This country fucking sucks bad enough…and then we have Mississippi. One of the dumbest, poorest, and most religious states. Oh…and it’s a red state. Who would have thought? We’re surrounded by fucking religious idiots.
If you haven’t been to Mississippi or the south in general I suggest visiting, because it may give you a more nuanced perspective. Rural America - and the south especially - has been exploited for profit for the last several generations. Farming is no longer a viable profession because of big ag consolidation, skilled trades are on the decline because of outsourcing overseas, and land is bought up cheaply by developers to turn a quick profit with strip malls, to name a few examples. For those whose value in society has been diminished and marginalized, all of the traits you mention are more common. Without money it’s difficult to move to a place with better jobs or go without pay for the 2-4 years to complete a degree. It’s understandable why so many turn to religion when they have nothing else. Community has been bulldozed - physically for urban/suburban sprawl, and socially by our individualistic consumerist culture - and church is a place people can feel valued. Religious devotion is incredibly prevalent in the older generations of Eastern Europe who experienced the hardships of Soviet rule.
West Virginia was a blue state until the 2000s, when the Democratic party became out of touch with the working class (I’m not saying the Republicans are any more in touch because their messaging is very different from the policies they end up enacting). It’s not a person’s fault if they’re born into an impoverished family in a coal mining town and working as a miner is how they support themselves. But to belittle or even blame someone for doing this work an a sure way to alienate them.
The enemy is not our fellow citizens but the corporations, politicians, and elites who benefit by dividing us.
This country fucking sucks bad enough…and then we have Mississippi. One of the dumbest, poorest, and most religious states. Oh…and it’s a red state. Who would have thought? We’re surrounded by fucking religious idiots.
What do voters think they’re getting by voting Republican? It’s not a better state, that’s for sure
Their enemies suffer. It’s all they want.
True. If they could kill 3 conservatives but 2 liberals died they’d do it
If you haven’t been to Mississippi or the south in general I suggest visiting, because it may give you a more nuanced perspective. Rural America - and the south especially - has been exploited for profit for the last several generations. Farming is no longer a viable profession because of big ag consolidation, skilled trades are on the decline because of outsourcing overseas, and land is bought up cheaply by developers to turn a quick profit with strip malls, to name a few examples. For those whose value in society has been diminished and marginalized, all of the traits you mention are more common. Without money it’s difficult to move to a place with better jobs or go without pay for the 2-4 years to complete a degree. It’s understandable why so many turn to religion when they have nothing else. Community has been bulldozed - physically for urban/suburban sprawl, and socially by our individualistic consumerist culture - and church is a place people can feel valued. Religious devotion is incredibly prevalent in the older generations of Eastern Europe who experienced the hardships of Soviet rule.
West Virginia was a blue state until the 2000s, when the Democratic party became out of touch with the working class (I’m not saying the Republicans are any more in touch because their messaging is very different from the policies they end up enacting). It’s not a person’s fault if they’re born into an impoverished family in a coal mining town and working as a miner is how they support themselves. But to belittle or even blame someone for doing this work an a sure way to alienate them.
The enemy is not our fellow citizens but the corporations, politicians, and elites who benefit by dividing us.