While the major reason I moved to the U.S. was to be with my Tampa-based girlfriend, one of the minor reasons was to shake things up by changing my surroundings and getting some new perspectives. So here I am, living in the state that marched to put George W. Bush in the White House with a girl with a couple of NRA baseball caps and a “Who is John Galt?” license plate frame, enjoying myself and agreeing to disagree at the same time. After all, if you can’t vive la difference, is la vie really worth vive-ing?
Even before my move here, I made sure to experience stuff outside the largely-liberal Toronto tech scene, which includes regular visits to Reason’s site. I like the personal responsibility aspect of libertarianism. I also find that “freedom for me, corporate rule for thee” and “screw you, I got mine” aspects questionable. I always try to value seeing other perspectives.
One recent interview I found interesting was one with Lisa DePasquale, former CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) organizer, about her book, Finding Mr. Righteous. It’s a memoir of dating in the world of conservative Washington politics, and it’s interesting to note some of the similarities between Republican guys and Silicon Valley guys (including the observation that I’ve heard applied to both: “The odds are good, but the goods are odd”). There’s a fair bit of overlap between student council kids and computer club kids (and hey, I should know; I was both).
You may not agree with her political views, and her need to reassert that she’s the real deal (she self-identifies as a “true conservative” not once, but twice in less than five minutes) can be grating, but you might be surprised to agree with her on other issues, such as her support for including gays and lesbians in CPAC, a struggle over which she left as an organizer. The interview’s interesting, and it’s about finding someone, which is a universal story that applies to everyone, no matter where you sit on the political spectrum:
Of course, if you want to lose your faith in humanity, particularly the male half, you can always read the comments for the Reason article or the YouTube video.