As far as stereotypes go…all around–where I reside older homes are being scrapped off to make way for very large, expensive homes which fill up the entire property. The older homes are not in bad shape, but they are not new and smaller and lack appeal to the bigger is better crowd. Many of the homes destroyed are old brick bungalows. Many just may need updating and others have been updated, but they just are not the coveted McMansions that people seem to desire. Sadly, when the homes are scrapped, the older trees take a beating. I think about all the environmental WASTE this creates, regardless of the tax revenues it generates for the ever greedy city. It’s changed the neighborhood and not for the better. Most of the homes are $1.2 million or more. Many sit empty. What also amazes me are all the Obama-Biden lawn signs–one would think with the greedy, conspicious wealth crowd that they’d flaunt Republican support…so much for stereotypes.

Are you going to write all your endorsements? I don’t think you haven’t done it. Please do so as I always rely on what you decide on….

cheers mate!

1. i live in a very conservative, republican, religious, agricultural, mining, off-roading, etc community. to my great surprise and delight, i am seeing an unbelievable number of obama signs here. it’s truly incredible in a place this conservative.

2. i always appreciate the kinds of experiences like yours w/the obama-and-gay-marriage-supporting-off-roaders. they show us that we need to be very careful about judging people. i’m not sure it’s humanly possible to refrain from making those snap assessments of people based on whatever visual cues they provide, but we need to always remember that those initial impressions may not be entirely accurate or fair. it is humbling when it happens and i think of it as a lesson in humanity. it happens to me a lot because my work frequently takes me into neighborhoods where i wouldn’t go as a civilian and puts me in contact/interaction with people i would not otherwise cross paths with. i “met” a household of gangsters who were most likely drug dealers and i of course made all the expected initial judgments about them, only to quickly notice that they were very good to their dogs and always very polite to me when that is not required or commanded by my position. those two small details changed the way i saw and thought about them; it helped me to see past their “bad-ness” to their “human-ness.”

I’m surprised you didn’t point out the obvious: rich white dudes like to run long distance on their own muscle power, poor white trash likes to buy huge machines to destroy things. Something about needing to prove the need to dominate? I know you’re itching to post on this, Professor!