Would it make sense for a person in a "privileged class" to move from a red state?

Trying to gauge if I’m going crazy or a little too much “online.”

I currently live in Texas, and moving has been on my mind a lot lately as the Republican party and Texas itself seems to be slowly moving toward fascism. I don’t know when the slide toward fascism will stop, and how much more authoritarian the state will get. I do not feel very good about my tax dollars going to support this state.

I am a middle-aged cishet white man; middle to upper middle class software engineer. I have leftist opinions (libsoc/ansoc), but I’m not an activist (I am very introverted, probably a little bit on the autism spectrum, and pretty much a hermit right now). I do seldom indulge in marijuana consumption, which is illegal here.

I really don’t have much tying me down here. I have no close friends, no family in the state, and no current romantic partners. Last year, I moved within the state for a job, but the company was bought out, and everyone was layed off. I have very high autonomy at my current job, and could probably work fully remote if I wanted. Moving would be expensive (I am in an upside-down mortgage), but I have enough savings to take the hit.

I am personally feeling very isolated here (Texas suburb), at this point in my life, and am thinking about moving into some sort of intentional community (eco-village, cohousing, or land trust; not a commune) in a blue state (or even in Canada if I could pull that off).

Also, the weather in the last 2 years has been absolutely oppressive, and I have a hard time keeping anything alive in my veggie garden :)

Am I being over dramatic? Should I just stick it out here, and try to rebuild my life in a state that doesn’t align with my beliefs?

Also, I’ve heard arguments that libs should stay or even move to red states, but I’m not convinced. The state rules with an iron fist, and pre-empts anything progressive Texas cities try to do. And the district I live in is already pretty solidly blue. Not to mention, red states put families that contain females or lbgt people in danger.

rifugee,

Honestly, it seems to me that you have all but decided to move and the only thing holding you back is fear of change.

Man, if I were in your position, I’d downsize my belongings and become a digital nomad and I wouldn’t limit myself to the US. Spain, for example, has a newish digital nomad visa that you can get for a year, renewable for three (I think), and it’s not really any more expensive to live there than a typical Midwestern city. Even cheaper in some areas of the country. If I didn’t have a family, I would move there in a heartbeat, at least for awhile.

There’s a lot to see and experience in the US too, though, so if you aren’t feeling adventurous enough to live outside the country, you might look at Minnesota. Duluth, just as an example, is about the same cost of living as Dallas and today’s high there is 69 (giggity) vs 106 in Dallas. I haven’t been to MN yet, but I’m planning a huge road trip for next summer and northern MN looks gorgeous.

The world is your oyster, my friend.

UnicornKitty,
@UnicornKitty@lemmy.world avatar

We are moving out of our red state by the end of the year. I do have a dog in this race. I’m a mother to a daughter. We only waited because of opportunity, but we’ve been planning it since RvW.

I will always encourage people to move out of red states if they can, especially Texas. Find a place that makes you happy.

Drivebyhaiku,

Honestly in all this it’s easy to forget about the simple things. Does living where you are make you happy? Florida is likely imploding at present as the draconian laws being dredged out are going to cause issues. Notible ones. Republicans are basically cutting off their own noses to spite their face to make their supposed utopia and the logistical problems are mounting meaning a greater degree of cognitive dissonance will be required to maintain enthusiasm.

There are people who are having to flee because they can’t be healthy there. You are not an exception to this. If you can’t be healthy where you are then being beholden to the gridlock of politics is affecting you in a way that is not ethical. Yes, we trans folks and people affected by abortion bans need allies. But we can’t fault people for their choices to leave because they are unhappy for the same reasons we are.

Epicurean ethics run the trans movement. At it’s core is this set of principles : you, like every other living thing are in the right to seek the circumstances under which you best flourish. Minimizing the pain experienced, your own and that of others is ethical. Avoiding pain is not an unethical choice.

Whether it’s denying their government tax revenue or staying so you can lend your voice to the movements you believe in it all might come out in the wash in the broader sense of politics - but you also deserve kindness.

Snapz,

Red state doesn’t necessarily matter, find a purple state or a purple district where you and a few like minded people can potentially flip a district. I moved to a perpetually 51/49 district, I did get involved a bit in local politics to help spread the word (mostly stopped during COVID). Within a few years, we flipped the district blue for the first time in like 15-20 years.

AlecSadler,

You sound like me. I’m diagnosed autistic (mildly), I’m a software engineer, I’m introverted, I’m definitely liberal leaning, and…I live in Oregon.

For now, I love it here (except Portland proper). So many great restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, and a crap ton of trails and other parks and sights and sounds.

I live semi-rural and half the businesses here have pride flags and BLM signage. I’m non-white, but don’t feel unsafe walking around where I am at night. My tech contract jobs are remote and I make more than enough to live comfortably.

It rains a lot here… though less so these days it seems. It’s weird how many 100+ degree days we get now, but it’s still a lot less than other people I know.

I’m rambling. If you want to know more, just ask.

APassenger, (edited )

I moved from Texas to California.

While I wish I’d done it with better financial timing, it worked out and I’m glad I’m here. Hell, it sounds like your skills are a good fit for certain places, too.

If it suits you, find a place where outdoors is a place you can enjoy almost every day of the year. They aren’t as rare as Texas makes it seem.

Edit: food -> good

bighatchester,

I never understood why anyone would want to live in Texas. Just seems like a bunch of insecure rednecks who is afraid of anything that isn’t a straight white family . I know not everyone one there is but it does seem like the people in power feel that way

peanut_boy,

Lol. Lmao even

31337,

As someone has mentioned before, it’s more of a rural/urban divide. Rural northern states are also full of rednecks. In my experience, rural Texan bigots are a lot more overt though. Stopped at a gas station in rural Texas once with my girlfriend (now ex), and the old women at the register refused to ring us up (because my girlfriend was black).

bradorsomething,

They pax taxes in a red state. They spend most of their time in better places.

angrylittlekitty,

agree with what everyone else has said here. worry less about “should” and go find your tribe wherever it may be.

as i once said to a friend who contemplated the same kind of move years ago, if it doesn’t work out you can always move back. not like it’s a one way street.

eldavi,

yes, it’s the definition of privilege since most don’t have that privilege and i’ve recently become a member to that privileged class (for now atleast); which is how i can recognize it.

i also do software and i was in austin and left a couple of weeks ago because i’m not cishet nor white but still experienced enough bigotry (especially from gay texans) that it was impacting my psyche, so i had to leave and i feel sorry for whomever is like me but is stuck there because of something as silly as not having the opportunity to do software.

MajorHavoc,

Sounds like you’re ready for a change.

I encourage you to focus more on where you’re moving to, then where you’re moving from.

This is a chance to choose a community that supports your hobbies and interests.

As others mentioned, it also makes sense to consider the impact of local policies and amenities on both yourself and your future friends or lovers. Life can be simpler if you already live in a place that supports whoever you may end up building a life with later.

geogle,
@geogle@lemmy.world avatar

The states are not liberal or conservative, it’s the fraction of rural/suburban to urban areas. It’s extremely rare to find a left leaning rural population and similarly difficult to find a very right urban one. Find a place that suites you, but keep in mind your hood’s politics will largely be controlled by population density engaging-data.com/election-population-density/

31337,

Yeah, I know. I grew up in a very rural area, and now live in a major metro area. It’s not so much the people in my area that I have a problem with, it’s the state government. I’ve met plenty of like-minded people in my area, and most have been contemplating moving out of state as well, lol. I’m trying to figure out where I want to set down roots at, and right now it seems like a gamble that Texas won’t become more authoritarian in ways that negatively affect me as time goes on. Even current legislation could negatively affect me if my life circumstances change.

Coolkicks,

I’m in the same boat in Texas right now. Want to move to a more liberal state, and have several friends who already have.

The reason I stay is every person like me who leaves makes Texas more red. And often times, a liberal Texan is a conservative Californian/Coloradan/Canadian, so moving to one of those place will also move them to the right, so both places shift red.

Case in point. I have a friend who moved from NYC to Dallas because NY was too liberal and their conservative votes didn’t count there. They lasted 6 months before deciding to vote democrat in Texas, because red here is further right than they are comfortable with, so their move made NYC and Dallas more liberal.

31337,

I’m left of the DNC (a socialist), so wouldn’t be a problem. Only things “right” about me are I like target shooting, and dislike restrictive zoning laws.

dan1101,

Since you have the means and nothing to tie you down, I’d say go for it. It would be interesting to try living somewhere different. You only have so many years to experience life. Any sort of rural area further North should still be affordable and be kinder to your vegetable garden.

Rhynoplaz,

Try a Midwest swing state! I live in a backwoods town in PA, and although there’s not much of a chance of a Dem winning a local election, we have enough major cities to keep fascism out of the State law.

I might be very wrong, but I wouldn’t be against Texas and Florida leaving and starting their own countries. Let all the boot licking racists go live happily together far away from me.

31337,

Recreational marijuana is illegal in PA. I’ve kinda been using recreational marijuana laws as a litmus test on how authoritarian a state is. Also, I do sometimes use marijuana, and don’t want to go to jail. I’ve had a few close-calls here in Texas (once, the cops just stole my weed). Been looking at rural NY as a possibility. I may visit some intentional communities there soon.

Rhynoplaz,

Very true. There is a lot of talk about changing that in Harrisburg, so hopefully it won’t take long. Michigan and New York are close legal options.

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