Search Results: changing oneself

I'm reading the questions and comments for a while now and don't know wether I should be amused or worryed about the dychotomy of the (in this case) American society. To a lot of people the society seems to be devided in "us" and "the others". The left and the right, liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans.

As soon as someone decides you belong to "the others" you are treated like the evil or a slobbering idiot. Does every American identify oneself with one of the two groups? Or are there some people who are convinced of some points (maybe immigration) and dislike some others (maybe climate change) at the same time?

If these groups are not simply a social construct but really exist, what's the single connecting element for each group?
Is there a single axiom at the beginning of all thoughts and conclusions that leads inevitable to the left or to the right?

This may sound like an extremely silly question, but despite having grown up in Orlando (Florida, USA) where it's hot as fuck, I grew up in an extremely conservative family, who believed showing skin was disrespecting oneself. We weren't Muslim or anything, but we just always wore long sleeves and long pants, nothing relatively low-cut... basically, all we showed was our face and hands.

My parents still follow these customs, my older sister doesn't, my younger brother doesn't, and I still personally do. I just always thought longer clothes looked more sophisticated and professional.

So I don't know how it feels to wear shorts. And I never gave it much thought, till I met my girlfriend, who wears in every season except winter, since Orlando is hot as fuck.

I look at her, and compare her style to myself. Her legs are completely bare, except for the upper thighs, where her tiny shorts start (no butt cheek, but a lot of leg), while my legs are completely covered.

Sometimes she asks me to feel her legs after having had shaved, and they are so soft and smooth... how can such delicate legs be almost constantly exposed?

She also one day asked me how I can live in Orlando and never wear shorts, and I just explained I came from a conservative family, and she said, "Ah, that's understandable, sweetie. But it's never too late to change, tehe. Plus, in this type of weather, with the exception of winter, shorts are a million times more comfortable than long pants."

Is my girlfriend right? Are shorts really that comfortable? I imagine it must be pretty weird to wander into public with bare knees and thighs... especially on public seats... and what if two people's legs touch when they're wearing shorts and sitting close together...

But I also never tried it wearing shorts, so... I'm here asking for your opinion.