Jeff and I are in San Antonio, TX, on a consulting gig. Yesterday after work, we went out for beers with the team we?re working with.
Jeff and I, being Bay Area liberals, had been careful to not open political conversations here in Dubya-land. But one of the team members asked about how people felt about the War in Iraq in the Bay Area, and we talked about the many protests, etc.
It quickly became clear that everyone around the table was against the administration?s policies, which kinda surprised me. I mean, we?re in Texas, working with a conservative financial services firm, and yet when going out for beers, I?m surrounded by liberals. (Who admonished Jeff and I to not voice our views TOO loudly, lest we raise the ire of the tables near us).
It seems to be a constant among people who do the kind of work we do (call it information architecture, user experience, etc.). They?re overwhelmingly liberal. And love good beer… We drank at Flying Saucer, which had over 80 beers on tap. Oh, and quote Simpson?s episodes at length.
peterme.com 
Dave Parker said
So, to make an obscure Simpson’s quote:
Can I play Devil’s Advocate?
Can we assume that anyone who considers himself a conservative is going to support everything the Bush administration does, and that anyone who doesn’t is, indeed, a liberal?
Just wondering.
Carl said
While you’re in San Antonio make sure you check out Liberty Bar on Josephine St. One of my favorite places in tht world! Serves terrific lunch and dinner & Sunday Brunch.
Austin said
Not to nit-pick, but I live in Texas, travelling frequently between Houston, Austin, and Corpus Christi, and I know maybe two handfuls worth of people who support Bush’s policies. I don’t know who Gallup and CNN are polling, but it’s not anyone I know.
Andrew said
Well, I live in Austin, which isn’t “really Texas”, but it goes without saying that no one I know supports Bush.
Somewhere in the whole social-network memesphere I read someone said that in fact, we shouldn’t be surprised by this. More and more liberals and conservatives move in seperate social worlds, and so it’s easy to think that “why, no one I ever meet or talk to supports Bush, those polls are wrong.”
(BTW, Peter, I’m interviewing for a UI position with a San Antonio financial services firm, which one are you working with?)
Shane said
We’re not *all* liberal, but I’ll agree with the beer statement.
robnit said
I live in Austin. 🙂 I have found through my decidedly non-empirical observations that many (not all) folks in my circle and in my acquaintance hold opinions that are more liberal, democrats or greens, more educated, more diverse, employed in more technical or artistic fields, agnostic or non-practicing, and so forth. I am in my mid-thrities. My parents, OTOH, are and are surrounded by conservative, republican, largely white, largely educated though not well-off, largely religious individuals. Is it generational? Is it about religion? Is it about technology, education, income? Beats me.
keith knutsson said
I applaud your expression of your opinions with clients. Its rate that people are open and honest.
Jim said
So, You’re surrounded by Liberals at a Bar, but ya can’t talk too loud ? because of the table next to you ?
Sounds like liberal propoganda.
I too am an Information architect, and I’m surrounded by conservatives, and an occaisional table of Liberals.
gene said
I’m a conservative – well, a Libertarian, and I still think Bush is an idiot. Yo Pete, keep your focus off politics. You’re better at other things.
Also, your research methodology on this post was shoddy. You only selected one group, in one location, and then published the results, which were also riddled with pontification … 😉
judy said
Must be the beer:
http://www.idlewords.com/radiation.html
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