'Nobody's more insulting' to rural voters than Republicans: political scientist : usa

[–] rdyoung 30 points 10 months ago (2 children)

This isn't news to some of us. Many of us have wondered for years why they support politicians who actively lobby against their interests like getting rid of social programs that these people use at the same rate or more than other demographics.

History agrees with progress and these people are always better off with a dem in office but they continue to buy the bullshit spewed by fox, breitbart, etc. The number of "fuck Biden" signs just in my area is astounding. Biden led the charge to fix the economy that trump and company broke but Biden is an asshole? It has been breaking my logic circuits for years.

[–] Zombiepirate 17 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

It's because the people who cry about "identity politics" will lap up any bullshit excuse to make the rich pay their fair share as long as it's flavored with jingoistic self-sufficiency or "family values."

They buy it because it hurts the people they hate; it's irrelevant if it hurts them too.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I think it's just cognitive dissonance or doublethink. "Keep your gov't hands off my Social Security" or "I like the ACA but Obamacare can fuck right off!" "Those people are taking our jobs and our welfare!!"

It's just so god damn weird. They have been primed to accept anything they are told.

[–] PP_BOY_ 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The indoctrination starts at birth. Republicans have held a uncontested chokehold across the South and Midwest for the better part of a half-century by now. This includes a chokehold on those states' education boards. Remember how much shit they flung about Obama's Common Core? It wasn't because they thought the math was taught weird, it was because it was a direct attempt by the (then Democrat) federal government to modernize the ~~brainwashing~~ "education" policies of their strongholds.

The people voting against their best interests aren't naturally dumb by birthright, they just never stood a chance IMO.

[–] rdyoung 3 points 10 months ago

Not to go too far off course but holy fuck was that math taught weird. I was a Montessori kid and even I was confused when I was helping a kid with math and we were dividing apples by bananas and then adding horses or whatever the fuck it was. Some of that shit made no damn sense.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

Good luck convincing rural voters.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Article is the summary. Just "since people are saying this."

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

"I love the poorly educated." - Donald Trump

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

'Nobody's more insulting' to rural voters than Republicans

…say the people who wrote a book that’s literally called “White Rural Rage: The Threat to Democracy”.

[–] prime_number_314159 -5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Until academics can wrap their heads around other people having different life experience, morals, values, and preferences, they'll continue talking right past this group. "You're very insulted, I checked by not talking to any of you." isn't going to convince anyone, ever.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Man, downvoted for speaking on what is clearly the truth.

I'm not sure why people assume that the "rural" voters must be stupid and that they are supporting people that have tricked them. I doubt the vast majority are tricked at all. They're playing the same fucking game metro voters do and are voting their interests. Who's the side that will help them stop people from destroying their farmland or will close the border so there's less trafficking on their land? They have different priorities than you do as a "metro" voter. It's clear that the GOP backs a more "rural" mindset with the policies that they claim (I'm not interested in discussing if they will or won't, the point is that the DNC just isn't acting at all on many rural issues at all) to want to enact. Most rural people at least feel they're in the fucking conversation with a GOP candidate.

Things like "banning guns"... A rural person might like to keep a gun in the car to defend themselves against wolves, bears, other hostile critters... This is NORMAL in many places. Or police are literally an hour away... so you can't rely on them at all. But the "city"-minded folks have no understanding of the amount of actual defensive uses of guns actually happens and how those policies would literally kill (or cause SIGNIFICANT financial burden... Imagine a bear attacking a car and there's no auto repair shop within 100 miles of you) people who live out in the middle of nowhere farming shit that feeds the "city"-dwellers. Many of those people can't even fathom that a county can have less than 70,000 people in the population (where I grew up).

Things like "homelessness" doesn't really happen out in rural areas as much, and when it does happen it's much more hidden since the homeless person isn't parading around in the middle of a subway station or some other thing... So less consideration is given to topics like that.

This is just common sense. But instead the answer is to denigrate the "other" people... It's a good way to lose elections. Based on current polls, it looks like the "Smart Metro" voters are screaming their way to a loss.

But right, it's all "identity politics"...

I'm just disappointed that both options are pure and utter garbage. But one does at the very least acknowledge that the stuff I care about is okay to care about, where the other outright "hates" me for thinking that I should matter.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I was born and raised in rural areas. I've lived my life in red states and countries. The vast majority of them are absolute stupid, especially when it comes to voting and politics.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Congrats. So was I. However I understand that the vast majority of people in general are "absolutely stupid" (after all it's impossible for any one individual to contain the "majority" of information) ... Not just this one specific population. I certainly don't believe them to be stupid just based on how they vote or politics. You could actually talk to them and ask them why they vote the way they do rather than just call them stupid. Honestly your response reflects a lot about you rather than them. Especially since you didn't actually engage in the conversation, but just wanted to call a particular group of people stupid.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You could actually talk to them and ask them why they vote the way they do rather than just call them stupid.

You say this like I haven't been talking to these people all of my life.

Especially since you didn't actually engage in the conversation

What?

I'm not saying that rural folks are stupid about everything or that all of them are stupid. Just when it comes to politics and voting, the vast majority of them are. I'm just explaining what my experiences are having spent my entire life around these people. They're my family.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They’re my family.

So your sample size is just your family... and you think you're having a rational conversation that isn't biased as fuck?
Does this statement now make more sense?

Especially since you didn’t actually engage in the conversation, but just wanted to call a particular group of people stupid.

Outside of your family... Can you legitimately say that you see much difference between rural and metro trains of thought? Or do both groups tend to vote based on the issues that they perceive to be important to them? Eg, does the examples I gave above make sense why the different mindsets would cause reasonable people to vote differently based simply on location?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

So your sample size is just your family

I felt like I was being fairly clear by saying that, that I didn't mean just my actual blood relatives, but also friends and community.

Whether intentional or not, that's a strawman.

Can you legitimately say that you see much difference between rural and metro trains of thought?

I've never lived in a large city, so I couldn't speak to that.

In any case, I don't feel like this conversation is terribly productive and probably won't continue.

United States | News & Politics