3 ms·
And lots of people who don't live in mining country identify culturally with the miners. They see themselves as the "real Americans", being victimized by shadow
by beat 8y ago
And lots of people who don't live in mining country identify culturally with the miners. They see themselves as the "real Americans", being victimized by shadowy cultural elites and unnecessary regulations. So the coal miners as a political force aren't relevant per se. The coal miners as a symbol are extremely relevant. This only becomes more potent as American conservatism drifts away from a free market ideology and toward a protectionist/nationalist ideology. It doesn't matter that market forces are doing this to the coal miners. Their traditional way of life must be defended! The importance of intergenerational poverty and black lung disease cannot be overstated!
- MaysonL 8y agoAnd the miners keep dying of black lung and caveins, and their neighbors have their water poisoned by runoff.
- Kalium 8y agoYou can tell people that their identity is killing them, and it might actually be true. But most people tend to think of losing their identity as functionally equivalent to not only their death, but also the deaths of everyone they hold dear. It's not something you can prize people away from readily.