This was seriously a reason why I moved back to MA, from AZ. Now, that is not to say that there were not and are not today, others with opinions and beliefs similar to mine. But, in 1990 we saw the writing on the wall. Compared to the early 70s, when my parents moved to AZ, the politics totally shifted. I pretty much stayed within the confines of my little group of friends, connected to the JCC, a few colleagues, and people i knew from the university. And, I lived in a liberal, university city. But... I taught in the neighboring town, and really, got sick of of the prissy attitudes of a lot of the staff and some students, who mostly were members of a particular religion that is ultra conservative, mysonigistic, and racist. One of the male staff members told me that my husband should not *allow* me to watch cable TV
. I did not like it when my 5 year old had to go on a tangent to explain to a grocery clerk why he didn't celebrate Christmas. I know people have different opinions, I just want to be around people who don't constantly try to tear down my beliefs. I am not going to try and change others. I stopped speaking to close members of my family (aunt and cousins) because of this. They may be the only Jewish conservatives in Massachusetts, but it ruined every holiday and family occasion.
I don't have to justify myself to anyone...
I just can't get past the part of me that marched on the Boston Common in 1968 and got thrown out of high school when I moved to Florida in 1969 and wore a black arm band to protest.