Well now wait just a minute. I am as conservative as anyone on here I suppose. I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I don't mean the MET, I mean the trigonometry, analytical geometry, three semesters of Calculus, differential equations, statistics, dynamics, statics, two semesters of thermodynamics,two semesters of chemistry (the hard one, not the cowboy chemistry) two semesters of electrical engineering,fluids, kinematics and machine design, metallurgy, structures, computer programming (Fortran), and two semesters of physics one. I played football in junior high and high school.
My son has the same degree. He is also conservative.
Most of the North East inner city is liberal. They are for unemployment insurance, universal government health care, government safety net programs, government aid for everything. Their educational levels are not particularly superior to the average white conservative. Yet they are liberal.
I have seen your list of your son's credentials and they are sterling. Doesn't mean he has them because you are a political liberal. He has them because those are your family's values, not your politics.
Mike, those are incredible credentials you and your son have, and you're right - it has nothing to do with political persuasion. In fact, my anecdotal evidence suggests that engineers tend to be more conservative or libertarian. (Most of my physicist friends are very liberal, in contrast) But you and your son are disappearing breeds - as I understand it fewer Americans are entering engineering because of the subjects you listed that are requirements. They can be ball-busters in terms of effort and time involved. I am not an engineer but I took 3 full years of chemistry - year of inorganic; year of organic; semester of quant and one of P-chem. Each course had three one-hour lectures/week and two two-hour labs/week. The time invested was staggering, not counting study and lab reports. Add physics and biology to the mix and an undergraduate life can be very hard indeed, as you well know. Americans don't want to do that anymore- I still spend a lot of time in Cambridge and I would guess that about half the students at MIT are Oriental. Maybe it just seems that way, but 50 years ago it was quite different.
You and your son are educated white conservatives. You are not average. You are far, far above average.
Urban people generally are more liberal but the urban white working class is conservative. And the white working class is suspicious of learning.
The American dream is still alive and well, it's just that it's a ball-buster as it always was and always will be.
I appreciate your post - especially your mention of differential equations. I took that course in pre-computer days (1950s) and recently bought the "Great Courses" set of DVD lectures "Mastering Differential Equations - The visual method" and was blown out of the water. It is a totally different world - even the terminology has changed because methodology is so different. Sadly, that world has now passed me by forever.
Grouse season in a few weeks and my back is out.
Stay young!
