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LGBT News Alaska

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by LonestarConnie, Jun 23, 2014.

  1. LonestarConnie

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  2. Nychthemeron

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    Ironically, I recently posted something about both Alaska's ban on same-sex marriage and how banning it did, in fact, violate rights.

     
  3. GeeLee

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    The anti crowd have tried every other argument, so I reckon this is them clutching at straws.
     
  4. HuskyPup

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    Why is Alaska so crazy? Whenever I've met anyone from Alaska, they seem very far-right, sort of bitter, paranoid, and well...odd. I'm sure there's some nice people there, but perhaps it would be best simply to sell the state, Sarah Palin included, to Canada, and let them deal with it.
     
  5. Raikamaru

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    :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
     
  6. SkyDiver

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    It's all that cold.
     
  7. AKTodd

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    Ahem. I was born and raised in Alaska and I am anything but far right, bitter, or paranoid. I'll grant you the odd bit. Then again, I'm considered odd by other Alaskans.

    If you care, I can go into some detail about Alaska and it's...unique outlook...but don't have time right now.

    Todd
     
  8. Techno Kid

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    Nooooooooooo :eek:
     
  9. Hexagon

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    Yeah, I don't think Canada wants them.
     
  10. HuskyPup

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    Well not everyone, by any means! :slight_smile: But the general vibe I get seems cold/prickly. Perhaps it's the isolation? Somehow, though, I get this sense of conservatism that seems to lack empathy. Of course, this is a gross generalization, and I'm sure there's also some very mellow, open-minded places & people there, but I have to wonder why the state is so Republican leaning. And Sarah Palin...ug...I think she does a lot to drag down the image. Aside from Anne Coulter, it's hard to think of a more repugnant woman, though in all fairness, I believe she was born in Idaho...another state that baffles me.

    I think Alaska seems very pretty, it's mainly the Republican tone that gets to me. I'm allergic to Republicans.
     
    #10 HuskyPup, Jun 23, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2014
  11. imnotreallysure

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    I've always pictured Alaska as the Texas of the North.
     
  12. Techno Kid

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    Do you know if the first nations there are more left-wing?
     
  13. HuskyPup

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    Maybe it's the influence of the oil companies, in part, propping up conservative/right wing candidates?
     
  14. AKTodd

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    Hm. Ok then. First, some qualifiers:

    I haven't lived in Alaska in decades, but I do go home every few years and of course stay in touch with family there. So some of this will be based on what I remember growing up (and that I still think applies) and some will be based on what I've seen/heard in my visits and infer from that. Will try to make which is which clear. I will also include some commentary on the...disconnect between the Alaskan mentality and the realities of things So, in no particular order:

    a) Alaska as the Texas of the North might be a fairly good analogy, although I know little or nothing about TX but the stereotype so I can't be sure. What I know from direct experience and which I don't think has changed much over the years:

    Alaskans think of themselves as living in the Last Frontier and many of them really believe it. They tend to look at the continental United States as a somewhat decadent land, weakened from the former greatness of the Old West and now mostly populated by slightly effete city dwellers who don't know (and don't want to know) where their food comes from and who would be pretty much totally helpless if you dropped them into any kind of wilderness or required them to actually hunt, gather, or build a house with their bare hands.

    When I was growing up it was a routine thing every few years for people to discuss the coming Apocalypse/WWIII/Fall of the US and what they would do about it. The most popular response was to blow up the bridges on either side of town, cutting ourselves off from the hordes of hungry (And slightly effete and helpless) city dwellers from Anchorage and Fairbanks and striking out as an independent enclave. On the larger scale, it was (and probably still is) fairly routine for Alaskans to talk about seceding from the US. This comes up about every 10yrs or so.

    When an Alaskan leaves the state to go anywhere they say they are going Outside. They refer to the continental US as 'The Lower 48'. So you will hear people say 'I'm going Outside to the Lower 48 this Summer'. This will usually be said in a tone that implies the Alaskan in question is going to be somewhat slumming it and going somewhere that just doesn't quite measure up to being home (which they will be glad to get back to once they leave the 'almost like a Third World country' that is the continental US).

    Ok - Reality Check -

    Alaska is rich in natural resources, but produces virtually none of its own food, medicine, fuel (there's lots of oil, not a single refinery), or manufactured goods. While a lot of the population knows how to hunt, fish, trap, and survive for months in the wilderness etc. they are greatly outnumbered by those who don't and anyway the animal and plant populations of the state are not up to the task of feeding hundreds of thousands of people, let alone providing them with heat (you got through a LOT of firewood in a winter - I speak from experience here), or anything other than blueberries to eat (in the summer that is). There is some agriculture in the state and there was even a small dairy when I was growing up (it closed long ago), but none of it is up to the task of suddenly feeding the whole state with no warning (and warning would have to come years and years in advance).

    So basically the whole 'we could get along just fine on our own' tude is total BS - but no one is going to actually admit that you understand:wink:

    On the darker side of things (pun greatly intended) - the long winter nights (which can last for days/weeks on end in places) and cold probably contribute to Alaska having one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the country. Drug use and abuse are also very high. When I was growing up, pot was legal for a time (that changed) and even when it no longer was, it was fairly routine for people to grow and smoke it. In more recent years, harder drugs have appeared, especially crystal meth. There a big problem with this in and around Anchorage and in the Matanuska Valley just outside the city. So much so that apparently buying a house in the Valley can be risky since it may have been used as a meth lab and be seriously poisonous .

    b) Alaskans and Politics - Alaskans run the gamut from conservative to liberal, but there tends to be a Libertarian streak to the conservative side. You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone kind of thing. The 'government', federal, state, or local is not overly popular there, mostly because people see it as interfering with what they want to do - especially in the area of land use. People want to go out and hunt/fish/trap/snowmobile in the wild and don't like being told they can't because its a national park or reserve or something.

    I suspect that the conservative side of things has gotten more polarized and bitter as American politics overall has, based on things I hear from family. That said, a lot of self-avowed conservative Alaskans also like to go into the wilderness and aren't too keen on industry mucking it up with development. Although they may also want more oil development for the jobs thing. But that's far away after all and the state is so big we don't really need to worry, right? Until the development is suddenly in their backyard.

    Oh yes - the Federal government is one of the biggest, perhaps the biggest, single employers in the entire state and the Feds pump a lot of money into the economy. IIRC Alaska is one of those states that makes a lot more in federal money than it pays in taxes.

    Like many people in America, the desire for economic development (jobs) and the NIMBY syndrome are in conflict with each other, often at the same time in the same person.

    On the flip side there are a lot of people who proudly wear the title 'treehugger' and who are into organic everything and protecting the environment and who are quite liberal in their politics.

    Sarah Palin actually came into office as a reformer (government corruption is/was rampant at the state and federal level) and was quite popular in that regard for a while. My sense is that her glamour (and tendency to ignore state business in favor of the national spotlight) hasn't helped her popularity, but this is in conflict with the liking of her anti-gov/Last Frontier rhetoric and the urge to 'protect one of our own'.

    All in all it's a mixed bag.

    c) Alaska Natives - In Alaska the various native peoples are collectively known as Alaska Natives or the Native Population (not First Peoples). From there they break down into various tribes/groups such as Athabaskan, Inuit, Aleut, Eskimo, and probably many others. Where I grew up, the majority of the Native population was Athabaskan.

    I don't recall anything that would indicate that the Native population is more liberal than the non-native, but only saw a small sampling in this regard. I suspect that they more or less reflect the overall state ethos of conservative with a more liberal bent when it comes to nature, but that's a bit of a guess.

    One way that Alaska differs a lot from the rest of the US is the way its Native people interact with the government/white population re land. Basically, there are a number of Native Corporations that own a lot of the land that the federal government does not. If you are a non-native you are either not allowed onto Native lands or have to get permission. When the state wanted to connect the Anchorage and Fairbanks power grids, they had to get permission from one or more of the Native corporations to cross their lands. There was a substantial bit of money involved in the deal as well as other 'perks' that the state had to provide, like building substations and bringing in commercial electricity to communities along the route of the power lines.

    d) As far as Alaskans being cold or less than nice - In my experience they are generally highly social and will gladly help out a neighbor who needs it. I've seen my home town come together in that fashion many times. They are really friendly, warm, caring people when they want to be. At the same time, I've seen plenty of nasty gossip, mean behavior, and extreme political views. As with most communities its a mixed bag kind of thing.

    My 2c worth,

    Todd
     
  15. greatwhale

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    Both of these quotes are very interesting, would you be able to cite the source of this information here for us?
     
  16. ember

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    They call themselves a "Sovereign state". So is Alaska seceding or something?