Rural voters live in their own bubble too

[Fast Walker 52]

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/03/sorry-to-burst-your-bubble-but-dont-all-americans-live-in-their-own-little-worlds

This piece makes a lot of good points:

The surreal election of Donald Trump to the presidency has given loud amplification to several boring bromides. There is an endless loop of maudlin reflections on the plight of the “white working class.” “Elites” and “elitism” have become central to the cacophony, along with the spooky but largely meaningless word “establishment.” Particularly irritating is the new version of the old admonition against liberals to “get out of the bubble.”

It is likely true that many liberals live insulated lives of cultural and intellectual isolation, but it is equally true of conservatives. The construction of a bubble around an individuated life is part of human nature, but with typical idiocy and hypocrisy, American culture has issued a one-way, exclusive indictment against isolation for liberals and no one else. To condemn people of progressive politics for insular thinking and living is the equivalent to prosecuting a petty shoplifter for theft, while ignoring the bank robbery spree of a modern-day John Dillinger. Liberals, by any criteria, are the mildest offenders.

When was the last time any mainstream commentator suggested that a rural, white Christian conservative Sunday School teacher escape her bubble and befriend a group of black lesbians? Can anyone recall ridicule of a right-wing, suburban housepainter who believes God watches his every brushstroke for not attending a public lecture from an award-winning evolutionary biologist?

The absence of criticism against the conservative bubble, which is undeniably smaller and tighter that the liberal bubble, demonstrates that American culture has condescended to the conservative with, to resurrect an old George W. Bush chestnut, “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Also-- there's a reason most people want to live around cities-- rural areas tend to be freaking boring, dreary places of monoculture. It's not elite to want to live in a more interesting place, with more social activity.

[LisaM]

1. Not just social activity. It's the insane laws states are passing.

I guess you could make a chicken and egg argument, but why would young people stay in places that are passing laws about fetal funeral costs and other nonsensical crap?

[Fast Walker 52]

4. yes, part of it is how strongly religion has a hold in rural areas

[FarCenter]

2. We're all constrained by Dunbar's number

Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restrictive rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. It has been proposed to lie between 100 and 250, with a commonly used value of 150.[9][10] Dunbar's number states the number of people one knows and keeps social contact with, and it does not include the number of people known personally with a ceased social relationship, nor people just generally known with a lack of persistent social relationship, a number which might be much higher and likely depends on long-term memory size.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number

[Fast Walker 52]

5. I'm not sure I follow... are you saying that's more relevant to rural areas?

[FarCenter]

12. It limits the number of people you know well, wherever you are

In rural areas, the 150 people you know well and who influence you a lot are likely to live nearby. And you are likely to know more vaguely a fair proportion of people who live nearby.

In the city, the 150 people you know well and who influence you a lot are likely to live nearby as well, but they will be interspersed with a lot of people who you do not know at all. You may or may not know the people in adjacent apartments on the same floor, you likely don't know most of the people in the building, you probably don't know anyone in the building next on the street.

In both cases, you exist in a bubble of relationships with a limited number of people who influence your views.

Ultimately, who you are depends on your parents, schoolmates, teachers, co-workers, friends, etc. that you have close relationships with.

[Fast Walker 52]

14. ah yes, thanks

[SubjectiveLife78]

7. That's an important point

Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restrictive rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group.

And then each of those rules affect more and more people at the same time, and the more people you add to a single group, the more differing opinions you'll have, so the process in writing those rules and getting them agreed to becomes more contentious.

[dawg]

3. Damn right. And I live *in* their bubble.

I live in a small town in a Southern state. Hell, I don't even live *in* the town. I live out in the sticks.

All this liberal navel-gazing about the white working class is bullshit.

We didn't abandon them.

They abandoned us. Long ago. When Reagan came along.

They hate us because we stand up for blacks and gays and immigrants and atheists and Muslims. That makes us "Un-American", you see.

They voted to take their country back from people like us.

Let's stop trying to pretend otherwise.

There are ways we can fight back. But a more liberal position on Glass-Steagall isn't one of them.

[Fast Walker 52]

6. I certainly tend to agree with that... the problem is right now, with gerrymandering

and just our federal system, rural areas have much more proportional voting power. The sad part is just how Trump was able to appeal to them so strongly.

[Cosmocat]

9. The "system" if definitely rigged in the "their favor" but the other issue

is that they are angry and motivated to vote EVERY election and also are fully united AGAINST something.

Our coalition is much more tenuous because it is a collection of people advocating for isolated interests, and we just are not near as angry or righteous, so we are MUCH less reliable voters.

[Fast Walker 52]

15. very true... it's hard to know what we can possibly even do to change that

except I guess if they finally get their dream and overturn Roe v Wade, there would be less impetus for a lot of them.

[Cosmocat]

8. yep

nm

[Horse with no Name]

10. I live in their bubble too

I really thought I was going to be able to get out in the next few months.
The majority of women in this bubble think ONLY about those poor babies that are murdered by the godless liberals.
The young women are a puzzle.
I've put considerable thought in this the past few days...and I think one of the biggest things that I can put a finger on is the high rate of divorce in my generation. I am only speaking of anecdotal rural women that I have seen myself and have no idea how it breaks down across the spectrum.
These young women (many from broken homes) in these small rural areas have married their "man" and have basically reverted back to the 50's and "intend to take care of him"...in other words, so that they don't have to raise their kids in a broken home. The second set are those who have completely changed their worldview after they met their "man" in order to keep him. Many of these young woman already have children from other relationships (many in which the bio Dad's are not involved).
This rural area has a high rate of drug abuse--the local pharmacy doesn't even stock hydrocodone anymore.
There are a few factories that the men work in....the women (if they work) work in the Dollar Store or convenience stores--there are some that are nurses and others that are teachers (these are lifer jobs--they don't turn over).
Again, just my observations.

[Fast Walker 52]

16. sounds about right..

I wonder how many are on food stamps or other govt assistance

[LenaBaby61]

27. I wonder how many are on food stamps or other govt assistance.

Probably most of them. But in their mind they are not takers because of the color of their skin.

SORRY, but unless you're disabled or turn away any federal assistance you're a damn taker TOO--even if you're skin is white.

[Horse with no Name]

33. About 99% around here are on WIC (but that is a "benefit")

Free school lunches are also a high percentage (another "benefit&quot
A fairly good number are on Medicaid.
I worked in the local hospital for a few years and there was a significant number of young women on SSDI for psychological issues---depression, bipolar, etc.
As stated...most don't feel they are on "public assistance"...welfare is reserved for "others".
I shake my head....
We are definitely "Two Americas"....and depending upon where you live depends on what you see.

[Fast Walker 52]

35. of course if the GOP cuts those benefits, will it change any of their minds about voting for Repubs?

[NightWatcher]

11. They're not racists and homophobes, they're economically disenfranchised.

I refuse to feel sorry for someone who went to work in the same factory as their dad and grandfather. The World caught up with us and surpassed us. Machines and computers came out that made them unnecessary. Dirt cheap labor on the other side of the planet priced them out of a global free market they claim to worship.

No one should weep for the buggy whip maker when cars hit the road. Buggy whip makers found jobs in auto plants. Just as coal minors should go to work in plants that make solar power parts. Hell, they should build the factories on the flattened mountains of West Virginia.

I'm not going to kiss their ass because they mock education and progress and got left behind. Adaptation is the key to survival.

[Skittles]

20. um

a lot of them ARE racist and homophobic

[NightWatcher]

22. Geez, I thought the sarcasm thingee wasn't needed

Racists, not economically disadvantaged, vandalize with swasticas.

[Skittles]

26. well I think a lot of them are indeed economically disadavantaged

but certainly they are blaming the wrong people, and SUPPORTING the wrong people

[gopiscrap]

13. most rural people are just plain ignorant assholes

[Skidmore]

17. My, my.

What dripping condescention here on this thread. Let us all just pile into the cities where people live in enlightened splendor and are educated to a fault. No poverty or or prejudice to be found there.

[Skittles]

19. the point is

rural folk are constantly trashing liberals

THEY NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR

[Skidmore]

24. Perhaps people

need to visit us more frequently than election years and support the work of liberals who live in less populate areas. We do exist.

[Skittles]

25. I think the subject here is repuke voters

[JI7]

34. they don't visit big city solid blue areas either and they still vote democrat over an openly racist

sexist piece of shit.

[Skittles]

18. I'd rather be on my bubble than a racist bubble

yes INDEED

[Quixote1818]

21. Of course. nt

[hollowdweller]

23. Really is true. A lot of rural people have never been exposed to any minorities.

I live in a rural state. Well I worked for the state but we answered to the Feds and were 100% federally funded. However our parent agency was a state agency.

Ok so most of the jobs you had to have a college degree to have. We also worked with a large amount of doctors, most foreign. Also there were a large amount of gay people who worked there. Because of affirmative action and the fact that our state had a very small minority population they were over represented at our agency relative to the population.

So our parent agency sends this joker up to give us "diversity training" and he ends up pissing off nearly everyone. We all knew more about dealing with people who were difft than the guy who was giving us the training.

In one way he wasn't to blame, there's just not many minorities in our area so he didn't even realize he was being prejudiced.

But yeah they are in a bubble. It always got on my nerves when conservatives went on about how black people had all these problems, when the majority of black people in my world are middle class and probably classier than I will ever be.

[renate]

28. IMO liberal guilt is being used against us

This article makes an excellent point. I'll admit that I live in a bubble. Everyone lives in a bubble. Conservatives' bubble even includes a 24-hour TV channel. But it's so easy to make liberals feel guilty for not 100% fully considering the opinions of others. Conservatives don't feel guilty at all about failing to understand our point of view.

Thanks for posting this.

[Fast Walker 52]

30. "Conservatives don't feel guilty at all about failing to understand our point of view."

That is so true. Yet we are endlessly made to feel guilty about not understanding them. Sick of that.

[Lars39]

29. Interesting comments

Imagine how some people's world would be expanded by having public transportation such as rail connecting the rural to the cities. I'm thinking big today.

[Fast Walker 52]

31. Good transportation like that could change so much!

good thought.

[Lars39]

32. Sure could!

[LWolf]

36. Well,

it's certainly true that everyone lives in their own bubble, including DUers.

I live rurally. I'm white. I'm neither Christian, conservative, nor a Sunday School teacher. I have black friends and family members. I have lesbian friends. Not many locally, it's true, but...

Stereotyping does not help. There are certainly some that fit your stereotype around. There are plenty of others who don't. And ignorant, closed minds are not restricted to rural areas; they're in urban areas, too.

The real way past ignorance and propaganda-conditioned minds is to interact with them...respectfully. I get to do that quite a bit here in my rural bubble. Human beings are human beings; if you are not determined to hate, you can reach common ground. I guess I've been forced into learning that because of my profession, which requires me to reach out and find common ground for the greater good with people I normally wouldn't engage.

I do enjoy a few trips to the city a year; I think my state's big city is wonderful. If I ever wanted to live in a city, that's the city I'd choose.

Still, my rural area is not "freaking boring." Boring is an attitude; it's a choice. There's always something worthwhile if you want to find it. And, of course, "interesting" is subjective. People come to this area for its natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities. I like the beauty, the climate, and the SPACE. I work many, many hours; when I have the opportunity, there's nothing I love better than getting to spend a whole 24 hours quietly at home without talking to anyone. I can hike all day right out my own gate. I can be outside and active, or inside curled up with a book. I'm never bored at home. Socializing? I do socialize; there's the weekly Friday after work meeting at the pub with colleagues, Saturdays reserved for time with local family, and an occasional lunch or breakfast with friends. Since I spend 50-60 hours a week at work interacting with large groups of people on an intense schedule, that's really enough socializing.

We have local concerts, free and paid; local theater, although it's somewhat limited; local festivals, local art, local breweries...we don't run out of things to do.