Why Cities Are So Left-Wing

Cities all over the world have a reputation for being more Left-wing than the countryside. But why? And is there any sign that this could be changing?
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[EricDaMAJ]

I’m not disturbed about large cities being left wing. I’m not disturbed about them literally falling apart from so many failed leftist policies. I’m not even disturbed that the population not only puts up with those policies, but votes for more. What I’m truly disturbed about is the population does all that yet honestly seems to still believe they’re somehow morally superior to “backwards flyover states.”

[BottomOfTheLineup]

What I don't understand is why are all these people moving from California to Texas because they know their Government is meesed up, but then choose to continue to vote for the same kind of people once they get here?

[Darren_Tay]

What blows my mind the most is when people leave the place that they have ruined with their voting patterns, only to vote the same way at the new place and turn it into a new cesspool and they still can't figure out what's the problem.

[ditto]

I suspect one big reason is people who can’t get along. Instead of working their differences out with their neighbors they turn to government to solve their problems. Karen doesn’t like the neighbors’ chickens, so she goes to her alderman (alderperson?) and complains. If enough other people agree, backyard chickens are banned. A neighbor of mine had a very well trained dog that did not need a leash. He walked his dog at night when very few people were outside and everything was cool. Then I started to notice other family members walking the dog on a leash. Apparently someone complained and the police got involved… and on and on…

[jamesdellaneve]

I don’t care about how people want to govern themselves. I care that they want to rule over those that disagree with them.

[Blundabus]

When you're in a city, you rely on the government.

When you're in the country, you rely on yourself.

Edit: Lots of butthurt city folk acting like money is more important than food in the replies. Keep your money, and I'll keep my food.

[alsnyder]

In my psychology 101 class 40+ years ago I was taught that when mice were kept in overpopulated environments they became perverted. I've always wondered if that explains why urban areas lean left.

[gustafmannerheim]

The true reason is the cities are filled with atomized people with no strong emotional connections with others, which make them very deconstructive against human relation.

[mogznwaz]

It’s about self sufficiency. City folk are dependent on the State and businesses to provide everything and indulge every whim - rural folk depend on themselves and each other to provide the essentials.

[kmbbmj]

It does show the wisdom of the Founding Fathers who saw this as a problem when setting up how our elections are done and the dangers of a pure democracy.

[jD-jery]

They studied rats experiencing overpopulation, becoming gay, antinatalist, cannibalistic etc.

[thatdudeinasuit]

I've honestly enjoyed these videos so far because he's not going on long emotional rants about "the damn lefties" he's simply breaking policy and politics at large down and presenting his thoughts on them in a calm professional manner.

[TwilightMysts]

My theory on the differences between them are:
In a city, help is only a few minutes away. Heck, you have neighbors in the same building, and residential buildings on both sides. In the country, your nearest neighbor may be half a mile away, and cops/EMTs could be an hour out.

In a corporate job, if you make a mistake, you get yelled at, lose money, possibly lose your job... If you are in academia and you get a hypothesis wrong, you suffer embarrassment. If you work on a farm, if you make a mistake you (or a coworker) could end up dead.

So, fundamentally, in the city you are mostly safe and your world view says you are entitled to that safety. In the country, everything is a risk and your worldview is you have to learn to take care of yourself because no one else will.

[workingstiffdiogenes]

There are a few other factors at play. In a big city, you basically live within government, like a fish in an aquarium. You use the subway or bus system, obey traffic signals, attend events at public performing arts centers. In the country you don't have these things--even the fire department is volunteers--so the idea of living with less government isn't no scary. In cities, you can find a majority of people like you, while in the country you may be in the minority. Once surrounded by people who think like you, it's easy to think you are the center. Gay bars and whole neighborhoods for example. Lastly, guns. In the country a gun is used for hunting, protection, vermin control and sport; in the city it's most a tool for violence against other humans.

[_Devil]

One thing never pointed out is that the Big Cities are *very reliant* on the Countryside for food, machinery, and textiles. But the Countryside does not rely on Big Cities for anything. Not even trading or representation purposes.

[fatnakedjimmyneutron]

I used to be pretty moderate, and lean socially left in high school, but that all switched when I graduated and went to go live on my own in the city (seattle). I am a huge conservative now, and the reason for that was basically what this video talked about. The biggest lie Liberals will tell you is that they actually care for the environment. It was only when the realization of where liberals live and rule vs where conservatives live and rule that made me totally rethink everything I've ever been told. In a theoretical Utopia ruled by liberals, the United States would look like NYC or LA. In a theoretical Utopia ruled by conservatives the United States would look like Rural Texas or West Virginia. Liberals have complete control over States like California, New York and Oregon and also complete control over their major cities yet still they are some of the most horrible, disgusting, crime riddled and polluted places in the world. I hope even if you don't like Trump or big leaders of the Republican party on a personal level you can see the work they do to actually make their States better, cleaner and safer places to live and start a family

[kshillbilly]

A wise man once told me " the further people are removed from agriculture the dumber they become".

[markscott]

Which is exactly why our states need an Electoral College system too. Counties would then have the ability to have representation not dominated by the big cities.

[davidscbirdsall]

In cities, people are dependent on someone else for their necessities: food, water, power, shelter, healthcare, clothing, transportation, etc. In the city, one must work to make money to pay for their necessities. The people in cities depend on government to maintain the dependencies and willingly pay money for this “protection” as well as give up rights. People in cities are oblivious to the amount of control the government has because they’re so focused on their dependencies that can be shut off at any moment, immediately affecting the lives of millions. In rural areas, people are not dependent on others for their survival. In the country, we can grow/collect our own food, collect our own water, produce our own power, build our own shelters from what we find on the ground, make our own clothing, walk to ride an animal, etc. We can do all this without needing money or government assistance. The only government we may require is for the Sheriff to keep others from interfering with our Constitutional rights.

[vdubz]

Overall a decent summary but you missed a few points:

1. Cities have more renters than owners, therefore care less about building wealth and protecting private property
2. Because they are less interested in self-reliance and have basically given up on trying to build wealth and be self-sufficient, they tend to vote for more government programs and entitlements to sustain them through life
3. In more rural areas everything tends to be more privately owned (from your home to your car) and usage-based, while in the city everything tends to be more communal.
3. Rural areas are more tight-knit and have a stronger sense of community, and they rely on each other in difficult times. In the city nobody really has any connection with each other or cares about each other, so again goes back to always relying on the government.