99.9% of my interests have me surrounded

by non-conservatives.

Let me count.

1. urban planning
2. academia (sociology, education)
3. the arts (movies, theater, books/writing, photography, fashion)
4. non-profits focusing on disadvantage youth
5. just learned that CSO clarinetist, John Bruce Yeh, is a social moron aka social "progressive."

Okay, not really #5. But seriously, the man tweets are nothing about music; instead it's being about pro-choice and how the rainbow flag makes his eyes like "lasers."

As an ex-liberal, I have gained interests in -

1. guns and gun-rights
2. showed new interest in my faith and have embraced traditionalism
3. feel no contempt for the suburbs and country, small town life in spite of me being an urbanite for most of his life
4.  I like the South and the Midwest

Neither "progressive" nor "conservative" interest that is politically flavorless -

1. camping
2. ...
3.

That's it for neutrality. Well, unless you count all those granola munchers then I guess it can tilt towards modernism. Cooking seems like a 50/50 fight. We got your vegan, gluten-free camp and your carnivores. The only thing annoying at first about political cooking is the MGO and organic talk. Once you get over that and just buy the chicken that's available it's all about the cookin'.

Upon reflection, it's really where I'm located that adds to the annoyance. I live in one of the most populated US cities, and my original political stance, one that is of a modern liberal color, has made me very aware and familiar with such a mentality and outlook.

I won't be dropping any of my interests - okay, maybe my quest to an advanced degree in the social sciences - but it does make what I have to hear and experience all the more frustrating.

For example, urban transportation geeks tend to salivate at high-speed rails (I sorta as well), but I don't go about complaining in a way that makes the US like some underdeveloped country (it's not, besides Japan it's the most technologically advanced for its size). I'd love a high-speed rail system connecting Midwestern cities like Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Champaign-Urbana metro, Peoria, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus and Pittsburgh. The geeks that go about it tend to direct their anger at two sets of people: the first being the car drivers (Hello, LA!) and the second are politicians who are in bed with business men. They, the geeks, never bring up costs, never bring up the positives in being in debt nor do they ever bring up job replacements for those who make a living manufacturing cars (ironic because almost all car manufacturers are overseas -- globalization of American interests have created jobs, European interests? Not so much.). "Feel-good" types don't understand how an economic system works, or if they do they are of the Keynesian bent. People who focus on urban planning are morons at math and finance. It's like their brain rejects it because it makes things too complicated and in the end finances are dream killers.