Living in Arizona for the past semester, I experienced a shock to my system as I moved from the icy woodlands of the Upper Midwest to the Sonora Desert heat of Cochise County. I learned to always keep a bottle of water handy to fight off dehydration resulting from the thin, arid air here, and that a North Face parka is a bit too much for a “winter” Arizona evening.
While the climate and environment has been a change for me, the culture of Arizona has been even more surprising. Growing up in a blue state and in a city that is a bastion for the liberal left, I found returning to live in a red state both a welcome change and a bit unsettling at times. I have spent most of my life split between the red states of Tennessee and (now) Arizona and the blue states of Wisconsin and California. The disparity between the red and the blue can at times be overwhelming.
I knew from my friends that Arizona was going to be a bit different for me. After living in the Bible Belt in middle Tennessee for four years, I arrogantly figured I was going to be prepared. I thought I was ready for the culture shock until I went into Wal-Mart and saw three men carrying handguns (which is legal in Arizona). I quickly discovered that I was no longer in, well, Wisconsin anymore.
When I go into a restaurant or the grocery store, I listen to the local Arizonans in order to see if there is a disparity between the red and the blue. I discovered that the difference is not an invention of politicians or the media. On many subjects, especially those that directly affect Arizonans, the average Arizonan takes a stance that would horrify the average Madison resident. In the last general election, Arizona passed Proposition 200, which (among other things) denies social services (except in cases of emergency) to illegal entrants to the United States. With the large immigrant population in Madison, this referendum would never have gotten close to being put on the ballot. Currently, Arizona is debating whether to put a gay marriage amendment on the ballot in 2006 or hold a special election this year. On myriad issues, the “redness” of Arizona shines through.
While we Wisconsinites may laugh or despise the red states, many in the red states can be disgusted by us as well. Many Arizonans feel threatened by the larger and larger influx of “snow bunnies” (i.e., those who move to Arizona during the winter), many of whom come from blue states like Wisconsin and Massachusetts. On the other hand, the perception of the average Wisconsinite is a liberal, beer-drinking, cheddar-wedge- wearing, Favre-worshipping cheesehead. (Of course, when I went to the Arizona-Wisconsin football game in Tucson this fall, the Wisconsin fans — myself included — only reinforced this image as we danced in the stands through the pouring rain.)
Despite all the stark contrasts between the blue and red, the similarities are overwhelming. We are all Americans and believe in doing what is right (we just argue passionately about what the definition of “right” is). The dissent in our society makes us stronger as a nation. While it seems current issues such as the war on terrorism and illegal immigration may tear our society apart, these discussions and arguments may in fact only make us stronger.
In most societies and cultures, opposition is discouraged or even persecuted. Our nation is fortunate in that we can even have blue and red states. In nations such as Ukraine, thousands for the opposition had to protest for weeks in the bitter cold of Kiev for their right to be recognized as the true winners of their election.
Americans have the right to disagree. Dissent is a right in this country. Our right to argue and be a minority voice ironically unites our society and makes us unique from most of the world. Arizonans may despise the Midwestern snow bunnies, or Californians may be disgusted by the Christian right of the Deep South. Ultimately, we are all still Americans. We must look across state lines to force our politicians to reach across the aisle in order to make our democracy push ahead in the right direction (whatever we as a society eventually, if we ever do, decide what “right” actually means) and correct what in the past was wrong. Americans agree to disagree, and this untold agreement only makes us stronger.
While I am still baffled and amazed by Arizona, I will continue this next semester exploring both its mountains and its society. The sea of red here may never engulf me, but I am sure I may show some more tints of red as a result. If anything else, I have learned from this experience that (believe it or not) an American is still an American, whether he or she presents more of a blue or red hue.
Maybe some day I actually will trade in the Birkenstocks for some cowboy boots. The sandals don’t fit in so well in the Crystal Palace in Tombstone anyway.
Jeff Carnes ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in linguistics.
