I was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, the conservative center of a conservative state. I moved away from here, but am here again now, so I am familiar with the culture of this place, and I can comfortably describe it as a conservative culture. Some of the characteristics of conservative cultures include a preference for tradition over innovation; deeply held belief in the importance of private property, as opposed to public or shared property; and a distrust of the "out of place" or starkly different. These are obviously generalizations, and there are many more examples of specific characteristics, but for the purposes of this essay, I'm going to focus on these.
Liberal cultures also have characteristics which, to some extent, are opposite of those listed above. Liberal cultures tend to prefer innovation over tradition, which is why the term "progressive" has grown in prominence among liberal groups. Liberal cultures tend to embrace public or shared property more than conservative cultures, and value shared property more than private property. And liberal cultures have a distrust of tradition, to the extent that a tradition can't reasonably defend itself. These too are generalizations, and do not always apply, but by and large will hold up for the purposes of my argument.
Here is a difference that I have found to be true about these types of cultures. In a conservative culture you are guilty until proven innocent. In a liberal culture you are innocent until proven guilty.
What I mean is, in a conservative culture, if you are an outsider, either in appearance, lifestyle, or background, you have to earn your place in the culture. You are suspect until you prove you are trustworthy. This is especially true if you are "out of place" in appearance. Appearance is important in conservative cultures because the "right" appearance indicates that you are a participant in the culture, that you understand how things are done.
If you are an outsider in a liberal culture, you are less noticeable, because liberal cultures are more diverse. Appearance is important in liberal cultures, because it's important in all cultures, but it isn't as important as it is in conservative cultures. Liberal cultures are more open and inclusive, and so do not distrust new participants in any knee-jerk fashion. While liberal cultures distrust exclusive or close-minded tendencies, they are almost always inclusive initially.
In a conservative culture, if you don't fit in, you will be driven out. If you don't fit into a liberal culture, you'll just be ignored.
I have other complaints about conservative cultures. Conservative cultures are more religious, which is never a good thing. And don't hear what I'm not saying: liberal cultures are religious, too, but they are religious in a secular way, which means that Liberals will tend to blame other people for their ills instead of blaming God. Conservatives are, however, religious in the sense of church, and so church becomes a smokescreen through which it's hard to see God. Liberals are religious in their attachments to humanism or secular transcendence. Again I am generalizing, but for Liberals their ideals are the smokescreen.
Here is a very specific complaint I have about conservative cultures: they don't have very many breweries. This sounds silly, but I find it to be indicative of the difference between conservative and liberal cultures. Breweries, and in particular micro-breweries (especially brewpubs, places where you can drink and hang out), encourage coming together outside of the home. They are shared spaces; while they are not legally public property, they certainly can feel like it. They are intensely local, and this is what makes them seem shared and public. Just like pubs are and always have been in England and other European countries, brewpubs in the States are homes away from home. It's where you interact. It's where you meet and make your friends.
If you live in a conservative culture and this sounds odd to you, I completely understand. Part of the problem is that so many Conservatives are teetotallers. The conservative streak of the church that has demonized liquor and destroyed the pub as public gathering place, has also destroyed the cultural appreciation for public spaces in general. Conservatives would rather sit on the porch than sit on a stool. They survey the neighborhood from the confines of their properties, while the Liberals are down at the pub surveying their fellow citizens from the perch of a "public" stool.
There isn't a substitute for this kind of space, so don't even try to defend the coffee shop as an alternative. I don't know why exactly, but coffee shops will never rival pubs as the most important of shared spaces. This probably has to do with the fact that pubs sell beer while coffee shops sell coffee. The atmospheres are different because of the products purveyed. Coffee shops are quieter, and are mostly filled with individuals absorbed in their own isolated activities: reading, studying, writing, and so on. Pubs are noisier and filled with the hubbub of interaction. Never go to a brewpub to study for your college finals, because isolation is not tolerated. You won't tolerate it, and neither will your fellow drinkers.
When it comes down to it, I prefer liberal cultures, even though there are many characteristics of these cultures that would seem to exclude me. I consider myself traditional on several fronts: I am a believer who values traditional marriage; my wife stays home and homeschools our kids; I consider myself the head of our house; and I value the will of God well above the will of the people. But the fact remains that I am different than my friends in conservative Amarillo, and, although they love me and I love them, I am excluded to some extent. This is not an effort to cast blame on anyone, it's simply an opinion and a preference. But I do find it odd that liberal cultures are more inclusive and inviting.
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