An excellent book you might like is called "I Never Thought of It That Way," by Monica Guzman. It's about bridging the political divide through curiosity. She also has a podcast called A Braver Way. Monica's local to Seattle! You may have heard her on KUOW in the past--she's a journalist who used to participate in Bill Radke's Week In Review conversation.
I love articles like these. "Representation" works with geography too. If you judged the US via our stories, you'd think we all live in the same five cities. Places mean culture.
And sometimes, it's not even "I want a story set in my hometown that only has one stoplight." Frankly, those stories are demeaning. (That means you, Hallmark.)
Rather, you just don't like being sneered at. That's all.
I appreciate this piece! As an urbanite-turned-ruralite (??) it’s been a learning curve and series of adaptations, but brought a lot of perspective. There’s a lot of Trumpers out here for sure, but also plenty of folks who really don’t pay much attention to the news/politics and vote based on economy vibes. I think understanding the working class mindset is SO vital and I feel the “coastal elites” so to speak really do a disservice to paint rural voters with too broad a brush stroke. But also why AOC’s brief but powerful speech at the DNC this week brought tears to my eyes when she talked about the value of hard work and nobility of a working class job!
Also, the ethos in rural areas, as you know, is much more independence oriented, or a reliance on your local neighbor but a resistance about relying on government (including for social programs). I’m really hoping the messaging of the Harris/Walz campaign can leak through to these undecided/politically apathetic-ish voters!
Loved these last couple pieces tackling this topic— thank you for writing on it!
I think Ohio has a really interesting combo of blue collar workers who live in urban areas and it’s why I love Sherrod brown so much. Tim walz too seems like such a great bridge for people who feel pushed out of college/urbanite/liberal circles.
I agree with a comment above that the way republican politicans exploit conservative religious values to push their tax-cuts that benefit the rich….makes me sick.
thanks, Christine! That's an interesting point about being independence oriented. A lot of this makes sense. We interact with more government services in the city. In rural areas, people often need to rely on neighbors more. They're both systems that rely on group support, but one is much less formal than the other.
It also brings to mind how much circumstances dictate policy. Many western states were the first to grant women the right to hold elected office, probably owing to the fact that women's work was vital to farms, ranches, and small settlements.
I haven't watched the AOC speech yet, but I'll make sure to!
I’ve tried to stop reading books set in New York. There are other cities people!!!
I just read the historical fiction THE EVOLUTION OF ANNABEL CRAIG, set in Dayton Tennessee during the Scopes Trial of the early 1900s. It sure follows the theme of your article. In the books, big city people come to write about the “yokels” of small town Tennessee, sowing even more division as lawyers fight about teaching evolution in schools.
Hi, red-stater here! I was shocked to find out that “city people” sneer at places like Applebee’s and Olive Garden. Where I’m from is too small to have either one so we thought these restaurants were a special treat.
We’re easy to make fun of. I mean, we laugh at each other all the time, but it hurts coming from people who have never met us. It’s like a different kind of laughter. You probably know what I mean, being from a rural area yourself.
Right?! It was such a culture shock for me to realize Outback Steakhouse was the butt of the joke when it was probably the #2 fanciest restaurant in my town. Did you read Demon Copperhead? Barbara kingsolver writes a lot about how it feels to be mocked as a hillbilly.
True story, I thought IHOP was a gas station until I was almost grown. We just didn’t have that 🤷🏼♀️ I have not read Demon Copperhead but I’ll look it up!
I thought the movie Vengeance that came out a few years ago was a lot of fun and very fair at how it portrayed the South. I was a teensy bit irked that they didn’t grasp the nuance of the phrase “Bless your heart” but bless their hearts, they tried.
Thanks for this piece. I definitely don’t think in terms of extreme labels for people, but painting the picture of the difficulty of rural life helped me understand a bit more.
I would respectfully ask, what do people in red states want?
Do they want to be seen, as in television and movies?
Do they want better living conditions? Higher wages?
Do they want people to move back and revitalize their towns?
Do they want to take back their land from Big Ag? Do they want their children to follow in their footsteps?
The reality is that if they continue to vote for lower taxes on big corporations, and base their votes on lifestyle issues, they won’t get what they want. You can’t vote for people who don’t have your best interests in mind and expect them to listen to what you need.
This is not to insult people in rural communities. I get it. I live in a town that used to be more rural than it is now. It’s become unaffordable for young people to live in this community. So I’m voting for the guy who wants to rein it in - for me, sure, but also for my children.
I agree with you for the most part, conservative politicians don't have these voters best interest at heart. And also I think many Liberal politicians miss the mark when it comes to offering solutions to rural people. There's been little accountability for free trade policies, and all the people addressing it are on the right (Trump/Vance.) I don't think that their solutions will necessarily work, and a lot of his promises are flat-out lies, but rural people at least think he's hearing them and working to solve their problems, when Liberal politicians often seem dismissive.
Respectfully, I think that is an assumption rather than truth. There are plenty of politicians that DO see the problems of rural people and work towards fixing them. I think it’s because a policy such as addressing the opioid crisis is more universal than rural-centric. So is addressing the housing crisis. In my area, businesses can’t get people to come here because housing costs are so outrageous. That affects the couple who own an assisted living facility as well as my friends the dairy farmers.
When people of all stripes are being conned into thinking that the Right really has their best interest in mind, I can’t do anything about that other than vote in the people who will truly try to help everyone.
PS: my middle child is not voting in the Presidential. She will vote locally, though. She feels that the president (from either party) doesn’t have her best interests, but the interests of the moneyed class.
An excellent book you might like is called "I Never Thought of It That Way," by Monica Guzman. It's about bridging the political divide through curiosity. She also has a podcast called A Braver Way. Monica's local to Seattle! You may have heard her on KUOW in the past--she's a journalist who used to participate in Bill Radke's Week In Review conversation.
I love articles like these. "Representation" works with geography too. If you judged the US via our stories, you'd think we all live in the same five cities. Places mean culture.
And sometimes, it's not even "I want a story set in my hometown that only has one stoplight." Frankly, those stories are demeaning. (That means you, Hallmark.)
Rather, you just don't like being sneered at. That's all.
Amen to that. People don't like being sneered at, what a concept!
I appreciate this piece! As an urbanite-turned-ruralite (??) it’s been a learning curve and series of adaptations, but brought a lot of perspective. There’s a lot of Trumpers out here for sure, but also plenty of folks who really don’t pay much attention to the news/politics and vote based on economy vibes. I think understanding the working class mindset is SO vital and I feel the “coastal elites” so to speak really do a disservice to paint rural voters with too broad a brush stroke. But also why AOC’s brief but powerful speech at the DNC this week brought tears to my eyes when she talked about the value of hard work and nobility of a working class job!
Also, the ethos in rural areas, as you know, is much more independence oriented, or a reliance on your local neighbor but a resistance about relying on government (including for social programs). I’m really hoping the messaging of the Harris/Walz campaign can leak through to these undecided/politically apathetic-ish voters!
Loved these last couple pieces tackling this topic— thank you for writing on it!
I think Ohio has a really interesting combo of blue collar workers who live in urban areas and it’s why I love Sherrod brown so much. Tim walz too seems like such a great bridge for people who feel pushed out of college/urbanite/liberal circles.
I agree with a comment above that the way republican politicans exploit conservative religious values to push their tax-cuts that benefit the rich….makes me sick.
yes, after watching the DNC I have some cautious optimism that Democrats are starting to speak more to rural blue collar folks
thanks, Christine! That's an interesting point about being independence oriented. A lot of this makes sense. We interact with more government services in the city. In rural areas, people often need to rely on neighbors more. They're both systems that rely on group support, but one is much less formal than the other.
It also brings to mind how much circumstances dictate policy. Many western states were the first to grant women the right to hold elected office, probably owing to the fact that women's work was vital to farms, ranches, and small settlements.
I haven't watched the AOC speech yet, but I'll make sure to!
I’ve tried to stop reading books set in New York. There are other cities people!!!
I just read the historical fiction THE EVOLUTION OF ANNABEL CRAIG, set in Dayton Tennessee during the Scopes Trial of the early 1900s. It sure follows the theme of your article. In the books, big city people come to write about the “yokels” of small town Tennessee, sowing even more division as lawyers fight about teaching evolution in schools.
ooh that sounds like a good read. Maybe a companion piece to Rachel Held Evans' book on Scopes?
Hi, red-stater here! I was shocked to find out that “city people” sneer at places like Applebee’s and Olive Garden. Where I’m from is too small to have either one so we thought these restaurants were a special treat.
We’re easy to make fun of. I mean, we laugh at each other all the time, but it hurts coming from people who have never met us. It’s like a different kind of laughter. You probably know what I mean, being from a rural area yourself.
I appreciate the post.
Right?! It was such a culture shock for me to realize Outback Steakhouse was the butt of the joke when it was probably the #2 fanciest restaurant in my town. Did you read Demon Copperhead? Barbara kingsolver writes a lot about how it feels to be mocked as a hillbilly.
True story, I thought IHOP was a gas station until I was almost grown. We just didn’t have that 🤷🏼♀️ I have not read Demon Copperhead but I’ll look it up!
I thought the movie Vengeance that came out a few years ago was a lot of fun and very fair at how it portrayed the South. I was a teensy bit irked that they didn’t grasp the nuance of the phrase “Bless your heart” but bless their hearts, they tried.
ooh I will check that out. My mom is southern and this misunderstanding also irritates me! There's a lot of NUANCE, Yankees!
Thanks for this piece. I definitely don’t think in terms of extreme labels for people, but painting the picture of the difficulty of rural life helped me understand a bit more.
thanks, Mikaela!
I would respectfully ask, what do people in red states want?
Do they want to be seen, as in television and movies?
Do they want better living conditions? Higher wages?
Do they want people to move back and revitalize their towns?
Do they want to take back their land from Big Ag? Do they want their children to follow in their footsteps?
The reality is that if they continue to vote for lower taxes on big corporations, and base their votes on lifestyle issues, they won’t get what they want. You can’t vote for people who don’t have your best interests in mind and expect them to listen to what you need.
This is not to insult people in rural communities. I get it. I live in a town that used to be more rural than it is now. It’s become unaffordable for young people to live in this community. So I’m voting for the guy who wants to rein it in - for me, sure, but also for my children.
I agree with you for the most part, conservative politicians don't have these voters best interest at heart. And also I think many Liberal politicians miss the mark when it comes to offering solutions to rural people. There's been little accountability for free trade policies, and all the people addressing it are on the right (Trump/Vance.) I don't think that their solutions will necessarily work, and a lot of his promises are flat-out lies, but rural people at least think he's hearing them and working to solve their problems, when Liberal politicians often seem dismissive.
Respectfully, I think that is an assumption rather than truth. There are plenty of politicians that DO see the problems of rural people and work towards fixing them. I think it’s because a policy such as addressing the opioid crisis is more universal than rural-centric. So is addressing the housing crisis. In my area, businesses can’t get people to come here because housing costs are so outrageous. That affects the couple who own an assisted living facility as well as my friends the dairy farmers.
When people of all stripes are being conned into thinking that the Right really has their best interest in mind, I can’t do anything about that other than vote in the people who will truly try to help everyone.
PS: my middle child is not voting in the Presidential. She will vote locally, though. She feels that the president (from either party) doesn’t have her best interests, but the interests of the moneyed class.