I can easily relate – I’m reluctant to use a label (such as conservative) to describe my political bent, since I live in Santa Cruz, which could possibly be one of the few places even more liberal than Hollywood; also, although I am conservative on Iraq, I’m liberal on issues such as gay marriage and drug legalization, so I refuse to be put in a box.
It’s a given that simply everyone in this town is a liberal – and I’m not quite up to feeling vilified and ostracized (or worse, having my kids be singled out) by speaking up. The few times I have spoken up, I’ve noticed a real difference in how I’ve been treated afterward to the point where I’ve almost always regretted it.
It’s a sad commentary on the state of political discourse in America today.
