Best places to live for an unabashed progressive/leftist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until your last line I was going to suggest a community with a relatively high BIPOC population. Generally speaking (and yes these are generalities!!) BIPOC have never stood to benefit much from compromising with moderates, or centrism, and they actually understand how to make progress thanks to their experience in activism and organizing.

But when you say you want the most vegan-friendly neighborhood or city, I dunno, I think that would be a pretty white place and white people have a sad reputation of advocating for progressive things until it doesn't serve their interests so often it's a lot of fake progressivism.

Are you sure? In all the places I lived with a high % of Blacks, especially working class/LMC Blacks, their vote skewed heavily toward moderate Democratic candidates, the people who've been around for a long time and know how to make deals. The community leaders in those areas are usually the older homeowners, small business owners and church leaders, and they define the voting patterns. You wouldn't see them on twitter, but they are a force.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hyattsville or Mt. Rainier.

Takoma Park is liberal but mostly nuclear families.

Just Mt. Rainier. Takoma Park is more traditional democrat, definitely less accepting of alternative lifestyles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until your last line I was going to suggest a community with a relatively high BIPOC population. Generally speaking (and yes these are generalities!!) BIPOC have never stood to benefit much from compromising with moderates, or centrism, and they actually understand how to make progress thanks to their experience in activism and organizing.

But when you say you want the most vegan-friendly neighborhood or city, I dunno, I think that would be a pretty white place and white people have a sad reputation of advocating for progressive things until it doesn't serve their interests so often it's a lot of fake progressivism.

Are you sure? In all the places I lived with a high % of Blacks, especially working class/LMC Blacks, their vote skewed heavily toward moderate Democratic candidates, the people who've been around for a long time and know how to make deals. The community leaders in those areas are usually the older homeowners, small business owners and church leaders, and they define the voting patterns. You wouldn't see them on twitter, but they are a force.

+1. It is the moderate, issue-focused democrats in those neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

I’m still laughing that OP refers to the democrat party as a “big tent”.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park, downtown Silver Spring, Hyattsville, College Park, Mt Ranier, Greenbelt. Maybe Alexandria.

Not: Arlington, Falls Church, McLean, Potomac, DC Ward 1 or 3.

In Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Kensington there will be people who agree with you aesthetically but not practically.

Elected officials/candidates: Elrich, Jawando, any of the District 20 state delegates, Kate Stewart, Max Socol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m still laughing that OP refers to the democrat party as a “big tent”.

Lol me too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hyattsville or Mt. Rainier.

Takoma Park is liberal but mostly nuclear families.

Just Mt. Rainier. Takoma Park is more traditional democrat, definitely less accepting of alternative lifestyles.

Eh, disagree. I think both have a mix. Hyattsville and Mt. Ranier have active arts scenes and plenty of lefties, but also a lot of pretty hard core conservative Catholics (and more moderate but still conservative compared to OP Catholics) who moved there for proximity to the parochials schools.

Takoma Park and East Silver Spring both have a mix of progressives and "institution Democrats."

Pick your poison, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Especially about the environment, animal rights (most vegan friendly neighborhoods or cities?), lgbtq rights, and a people-over-profits mentality?

To answer this directly, you have to understand something about governance in this region. A lot of it happens at the county level. So, I think neighborhoods around DTSS meet a ton of your needs, including having a lot of LGBTQ folks and non-nuclear family living situations. However, Silver Spring does not have its own government, so the actual policies are only as liberal as the county more broadly.

On the other hand, Takoma Park is a governing unit so they have more say over their own governance. So, they can extend the right to vote in municial elections to 16 year-olds and non-citizens, for example. They can declare themselves nuclear free (for what that is worth in 2022).

However, because Takoma Park has become so expensive, it's a two-edged sword. As it has gentrified, the political will for some of those progressive measures has deteriorated. The problem with local governance is that it can change.

You have some good choices on the Maryland side but some of the issues are just baked into the way political power is distributed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which community in the greater DC area would be the best for someone with unapologetically progressive and left wing views? Let’s say that I can respect opposing viewpoints and acknowledge that it’s a big country, the Democratic Party is a big tent, and not everyone has to agree - but if given a choice of a local community with shared values and idealism with people working together to build upon a progressive vision, not watered down by polite-society centrism and compromising with moderates? Accepting that compromise and concessions have to be made at the national level, which community is more likely to advance a common, progressive agenda, locally? Especially about the environment, animal rights (most vegan friendly neighborhoods or cities?), lgbtq rights, and a people-over-profits mentality?

1. enviornment-Reston
2. animal rights-vegan friendly-Loudoun where many Southeast Asian Jain and Braham live
3. lgbtq rights-DelRay- it is run by lesbians
4. people over profits mentality-any poor neighborhood in DMV

[Anonymous]

There’s a co-housing community in Takoma Park that might fit you well: https://takomavillage.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL. NOT Bethesda.

Seriously. Tons of Trump admin appointees in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until your last line I was going to suggest a community with a relatively high BIPOC population. Generally speaking (and yes these are generalities!!) BIPOC have never stood to benefit much from compromising with moderates, or centrism, and they actually understand how to make progress thanks to their experience in activism and organizing.

But when you say you want the most vegan-friendly neighborhood or city, I dunno, I think that would be a pretty white place and white people have a sad reputation of advocating for progressive things until it doesn't serve their interests so often it's a lot of fake progressivism.

Are you sure? In all the places I lived with a high % of Blacks, especially working class/LMC Blacks, their vote skewed heavily toward moderate Democratic candidates, the people who've been around for a long time and know how to make deals. The community leaders in those areas are usually the older homeowners, small business owners and church leaders, and they define the voting patterns. You wouldn't see them on twitter, but they are a force.

While that might reflect the genuine views of many of the voters, it also may reflect the pragmatic tendency for members of a numerical minority group to vote for a candidate who actually has a chance of winning. Even better if the candidate’s history suggests that they will actually come through for a community that has consistently supported them.

Black woman of a certain age here, who voted for Hillary and Biden — despite huge reservations, because my main goal was to avoid a Trump presidency. Same reasoning might apply to other elections as well, unless they are relatively small and hyper local. My personal dream candidates would not be winnable in the states where I voted, and too many people died for my right to vote for me to throw it away.

Also, there are multiple Black vegan restaurants around, including one in Takoma — the DC neighborhood adjacent to Takoma Park, MD.

[Anonymous]

Anywhere but my neighborhood. You sound insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Please don’t come to Mount Rainier. You sound like … a lot.

[Anonymous]

Not DC at all. Portland, OR has plenty of enclaves for you.