Yes, California is neoliberal hell. Yes, California is part of the United States and the US is evil, so by extension so is California. The state was built on stolen land and genocide, just like the other 49.

But I've been in the weird position of defending California on this site not because it's "good", but just because I think for those of us who have no choice but to live in the US, it's the least bad option.

I think the issues around homelessness are a good microcosm to look at. Yeah, CA is really shitty towards our homeless population, no doubt. But at the same time there are quite a few people here who actually want solutions that help homeless people and there are programs at the state and local level - feeble as they may be - that try to do this. Meanwhile, since I'm a transplant I can compare CA to my native Midwestern state. Back there, they are only a couple steps below "just fucking shoot homeless people we don't care". Literally every person I know back home sees homelessness as a "problem" that just needs to go away. If I was homeless I would never even consider going back to where I grew up, I'd stay here.

So yeah, I would sorta defend CA here. And now I feel like over the last year you've seen how absolutely christofascist the red states are going w/r/t abortion, trans issues, even gay marriage, you all are starting to see just how awful most of the US can be for anyone who isn't a well-off cishet white guy.

Fun CA fact: if you can land a job in CA state or local govt (including in the massive UC system), your health insurance is required by law to cover all gender affirming care, including expensive surgeries.

        • Dr_Gabriel_Aby [none/use name]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Interesting, I could see that. I’ve never been to either (PNW or Great Lakes) so I’m just going by figures. My thinking when I frame this is the entire west coast is everything west of the Cascades in WA and OR, and everything west of the coastal range in Cali.

          I’ll never have hope for Eastern sides of those states, or Idaho.

          Let’s just Balkanize this evil empire already

    • DragonBallsDeep [comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Not that its any indication of potential communism, etc but if you removed San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego County, and LA County - Biden still would've beaten Trump in California. The "California is liberal cities but Trumpland in rural areas" is not a real thing. Not only that, if California didn't vote for Bernie in the primaries dude would've done Amy Klobuchar numbers.

      Again, I know that it doesn't make CA any less susceptible to fascism - but If Im betting on a state to not immediately be fascist upon balkanization and with a massive population sympathetic to leftist causes - I'm fucking moving to California. Portland would be taken over by chuds in like 45 minutes.

      Mid-west Great Lake surrounding states like Minnesota (where I was born), Michigan, and Wisconsin are actually like Trumper hell holes outside the immediate regions of the main cities. No joke, like 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis is chudville. If like 300,000 chuds didn't die from COVID Trump probably would've taken that entire region in the elections to an irreversible degree. And lastly, the surrounding agricultural land in Minnesota is 10000% controlled by Nazis lol