Hippie Hypocrisy

I'm a person of few words and when I do speak for longer than needed, my mouth gets dry and my spit becomes thick and nasty. That's why I choose to write instead. Words just seem to come out more fluidly that way. That being said, there are times I really want to speak my mind, but remember not everyone will understand. I live in Washington State, which is pretty pretty blue in regards to politics. But this is coming from someone on the inside looking out at the world. All I really know of other places is what I hear from word of mouth. Something I've heard the most of though, is that Bellingham, a city to north, almost bordering on Canada, is the safest city in the state. Also, it practically oozes liberalism and hippies. I don't really like using political words, like liberal or conservative. Every time I do, I feel myself die a little inside. That being said, it may be the only way to describe the city. I have a friend who goes to college there at Western University. Wanna know something funny? He's a republican. There goes another five minutes off my lifespan.

That's right, my friend, whom I've known since kindergarten, is going to the most left wing college in the state. Me myself am somewhat entertained when comes back on breaks tells me of all he's seen. Bellingham, a place I both admire, laugh, and abhore.

I admire the place for its social progress. An old highschool told me a tall tale of how safe he felt in Bellingham. So safe, he said, he could walk around the city at 2AM alone and not fear of being mugged. Back in highschool, that tall claim instantly made me raise my brow in disbelief. Maybe he was right though. Who knows, maybe the worst they have are aggressive vegans who scream at you for wearing leather or longboarding opossums. I've only ever been to B-ham once in my life and that was on a school trip. It was an ok place from what I could see. I almost went there for college myself because I heard they had zombie parades. In the end, I didn't go though. Still, not too shabby of a place I guess, what with all the hippies, hipsters, pot, and poon.

However, not even Hippieville is safe from my critiquing. The level of modern day hippieness in the city can be down right laughable from what I hear from my friend. It's a classic story you've probably heard before by now. A bunch of PC people who get offended WAY too easily huddling together in a "safe space". The internet has a word for these people, but I'm going to refrain from using it because I don't want shave off 30 seconds of my life. These are people who believe Donald Trump is the antichrist and threatened to move to Canada when he won. In fact, when he did win, my friend told me of the "chaos" he saw. All of his teachers were deeply depressed, offers for counseling were set up, and safespaces were made. The whole nine yards from what I could tell. As a response, I gave a hearty laugh and wished to see it with my own eyes.

Where I come down on B-ham is now. I mentioned how my friend was a republican. He's not a bad person though. We're all only human. We all make mistakes. But while at Western, he had to keep a tight lip about his own political beliefs or else. He also voted for Trump. In that environment, he was less than welcomed. He wasn't allowed to speak his mind about events. He feared that if he spoke about voting for Trump, he'd be nailed to a cross. And this is where I make my point. The hypocrisy of it all. How can one claim to be open minded when they just shut other people's ideals out and become intolerant of them? I understand in certain situations, but that is a different story and one that purposefully destroys my point, like telling me to choose between saving the Dalai Lama and Mother Theresa. 

Western is home for hippies who want to shut out anything about republican/conservative lifestyles (There goes another five minutes of my life) My friend is an alright person. He doesn't go on tangents about our system or anything. He doesn't talk about taxes. Hell, most of the time he's just talking about mountain climbing or Napoleon Dynamite. I don't abandon my friends because of petty political ideals. Plus, I need him in my life. My friend is a reminder that there are other people in life who think differently from you and can't ignore or forget that. Acceptance and tolerance are practice that you can't instantly master by going to a liberal arts college or surrounding yourself with like minded drones. You need to study others' beliefs and learn from yourself. As Sun Tzu said, " If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle." This includes your personal battles with yourself. Reflect on who you are before you diss someone else.