Granted that I’ve only had a top-level, quickie tour of it, but I’m finding that I like Texas much more than anticipated. As a proud area closer to its own country than a state, I previously held the belief that most residents were of the imbecile variety.

Such is the outlook of one mired in their own preconceptions and prejudices.

It may be due to the decidedly metropolitan areas of the state we’ve visited, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the liberal nature of the region. I mean, Austin was plastered with anti-Bush sentiment, and he’s supposedly one of their own- for a people to have such pride in their statue but still denounce a fellow citizen is admirable. And to be purposefully obtuse about it, anyone who hates Bush can’t be all that bad. Clearly they’re holding values above dogmatic nationalism, which is not what I expected. Since, you know, Bush himself is guilty of the latter. Then again, he’s not originally from Texas.

Heat and humidity aside, this place ain’t so bad. It’s strange how one gets a sense of the social climate of a region- immediately upon arriving here, it was clear that the populace was friendlier on the whole than I was used to. Not to mention more down to earth than some of the places I’ve experienced (*ahem* L.A. and Vegas).

Consider the commonly accepted social conventions of Seattle: the Northwest on the whole is known for being unforgiving to outsiders, passive-aggressive at every turn, and a bleeding-heart mecca.

“What?” says me, who’s lived in only one other place, and in that case couldn’t speak the language well enough to really compare notes with locals. “Isn’t it normal to be indifferent and blasé?”

GUESS WHAT: NO. In some places, people apparently enjoy having a good time. Further, they don’t have any qualms about making that desire known and acting on it. Folks more well-traveled than I may find this to be self-evident, perhaps to the point of not being warranted the label of a discovery. For my part, though, seeing how the “other half” lives, so to speak, has been interesting indeed. Not being one given to partying myself, I’m not terribly interested in joining in on the ruckus- but I appreciate that it’s unabashedly THERE.

I do recognize that these pockets of left-leaning fun-mongers may be just that- pockets- but even so, I’m heartened by the fact that the entire state is not the big, dry, hot expanse of gay-bashers that some would have me believe.

And that got me thinking about how the Northwest is perceived, and why such assumptions would have sprung forth. Are we not a fair-minded bunch who look out for the little guy? Are we not kind but independently-spirited with a flair for the progressive?

Uh, maybe. But a big difference I’m picking up in political attitudes is that of the self-righteousness that Northwesterners tend to hold; that propensity of “why can’t you understand what I tell you?” or “why don’t you do what’s RIGHT? My way is right! Follow my example!” When such exhortations are couched in arrogance, however, the message may be received but is unlikely to be heeded. And for good reason- who wants to give in to an asshole? What’s worse is this is precisely the same practice of shoving one’s views down the throats of the nonbelievers that liberals traditionally rail against. So it is that the bleeding-hearts got their unfavorable reputation, imploring all around them to think, act, and subscribe to the same “correct” beliefs. The liberal fallacy, I’ve heard it called; as a practice it’s no better than that of their opponents.

This is not, however, a practice I have seen outward evidence of in these here parts. For the mix of people I’ve observed across El Paso, Austin, and Houston, a reasonable balance and understanding appears to be de rigeur. It feels more like a “I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t make me do it” attitude, which is considerably more progressive than that of my hometown- the idea of people living their own way without the fear of others persecuting them isn’t what I expected in Texas, but it seems to hold strong here. Also, these liberals have the conviction and strength of conservatives, which I really admire.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I just haven’t seen the gnarly parts; the complementary pockets of filth and closed-mindedness. If my experiences are at all representative, though, I can understand why people are so proud of their culture here.

Take home message: there aren’t any more assholes here than you’ll find anywhere else.