this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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I took a trip to Trump country. It was more bleak than I could have imagined (www.sfchronicle.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by MicroWave to c/politics
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

...

Along with corny fair merch and anime ponchos, every, and I mean every T-shirt stall was draped with Trump flags: “I’m voting for the felon,” “F— Biden” and the relatively anodyne, “I’m With Trump.” While browsing the pet supply shop across from the local Republican Party’s stall, I saw GOP staff greeted with cheers and raised fists — echoing Donald Trump’s triumphant pose after the assassination attempt on him — by numerous fairgoers wearing red caps and “Ultra MAGA” shirts. “Boo, Kambala!” yelled a woman, laughing.

In packed queues for roasted corn, I squeezed past parents balancing their children’s plastic lemonade cups in their arms with “Trump/Vance 2024” lawn signs tucked under their armpits. “Nice sign!” one blonde, elementary school-age girl shouted above the din, with her thumbs up at a woman holding one of them.

One of my cousins saw clusters of young men walking the grounds in floral Hawaiian shirts, which have recently become an unfortunate sartorial symbol of the far-right “boogaloo” movement, a militant group that aims to incite a second Civil War. I asked my cousin if he was sure about this because the idea seemed completely absurd. Maybe it’s just a bunch of dorky kids, I thought. But my cousin grew up there and probably went to school with their parents — he was sure.

I was just trying to have a chill time looking at show rabbits. But I was bombarded by right-wing politics.

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[–] FlowVoid 106 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

FWIW, a few weeks ago I went to a Midwestern county fair. The state went blue in 2020 but this particular county voted 60% Trump, higher than the one in the article (56%).

Before I arrived I braced for the worst.

Nothing. No one sold Trump merch. At most I saw one or two people who brought their Trump hats or t-shirts. There was a monster truck show and the announcer never mentioned politics. I counted a handful of Trump bumper stickers in the parking lot.

Zero Trump yard signs spotted on the road back to where we were staying, even though there were lots and lots of yard signs for various county or municipal candidates. So they weren't completely disengaged politically.

I'm sure many of the people I saw will vote for Trump again this year. But they weren't so willing to advertise that.

[–] jewbacca117 29 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Noticed something similar this past memorial weekend. I went boating in a deeply red part of a very blue state and saw significantly less trump flags compared to last year.

[–] JustZ 22 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

People starting to realize how weird all this Trump obsession is. I have people that don't know shit about politics and barely graduated high school cheering for Trump like it's a fucking super bowl game. And these are stupid, stupid people with no education. It's weird for them to even be talking about politics or having political opinions, let alone be mainlining Fox News and talk radio for fucking twelve hours a day.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

these are stupid, stupid people with no education. It's weird for them to even be talking about politics or having political opinions

Ironic you put it that way since a lot of Trump's appeal is to people who are sick of elitists putting them down all the time

[–] JustZ 1 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah they are stupid. They are making decisions against their own interests because they're too proud to admit they don't know shit and to just butt out. Let the experts run things.

[–] Nightwingdragon 13 points 3 weeks ago

I went to visit family in New York about a month or two ago. I wouldn't say it was a "deep red" part of the state, but definitely pink at the very least.

We passed by a house that the owner had covered in Trump slogans in spray paint. Literally a two story home covered in Trump graffiti. And I've been told that since our trip he's added to it. Hey look, if you want to support Trump, you do you and all that. But I don't care what your political views are.....why the fuck would you destroy the value of your own home like that?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Random guess but that wouldn't happen to be Deep Creek Lake would it?

[–] jewbacca117 1 points 3 weeks ago

Negative

[–] Cadeillac 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's bad in the south. People wave Trump flags from their homes and cover their cars in garbage. I'm trying to get out of here or at least find a hidden sanctuary amongst the bull shit

[–] officermike 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Down in Palm Beach county there's still occasionally people who hang out on overpasses over I-95 holding Trump banners on the bridge over rush hour traffic. This was happening in 2023 when we weren't even in election season.

[–] Cadeillac 5 points 3 weeks ago

It used to make me angry. Now I just laugh. Allow the fools to show themselves so that I may avoid them

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

It probably is regional. I live in a heavily conservative area, and for multiple months now, folks who have been rocking big flags or personal billboards have been displaying them, and then they will take them down. After a while, back up, and then eventually back down. Not sure what is happening. Our fair is in a couple weeks...

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Awesome... That's the thing with these people. They will never admit they were wrong, but sometimes they will shut the fuck up.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Woah I didn't realize Hawaiian shirts were so politically charged. I just thought they looked cool lol

[–] Fondots 41 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Yeah, they've been a boogaloo thing for a while.

Unfortunately for me I have always liked Hawaiian shirts

And I'm a white guy, with a shaved head, who works in 911 dispatch so I'm police-adjacent, with some outdoorsy hobbies like hunting and fishing, with a pet malinois (free dog that fell into my lap, didn't go out seeking a super police/military dog breed, but that's the card the universe dealt me)

I'm practically a walking conservative stereotype in just about every superficial appearance, except that I'm not a conservative.

Pisses me off to no end that they've co-opted things like Hawaiian shirts and tiki torches.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Fortunately, unless you’re marching around with the tiki torch, no one is going to think you’re a fascist. It’s fine to set them up in your back yard or campsite, like they’re meant to.

[–] CobblerScholar 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

And I imagine/hope that as long as you don't wear any military adjacent gear with the Hawaiian shirt it's fine

[–] Creeoyfred 3 points 3 weeks ago

Oh sad face, currently wearing my camo painting shorts and threw on a hawaiin shirt while I BBQ. I line up with punk nazi punchers much more than anything in my heart. I'm not gonna let them take my hawaiin shirts away from me! Fuck them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

Good point, I hope.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

I feel ya brother. I live in a conservative small town, have a big beard, wear my hair in a high and tight cut, drive a truck and I can go on. I get mistaken by these people all the time as one of theirs. Thing is I couldn't be further from them. My kids godparent (for lack of a better term) is trans. I call myself an equalist because I believe everyone should enjoy the same rights and treatment that I as a white cis male enjoy. It's annoying as all get out that my personal aesthetic is so closely tied to these assholes

[–] TexasDrunk 12 points 3 weeks ago

I just thought it was something I could wear when I feel bloated as fuck due to barbecue and too much beer and didn't want my gut poking out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I thought that was extra interesting with the whole Gabbard deal. Not sure if there is a connection.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I believe what you wrote... But if your experience was true, I also think it’s rare.

Every article published has an agenda, & this one’s seems a tactic to get people to vote. Trump lovers will never let us queers just live our lives. They will invade our homes & murder us like they always have.

VOTE

[–] jordanlund 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

"Trump Country" sounds like the worst buffet ever...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)