WashU - gay friendly, liberal leftist friendly, atheist friendly?

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ipodluva

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Hey All,
I a gay male feminist atheist leftist church-hating antipatriarchal marxist democratic antiracist DUDE. Haha. There you go:) These days, we're forced to label ourselves as much as possible. And no, I am not one of those people who tolerates conservative, biggoted attitudes. I will tell you to your face that you're a BIGGGGGGGGGGGOT if I hear a nasty discriminatory comment. And that goes for all the homophobes who end up being MD students (I don't know how).

Currently, I'm trying to pick between East Coast schools and WashU for matriculation. I love the school no doubt about that. But how bad is St. Louis? And how homophobic OR homophilic is WashU?

I am concerned about the following:
1) Missouri - being in the Bible belt or on the brink of it and what not
2) racism
3) segregation
4) unlike in some New England states, people actually go to church on Sunday. I am concerned about this because I just don't agree with the Baptist church for some reason. ?!?
5) being in a red state

Anyone, please help if u can...

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Luva - I'm similar to you politically, and I had a couple of very close friends who attended WashU tell me NOT to go there. They said I would be unhappy due to the political climate.

The specific fact that sealed the deal for me was that my friends, who both became OB-GYNs, were not allowed to start a chapter of "Students for Choice" on campus. They were told this would be "too political" or something along those lines.

This is, of course, hearsay, but it was enough to prevent me from even applying.
 
tommerbommer said:
Luva - I'm similar to you politically, and I had a couple of very close friends who attended WashU tell me NOT to go there. They said I would be unhappy due to the political climate.

Hey - thanks for letting me know. I was actually thinking of starting a chapter of Medical Students for Choice, if I ended up @ WashU. And also organizing a Liberals Club. But I'm now starting to doubt WashU. We'll see. Places like Penn, Harvard, UCSF and Columbia seemed quite different. QUITE different in terms of students volunteering @ the abortion clinics, doing sex ed, being politically active on the left and all that stuff. My problem is that I am conflicted as to whether or not I should go to WashU and try to change the world a little bit or end up a liberals oasis and be a happy liberal for 4 yrs...
 
I'm at Wash U for my undergrad right now, and I'm gonna have to disagree with some of the earlier sentiments. As far as the Students for Choice comment goes--maybe that was true when your friends went there, but I know for a fact that there is currently an active chapter of Students for Choice on campus, and there has been for the whole time I've been here (I'm a sophomore).

I wouldn't characterize Wash U. as conservative so much as apathetic. Around the time we had the presidential debates last fall there was a lot of excitement on campus, but that has since died down. You're not likely to have many profound political discussions here, but I am liberal and nonreligious, and I've never had any problems. I would say that the school is pretty gay-friendly as well. Wash U. is not the place to be if you are very politically active and want to go to a really liberal school, but you won't encounter any hostility. Even though this is the Midwest, it's a college campus and liberals still far outnumber conservatives.

I think it's a mistake to think of a place that way just because it's in the Midwest. I grew up in Indiana, and Midwesterners aren't as bible-thumping as people from the East often make them out to be. I also kind of think the way you talk about conservatives and Christians is a little presumptuous. Even though I'm a liberal, I date a guy who is pretty conservative and there's nothing wrong with being around them. The conservatives who are bigoted, homophobic, ultrareligioius, etc. are certainly in the minority, especially here at Wash U. Instead of worrying about discrimination, maybe you should think of it as a chance to exchange valuable dialogue with people who see things a little differently from you. Just as you would prefer people to be openminded about your sexuality, I'm sure most conservatives would like you to be openminded about them.

Good luck!
 
ipodluva said:
Hey All,
I a gay male feminist atheist leftist church-hating antipatriarchal marxist democratic antiracist DUDE.

I have a shirt that says "Nuke all Godless, communist, gay baby seals for Christ!"
 
Me and my buddies shoot guys like you in St. Louis. It's fun to watch people die, especially pond scum.

I like to dig my bullets back out and reuse them. Melt them down and make me a pocketknife or something like that.

Seriously, this thread is lame.
 
ipodluva said:
Hey All,
I a gay male feminist atheist leftist church-hating antipatriarchal marxist democratic antiracist DUDE. Haha. There you go:) These days, we're forced to label ourselves as much as possible. And no, I am not one of those people who tolerates conservative, biggoted attitudes. I will tell you to your face that you're a BIGGGGGGGGGGGOT if I hear a nasty discriminatory comment. And that goes for all the homophobes who end up being MD students (I don't know how).
Yeah, you're about as hateful-sounding as they come. Hypocrite. And so much for staying out of the mainstream, "ipodluva."
 
You guys got it all wrong, Saint Louis is no less liberal than say Boston, or San francisco.
 
TheProwler said:
Yeah, you're about as hateful-sounding as they come. Hypocrite. And so much for staying out of the mainstream, "ipodluva."

It's so funny how libs claim to be all open-minded, except for when it comes to folks from "flyover country," right-wingers, and Christians.

I'm conservative and I had no problems attending liberal UT Austin, and would have no reservations about living in a liberal mecca like the east coast or something.

ipodluva, take mshook's advice. You're just begging for negative attention when you make such hateful comments.
 
UTKB said:
It's so funny how libs claim to be all open-minded, except for when it comes to folks from "flyover country," right-wingers, and Christians.

I'm conservative and I had no problems attending liberal UT Austin, and would have no reservations about living in a liberal mecca like the east coast or something.

ipodluva, take mshook's advice. You're just begging for negative attention when you make such hateful comments.

absolutely.

i am:
-politically right-leaning
-a theist (two words, believer in God)
-socially liberal
-red-blooded heterosexual
-extremely proud to be male
-open-minded. i accept all, regardless of any affiliation, except when they make claims to not accept others. hypocritical and ridiculous.
 
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UTKB said:
It's so funny how libs claim to be all open-minded, except for when it comes to folks from "flyover country," right-wingers, and Christians.

I'm conservative and I had no problems attending liberal UT Austin, and would have no reservations about living in a liberal mecca like the east coast or something.

ipodluva, take mshook's advice. You're just begging for negative attention when you make such hateful comments.

Yeah, the OP definitely came off as hard-nosed and closed-minded. But I think it's difficult to deal with the kind of stuff that gay males do in our society and not come out resentful of the people who teased and hurt and resentful of the institutions that those people represented.
 
speakin' of which, what is the evolutionary force behind homosexualism?
just curious, we were talking about it in my physiological psychology class the other day.

anyway, man don't hate on both sides, everybody's a somebody these days, and let bigots be bigots.
 
Medikit said:
Yeah, the OP definitely came off as hard-nosed and closed-minded. But I think it's difficult to deal with the kind of stuff that gay males do in our society and not come out resentful of the people who teased and hurt and resentful of the institutions that those people represented.
Yeah, because being hypocritical, hateful and angry is the best way to make people sympathetic to your cause. Saying that he's "fun-loving, open-minded and looking for some liberal causes to support" would've been a much better idea. Suggesting that a school is half-assed because the students don't volunteer at an abortion clinic is just stupid.
 
Since when do people not go to church in New England? I've lived in Maine and New Hampshire, and that wasn't the case in either of those states at all.

My guess is that this is flamebait. I can't recall seeing a more hate-filled
pos(t)er on SDN.
 
TheProwler said:
Yeah, because being hypocritical, hateful and angry is the best way to make people sympathetic to your cause. Saying that he's "fun-loving, open-minded and looking for some liberal causes to support" would've been a much better idea. Suggesting that a school is half-assed because the students don't volunteer at an abortion clinic is just stupid.

I don't know, Prowler. The OP didn't sound particularly hateful or angry to me. You sound pretty touchy, though.

I don't think that he suggested any school was "half-assed" either. That looks like a misrepresentation of OP's post. He is clearly trying to figure out a good place for HIM to go to school. Where does he suggest that WashU is in any way a "half-assed" school?

And by the way, being politically liberal does not necessarily imply open-mindedness. That is just a myth. I'm a liberal, and there are a lot of values I have that I absolutely refuse to compromise.
 
To the OP - if conservatism, the bapitst church, etc, etc bother you, DON'T come to missouri. Granted, I live in a smaller college town, and I grew up in a place a long way from here that is al ot more liberal, and St. Louis may be different.

Note- This isn't a dig on the midwest. I think pretty much everyone here is a nice, goodhearted person (obviously there are the redneck boneheads occasionally). We just tend to not see eye to eye at all on political issues, and its beginning to drive me crazy. I feel like I'm an alien who has been dropped off on a weird planet, and NOTHING i say is agreeed with. (aside from a few professors transplanted here from other places.) I'm out of here soon.

I repeat, if conservatism bothers you, do NOT move to Missouri.
 
as a gay, bleeding heart liberal with socialist tendencies, I completely understand where ipodluva is coming from... and personally, i'd just like to say that i'd think it'd be fun if a whole handful of us libs all decided to go to the same conservative med school (e.g. WashU) just to see what kind of sh.it we can rile up with all the conservatives on campus. at the very least, we could stir up some liberal support on such a *seemingly* politically mute landscape...

i'm sorry, but political deafness is inexcusable for such a large and prestigious institution smack dab in the middle of a state that just amended its constitution by a vote of 71-29 to permanently lower its gay and lesbian citizens to 2nd class status.

Who's in for the takeover?
 
Mateodaspy said:
as a gay, bleeding heart liberal with socialist tendencies, I completely understand where ipodluva is coming from... and personally, i'd just like to say that i'd think it'd be fun if a whole handful of us libs all decided to go to the same conservative med school (e.g. WashU) just to see what kind of sh.it we can rile up with all the conservatives on campus. at the very least, we could stir up some liberal support on such a *seemingly* politically mute landscape...

i'm sorry, but political deafness is inexcusable for such a large and prestigious institution smack dab in the middle of a state that just amended its constitution by a vote of 71-29 to permanently lower its gay and lesbian citizens to 2nd class status.

Who's in for the takeover?


WashU is a fine school, and the citizenry of its location is just an unfortunate happenstance that they've little control over. What I cannot understand, in a less related topic, is why there is so much animosity towards me. I am not even gay! Hey Matt, sugar, did you receive good news from Columbia?
 
First of all, I think redgrover's on to something, but anyway...

Wash U has a liberal slant. If you're pretty liberal you won't realize it, but I lived in St. Louis for several years and Wash U is very receptive to liberal perspectives. Take a look at their student newspaper and the organizations on campus. The prolife club at Wash U was practically non-existent (maybe 5 active members) and looked down upon. They tried to get a group to go to the Prolife march in DC, but always had to hook up with SLU because they couldn't get enough people to join. There's also a significant Jewish student population at Wash U. And to state the obvious, this demographic group tends to be more liberal. Liberals will feel very home at Wash U, conservatives that want to go to allo med schools in Missouri may feel more at home at Mizzou or SLU (yes, Wash U is considered a much better med school).

Missouri as a whole is quite conservative. In some parts even I felt uncomfortable with the redness that abounds--and I'm quite conservative. However, St. Louis is not like the rest of Missouri. Heck, try picking up the Dispatch. While it may not be as liberal as Boston, MWillie is correct; St. Louis is a left-leaning city.

And I'm completely unaware of this Students for Choice issue. In 2002, it was totally the reverse. There was a big controversy because some law students at Wash U tried to start Law Students Pro-Life. The Student Bar Association shot it down for funding in a 27-10 vote. My understanding was the group was the first to not be recognized as a student organization when it went to seek funding from the SBA. With all the controversy, I think the Law Students Pro-Life eventually went through. But it was a big story that received national news coverage...The point is Wash U is an excellent school, but by no means is it or St. Louis known for being conservative.

So ipodluva, I think your five concerns are not an issue at all. Did you like the feel when you were there? To even have an option of attending the school is privilege--you should be proud. I think you'll find yourself at home at WUSTL. And as much as some people have an intense hatred for the school, it is one of the best med schools in the nation in my opinion. The clinical training and research opportunities can compete with the best. Good luck.

But then again, I am a conservative so take my words with a grain of salt :D

And on an almost completely unrelated note, I was impressed with Wash U's music and fine arts department. I saw a play written by a student called Killing Women...simply awesome. And I saw an amazing senior honors piano recital with incredible performances of Bach Preludes and Fugues, Mozart Sonatas, a Prokofiev War Sonata, and Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie. I think the pianist's name was Rita Ho. Amazing. Oh and St. Louis is an awesome city. It's sorta like Chicago with a small town feel. There's a lot of things to check out...the Hill...the Breweries...Botanical Garden...Museums...Sports...world class symphony...Fox and Savvis performances...so much to do
 
I live in St. Louis, and me and my friends hate liberals and don't real like gays and blacks. Does this help? As far as WashU, I have no idea if it is as concervative as SLU. But...in any case, most teachers and professors are liberals.
 
TravisP said:
I live in St. Louis, and me and my friends hate liberals and don't real like gays and blacks. Does this help? As far as WashU, I have no idea if it is as concervative as SLU. But...in any case, most teachers and professors are liberals.

You and your friends ought to be crucified.
 
tommerbommer said:
I don't know, Prowler. The OP didn't sound particularly hateful or angry to me. You sound pretty touchy, though.
Not very. He sounded about as tolerant as Jerry Falwell.

tommerbommer said:
And by the way, being politically liberal does not necessarily imply open-mindedness. That is just a myth. I'm a liberal, and there are a lot of values I have that I absolutely refuse to compromise.
But if the conservatives won't compromise a value, they're closed-minded and bigoted?
 
TheProwler said:
But if the conservatives won't compromise a value, they're closed-minded and bigoted?

That would be correct.
 
GuyLaroche said:
WashU is a fine school, and the citizenry of its location is just an unfortunate happenstance that they've little control over. What I cannot understand, in a less related topic, is why there is so much animosity towards me. I am not even gay! Hey Matt, sugar, did you receive good news from Columbia?

You're an attention *****. Some might construe this with being gay, but that's mere correlation and not causality. However, you enjoy the role of being a target because it gives you more attention - some of it animosity - but sometimes it's annoying. Now spell check my post and critique my grammar bizzle.
 
TravisP said:
I live in St. Louis, and me and my friends hate liberals and don't real like gays and blacks. Does this help? As far as WashU, I have no idea if it is as concervative as SLU. But...in any case, most teachers and professors are liberals.


That's good to know! Too bad you likely have no chance of getting into WUSTL as unfortunately, I believe the school still has some admissions standards.

Best of luck getting into your favorite D.O. program! :thumbup:
 
GuyLaroche said:
WashU is a fine school, and the citizenry of its location is just an unfortunate happenstance that they've little control over. What I cannot understand, in a less related topic, is why there is so much animosity towards me. I am not even gay! Hey Matt, sugar, did you receive good news from Columbia?

Yep! Got the envelope today! yippeeeee..... next up... Harvard! then my top choice -- Pennnnn =)
 
Hey you guys don't live here, you don't understand the bull**** I have to go through.
 
:rolleyes: @ socialist activists.

If you really want to cause a commotion, why don't you just become a lawyer, thus getting a shot to be a judge? That way you'll have ample opportunity to act against the will of the people and cram your beliefs down their throats.
 
Mateodaspy said:
Yep! Got the envelope today! yippeeeee..... next up... Harvard! then my top choice -- Pennnnn =)

I congratulated you on some other thread. Congratulations! You seem like a really smart guy and I am convinced Harvard and Penn are in the cards for you. Penn is my 1st choice as well - a tie it shares with Duke. Congratulations. You'll still go to Vandy 2nd look right?

To make this largely personal post relevant: yeah, WashU is very conservative... or something.
 
SitraAchra said:
You're an attention *****. Some might construe this with being gay, but that's mere correlation and not causality. However, you enjoy the role of being a target because it gives you more attention - some of it animosity - but sometimes it's annoying. Now spell check my post and critique my grammar bizzle.

I don't recognize mediocrity. Who the hell are you?
 
GuyLaroche said:
I don't recognize mediocrity. Who the hell are you?

:laugh: you are super amusing :laugh:
 
UTKB said:
It's so funny how libs claim to be all open-minded, except for when it comes to folks from "flyover country," right-wingers, and Christians.

I'm conservative and I had no problems attending liberal UT Austin, and would have no reservations about living in a liberal mecca like the east coast or something.

ipodluva, take mshook's advice. You're just begging for negative attention when you make such hateful comments.
you're right on the mark. personally i think the OP is a troll just seeking attention with is outrageous negative bigoted comments
 
TheProwler said:
Yeah, because being hypocritical, hateful and angry is the best way to make people sympathetic to your cause. Saying that he's "fun-loving, open-minded and looking for some liberal causes to support" would've been a much better idea. Suggesting that a school is half-assed because the students don't volunteer at an abortion clinic is just stupid.
perfect, Prowler...couldn't have said it so well myself :thumbup:
 
Mateodaspy said:
as a gay, bleeding heart liberal with socialist tendencies, I completely understand where ipodluva is coming from... and personally, i'd just like to say that i'd think it'd be fun if a whole handful of us libs all decided to go to the same conservative med school (e.g. WashU) just to see what kind of sh.it we can rile up with all the conservatives on campus. at the very least, we could stir up some liberal support on such a *seemingly* politically mute landscape...

i'm sorry, but political deafness is inexcusable for such a large and prestigious institution smack dab in the middle of a state that just amended its constitution by a vote of 71-29 to permanently lower its gay and lesbian citizens to 2nd class status.

Who's in for the takeover?

i'm SO in. bleeding heart liberals unite! let's all go to washU... 'cause you know, i could get into washU in a SNAP... uh... if i wanted to, that is ;)

come on, i went to OBERLIN... the liberal oasis in the middle of OHIO. :)
 
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