close proximity to "real" people. Hell, I'm lucky I even leave my house every day to go to work.

Seriously, though, steriotyping people who choose to live in small towns and enjoy them is rather ridiculous imo. You'll find small minds in plenty of bigger cities just as in smaller ones.

[Drem]

See Iccarra is one of those types that I can't understand but I won't berate. She says she's lucky to leave every day to go work, and I actually get antsy and freak out a little bit if I don't leave my house twice a day to be in the city and around other people. Because to me life's all about being a social butterfly and you'll find life is a lot more enjoyable when you just throw yourself into it and enjoy everything around you. I couldn't imagine wanting to just go home and be alone

And ya, duh, there are dumb people everywhere. But those types of close-minded people don't last long in the city. After a while they break and become normal or they move back to the msall town they came from

[Martrae]

Because there's no point in trying to explain it to Toss.

Short answer, people who care about personal freedoms don't like the restrictions imposed by cities. City dwellers are used to having everything from how loud they play the radio to the very air they breathe being policed and regimented. Urban or rural people prefer more leeway in their lives.

Yep. Totally full of shit.

You live in the sticks because you are an ignorant fuck and socially retarded. That's the short answer.

You are a frightened simpleton. Brown people scare you, homosexuals scare you, other religions scare you, anyone who is different than you scares the shit out of you because you are not equipped with the social skills and empathy necessary to accept the fact that MOST of the human race is NOT LIKE YOU. If you live far enough away from society and "them", you will never have to come to grips with your own ignorance and you like it that way. Good for you!

Like I said....you'd never understand.

And quit projecting your own shortcomings on me.

[Tikker]

See if I had it my way there would be two seperate votes. One for urban issues and urban voters and the other for rural.

that's just not possible

it's not possible to have urban without rural, and vice versa

it's pretty similar in Canada as well

urban areas are much more left leaning than rural areas

[Drem]

aye, i realise it won't ever happen, but it would be so much more productive. the whole thing is very ccc

[Tossica]

Hey, Martrae and the rest of the country bumpkins can be as ignorant and closeminded as they want to, just keep your fucking ignorance at home and leave me and the other "enlightened" people alone.

[Drem]

Yes that's basically what I'm saying. I just wish that they'd at least acknowledge that there are different ways of life, and that they're ok with that, but they just don't want to be a part of it. Instead it's just like GAY MARRAIGE?????? NOOOOOOOOOOO WE MUST STOP SOMETHING THAT WON'T AFFECT US AT ALL

[Tossica]

I like living in a small town...I don't like being in close proximity to "real" people. Hell, I'm lucky I even leave my house every day to go to work.

Seriously, though, steriotyping people who choose to live in small towns and enjoy them is rather ridiculous imo. You'll find small minds in plenty of bigger cities just as in smaller ones.

I honestly have no problem with small towns and the people that live in them. I often think I'd like to move to one one day. You must admit that growing up in a small town and spending your entire life there is going to limit your worldview and make it harder to empathize with people that are "different" than you. That's the point I am trying to make.

It would be nice if those people would just say "I don't understand it, I don't think I'll ever understand it but I guess it really has NO effect on me so why the hell should I care?"

[Tuggan]

I like living in a small town...I don't like being in close proximity to "real" people. Hell, I'm lucky I even leave my house every day to go to work.

Seriously, though, steriotyping people who choose to live in small towns and enjoy them is rather ridiculous imo. You'll find small minds in plenty of bigger cities just as in smaller ones.

If I had to go to work in Ann Arbor every day, I wouldn't be too thrilled about leaving in the morning either

[Narrock]

I like living in a small town...I don't like being in close proximity to "real" people. Hell, I'm lucky I even leave my house every day to go to work.

Seriously, though, steriotyping people who choose to live in small towns and enjoy them is rather ridiculous imo. You'll find small minds in plenty of bigger cities just as in smaller ones.

I honestly have no problem with small towns and the people that live in them. I often think I'd like to move to one one day. You must admit that growing up in a small town and spending your entire life there is going to limit your worldview and make it harder to empathize with people that are "different" than you. That's the point I am trying to make.

It would be nice if those people would just say "I don't understand it, I don't think I'll ever understand it but I guess it really has NO effect on me so why the hell should I care?"

Then there's a lot of people like me who were born and raised in urban areas, and came to the realization that urbanality is not actually just a melting pot of various cultures and differing social beliefs, but is in actuality nothing short of a shitpot of perverted immorality, crime, ignorance, and disgusting lifestyles. Those of us who have witnessed this firsthand and are disgusted by it chose to move away from it. We fully understand it. Those of you who grew up in, and never left, urban areas and don't know anything other than that urban metro inner-city cultural existence are the ones who will never get it. Then there's people who were born and raised in rural areas who know of, and have seen on the news, what urban life is like and choose not to live in that environment. That doesn't make their worldview any less than you urbanites.

[brinstar]

translation: move out to BFE where you can be just as racist and backwards as you want, no one will call you on it!

[Tossica]

I like living in a small town...I don't like being in close proximity to "real" people. Hell, I'm lucky I even leave my house every day to go to work.

Seriously, though, steriotyping people who choose to live in small towns and enjoy them is rather ridiculous imo. You'll find small minds in plenty of bigger cities just as in smaller ones.

I honestly have no problem with small towns and the people that live in them. I often think I'd like to move to one one day. You must admit that growing up in a small town and spending your entire life there is going to limit your worldview and make it harder to empathize with people that are "different" than you. That's the point I am trying to make.

It would be nice if those people would just say "I don't understand it, I don't think I'll ever understand it but I guess it really has NO effect on me so why the hell should I care?"

Then there's a lot of people like me who were born and raised in urban areas, and came to the realization that urbanality is not actually just a melting pot of various cultures and differing social beliefs, but is in actuality nothing short of a shitpot of perverted immorality, crime, ignorance, and disgusting lifestyles. Those of us who have witnessed this firsthand and are disgusted by it chose to move away from it. We fully understand it. Those of you who grew up in, and never left, urban areas and don't know anything other than that urban metro inner-city cultural existence are the ones who will never get it. Then there's people who were born and raised in rural areas who know of, and have seen on the news, what urban life is like and choose not to live in that environment. That doesn't make their worldview any less than you urbanites.

Haha, nice try. What I said applies to you even more and you just proved it with this post. Good one! Dumbass.