The Mystery of Urban Rage - by maxrandb

[maxrandb]

Comes yet another in the endless parade of articles, focus groups, books, studies, slideshows, etc., ad nauseum, to examine the "rage" of "rural" America. It sure is a mystery, ain't it?

The latest missive examining this phenomena, well, at least the latest from yesterday afternoon, (I haven't checked yet today for a new one) comes from Paul Krugman.

https://archive.ph/0jDas

I don't know Mr. Krugman. Seems like a decent guy. My beef is not with him, it's with the ceaseless examination of rural America's "butthurt", to the exclusion of everything else.

I get it. For at least a century, or more, rural America has been able to define themselves as "the Heartland of America". Just as the only workers in America that deserve our attention are coal miners. They're the backbone, right? The drivers of all that is holy about labor.

Let me be clear right up front. When these screeds write about "rural" America, they mean "white America". You can find their definition of "rural" America in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Miami and Los Angeles, so it's not really about location. Some of the most "rural" people I ever met were in Columbus, OH.

Conversely, when they don't write about urban America, they really mean minorities.

I guess I would just like to know what rural America is so ENRAGED about?

Rural America has gotten everything they fucking dreamed of. A racist POS leading the Retrumplican Party. Gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court they helped stack with right-wing Christofascists, with some Supreme Court approved gerrymandering to ensure they can pack their state "gubmints" with super-majorities.

Doing their best to ensure they never have to meet, or tolerate any LGBTQ Americans, or anyone that doesn't worship their version of Jeeeezus.

What the fuck do they have to "rage" about? Did a pregnant woman drive through their shit town for an emergency abortion and avoid the roadblock? Did they encounter a migrant washing dishes at the American Legion Hall? Someone steal their Kid Rock CD? Rush still dead?

I mean, seriously, WTF do they have to rage about?

I guess there are no angry people in the cities and urban areas.

Why would urban America be angry?

I mean, the presidents that urban America have voted for 7 of the last 10 elections got more votes, but 2/3RDs of the Supreme Court are right-wing hacks.

States are so skewed to rural areas that urban dwellers end up being represented by hayseeds from the Dumbfuckistan county 40 miles away. Ask urban voters in MTGs district how "unraged" they are.

Rural America fucks over our schools, decide what books can be read, send absolute fuckwads to our legislatures, and have even turned a trip to Disney into a fucked up nazi shitshow because they hate the gays.

The moron they worship has called our cities "shitholes like Somalia".

If the media EVER wrote a book, or article about what matters to "Urban America", it would be the first story or book of its kind"

So, this is my meager attempt to get someone....anyone to give a shit about urban America.

Can't wait for the Beaver County, PA Focus Group to discuss this "important" article.