I live in Massachusetts, and I had kind of a funny experience at work back in 2008. There are more conservatives up here than one might think, though using a secret handshake or something wouldn’t seem out of place.
I have notices some interesting behavior by liberals...many liberal people up here who like and respect you assume that you are liberal, same as they are. So you can hear what they are really thinking sometimes, and I find it both discouraging and hilarious. I don’t talk politics in the workplace unless someone asks me, then I have no problem telling them.
I worked on a project with a very liberal woman, in a very liberal workplace, in a very liberal state. Now, this woman is a liberal, but one of the most intelligent and talented people I have ever known. She and I could have intelligent political discourse. She would let me make my case, and would actually listen. We worked side by side for the better part of the decade, implementing two major computer systems together.
On our last project back in 2008 before she retired, she began creating test patients for the systems, usually a dozen or two. She used themes when making up names, and this time it was states. “VIRGINIA, VALERIE”, “COLORADO, CONNIE”, “MINNESOTA, MARY” and so on.
With a grin, she told me she named one of them ALASKA, SARAH, an obvious reference to the candidate in the election that year.
We were doing some testing, and one of our engineers (a wiry sixty-something Irishwoman with VERY liberal views) came over to discuss an issue with us. When she referenced the test patient “ALASKA, SARAH” her face took on a look of disgust, and she said: “I am sick of hearing this woman’s name (Palin) and I am sick of seeing it. I wish this were all over so we wouldn’t have to listen to her or hear about her anymore!”
I looked at her and calmly said: “I like her (Palin). I enjoy hearing from and about her. I hope we see her name a lot in the next four years.”
Her mouth dropped open, the closed and opened soundlessly as she stared at me in shock. She stuttered “He...He’s...He’s one of THEM!”
I nearly fell on the floor. She wasn’t being dramatic, sarcastic or humorous...she was really shocked. I could read the thought balloon over her head: “But...he seemed so...nice, so...normal!”
I had a similar experience with someone who I liked and respected for many years.
We were alone in the break room one day when I “came out” as a Libertarian Republican. She just kind of got this blank stare and she had this et tu brute moment where she actually said slowly, “Oh no. Not . . . you . . . too.”
It was priceless.