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It’s interesting to consider the centrality of the city in ancient literature, and the equation of civilization with urban life. In modern American political di

It’s interesting to consider the centrality of the city in ancient literature, and the equation of civilization with urban life. In modern American political discourse, it feels as if the city is constantly slandered or considered alien or “un”-American, in contrast to purported “authentic” rural areas. The city is seen as debauched and somehow apart

Gibbon1 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_man,_one_vote#Historical_background_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_man,_one_vote#Historical_b... "Alabama's state legislature resisted redistricting from 1910 to 1972 (when forced by federal court order). As a result, rural residents retained a wildly disproportionate amount of power in a time when other areas of the state became urbanized and industrialized, attracting greater populations. Such urban areas were under-represented in the state legislature and underserved; their residents had difficulty getting needed funding for infrastructure and services. They paid far more in taxes to the state than they received in benefits in relation to the population."
- derbOac 6y ago
  Taking that a step farther, the entire bicameral federal legislature could be seen as a weighting of rural over urban in the US.
booleandilemma 6y ago
Haven't cities always been centers of trade, power, and innovation?
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  See book reference in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23549551 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23549551 I think the historical political reasons for favouring landed interests[1] is one of commitment: (a) as the spartan proposal of using a currency of iron implies, it's much easier for an urban magnate to "sell out" on short notice and continue trading in exile than for a rural magnate (consider the pejorative "rootless cosmopolitan"), and (b) that innovation is often greeted with scepticism: urban traders are sometimes interested in disrupting markets, agricultural[2] producers are almost always for the status quo. [1] from a game theory perspective, the urbanite would also prefer to defend their own city and either pay besiegers to go away or wait for their logistics to fail. if one is a monarch raising an army, rural dwellers would be more interested in travelling to defend their land (or even to acquire foreign land. cf "filibuster"). Compare "no viet cong ever called me", uttered by someone whose profession could be conducted anywhere there was a large venue. [2] if one believes US political memes, ag policies favour the "family farm" and small towns. if one follows the money, they tend to favour the likes of Archer Daniels Midland.
chewz 6y ago
It is because in Middle East and Central Asia and the enormous cities like Merv or Balkh included farmlands - agriculture was done intramuros with irrigation, channels. That was to protect farmland from deserts and steppe outside. Merv for example kept 800 divers to mantain its extensive network of water channels. The ideal of bucolic, rural life on a farm outside of hustle of a big city is part of Greek or Roman (and later European) culture. It wasn't a thing in literature of Middle East or Central Asia. So the Roman or Greek intelectual will escape city in summer for his summer villa where he will still enjoy intelectual life with friends or through letters and write about pleasures of simple life. Intelectual in Middle East or North Africa will simply look down on nomads living extramuros as uncouth and illiterate. Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847856-lost-enlightenment https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847856-lost-enlightenm...

Gibbon1 6y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_man,_one_vote#Historical_background_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_man,_one_vote#Historical_b... "Alabama's state legislature resisted redistricting from 1910 to 1972 (when forced by federal court order). As a result, rural residents retained a wildly disproportionate amount of power in a time when other areas of the state became urbanized and industrialized, attracting greater populations. Such urban areas were under-represented in the state legislature and underserved; their residents had difficulty getting needed funding for infrastructure and services. They paid far more in taxes to the state than they received in benefits in relation to the population."

derbOac 6y ago
Taking that a step farther, the entire bicameral federal legislature could be seen as a weighting of rural over urban in the US.

booleandilemma 6y ago

Haven't cities always been centers of trade, power, and innovation?

082349872349872 6y ago
See book reference in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23549551 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23549551 I think the historical political reasons for favouring landed interests[1] is one of commitment: (a) as the spartan proposal of using a currency of iron implies, it's much easier for an urban magnate to "sell out" on short notice and continue trading in exile than for a rural magnate (consider the pejorative "rootless cosmopolitan"), and (b) that innovation is often greeted with scepticism: urban traders are sometimes interested in disrupting markets, agricultural[2] producers are almost always for the status quo. [1] from a game theory perspective, the urbanite would also prefer to defend their own city and either pay besiegers to go away or wait for their logistics to fail. if one is a monarch raising an army, rural dwellers would be more interested in travelling to defend their land (or even to acquire foreign land. cf "filibuster"). Compare "no viet cong ever called me", uttered by someone whose profession could be conducted anywhere there was a large venue. [2] if one believes US political memes, ag policies favour the "family farm" and small towns. if one follows the money, they tend to favour the likes of Archer Daniels Midland.

chewz 6y ago

It is because in Middle East and Central Asia and the enormous cities like Merv or Balkh included farmlands - agriculture was done intramuros with irrigation, channels. That was to protect farmland from deserts and steppe outside. Merv for example kept 800 divers to mantain its extensive network of water channels. The ideal of bucolic, rural life on a farm outside of hustle of a big city is part of Greek or Roman (and later European) culture. It wasn't a thing in literature of Middle East or Central Asia. So the Roman or Greek intelectual will escape city in summer for his summer villa where he will still enjoy intelectual life with friends or through letters and write about pleasures of simple life. Intelectual in Middle East or North Africa will simply look down on nomads living extramuros as uncouth and illiterate. Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847856-lost-enlightenment https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847856-lost-enlightenm...