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You're a little right and a little wrong. It's wrong to paint all rural Americans as foaming-at-the-mouth racists. But if you think that many (perhaps even a ma
by projectileboy 10y ago
You're a little right and a little wrong. It's wrong to paint all rural Americans as foaming-at-the-mouth racists. But if you think that many (perhaps even a majority) of rural Americans aren't racist, homophobic and xenophobic, then you haven't spent much time in rural America.
- ptaipale 10y agoI also think that this depends on how you define "racism". Absolutely, rural Americans are "racist" in the sense of not using approved language about people. On the other hand, that is a somewhat different thing than actually hating or despising people because of their skin color (etc). This article was mentioned in previous HN posts: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-one-talks-about/ http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-on... And I think this passage explains this point: If you'd asked me at the time, I'd have said the fear and hatred wasn't of people with brown skin, but of that specific tribe they have in Chicago -- you know, the guys with the weird slang, music and clothes, the dope fiends who murder everyone they see. It was all part of the bizarro nature of the cities, as perceived from afar -- a combination of hyper-aggressive savages and frivolous white elites. Their ways are strange. And it wasn't like pop culture was trying to talk me out of it...