Why the massive rural/urban divide?

[bgwah]

No, Democrats want to make the pie bigger and Republicans want to take all the pie pieces from the poor and give them to the rich.

You're all mixed up, Dazzy.

[bgwah]

Living in a city does make people more socially liberal. There is definitely more of a need (or just desire) for bigger government in cities. People band together in cities for the common good. They have to, to have open spaces (parks) and ways to get around (public transporation). People are so much closer to eachother, there needs to be some form of government to at least set guidelines for what people can and can not do. If you lived on a farm that played very loud music, then it wouldn't bother anyone because no one lived near them. But in the city, it will disrupt neighbors and thus the government steps in.

Socially, living in a city will cause one to experience more culture and diversity. If you experience these things everyday, then you're much less likely to fear or reject such cultures and lifestyles, and much more likely to accept them. People living in rural areas live in areas sheltered from other lifestyles, except perhaps Mexicans in some areas, and are less likely to accept or embrace them.

[bgwah]

Living in a city does make people more socially liberal. There is definitely more of a need (or just desire) for bigger government in cities. People band together in cities for the common good. They have to, to have open spaces (parks) and ways to get around (public transporation). People are so much closer to eachother, there needs to be some form of government to at least set guidelines for what people can and can not do. If you lived on a farm that played very loud music, then it wouldn't bother anyone because no one lived near them. But in the city, it will disrupt neighbors and thus the government steps in.

Socially, living in a city will cause one to experience more culture and diversity. If you experience these things everyday, then you're much less likely to fear or reject such cultures and lifestyles, and much more likely to accept them. People living in rural areas live in areas sheltered from other lifestyles, except perhaps Mexicans in some areas, and are less likely to accept or embrace them.

I think you live in a dream world.  Cities that are multi-ethnic often have high levels of racial tension and prejudice.  You must never have visited New York or Boston if you can make some of those statements.

Then why are cities generally more accepting of gay marriage than rural areas?

And you don't even reply to the first paragraph of my post, which is really the part replying to your original post.

[bgwah]

^ I suppose you're right in some ways. Vermont and New Hampshire are only so non-racist because there is nobody to hate.

Other than ethnic and racial differences, which certainly varies from region to region, cities are still more socially liberal on subjects like gay marriage, which I believe my theory still applies to. They're also more liberal on subjects like abortion and sex, but describing why is harder. I would definitely think that life in a city with a baby you aren't ready to take care for would be a lot harder than if you were in a rural area, and lots of urbanites realize that and are much more likely to support abortion rights. Sex, well, I don't know. In small towns or rural areas, you're much more likely to know everybody who lives around you. You could damage your reputation by having everyone you know think you're a whore. But in the city you can easily get away with it and not have anybody know because there's often millions of people... So in that sense, there's more of a "Who cares?" feeling.

[bgwah]

^ I suppose you're right in some ways. Vermont and New Hampshire are only so non-racist because there is nobody to hate.

Other than ethnic and racial differences, which certainly varies from region to region, cities are still more socially liberal on subjects like gay marriage, which I believe my theory still applies to. They're also more liberal on subjects like abortion and sex, but describing why is harder. I would definitely think that life in a city with a baby you aren't ready to take care for would be a lot harder than if you were in a rural area, and lots of urbanites realize that and are much more likely to support abortion rights. Sex, well, I don't know. In small towns or rural areas, you're much more likely to know everybody who lives around you. You could damage your reputation by having everyone you know think you're a whore. But in the city you can easily get away with it and not have anybody know because there's often millions of people... So in that sense, there's more of a "Who cares?" feeling.

Some good points.  It seems we actually agree to some extent on my theory, despite you saying that I had it backwards.  Did you feel you had to attack me on principle or something?

I would say that for a poor person, rural living is not necessarily easier than urban living.  If a person can't afford a car, or a reliable car, and everything is far away and there's no public transportation, life can be very difficult, and raising a child in those circumstances can be very difficult.

Cities provide proximity for basic services, and relatively inexpensive public transportation in most cases.  OTOH, the poor usually are forced to live in violent neighborhoods when they live in urban areas, since those crappy areas are all they can afford.  It's kind of a tossup as to which is worse.

I think a different sort of person chooses the urban lifestyle versus the rural or even suburban one, and that has a lot to do with why people in the cities are more liberal.

Maybe, I'm not sure how I said Democrats redistribute instead of grow and Republicans grow, though.

When I went to New York, it seemed like the epitome of capitalism and growth, with its skyscraping corporate office buildings and crowded streets lined with every type of store and business.

And I apologize if my initial post offended you.