Back in August of 1977...I left the farm....the rural aspects of Alabama. It was one of those adventure things in life. Throughout the decades....I lived in an odd 'zone'....on the fringe of suburban America, Panama, or Germany.
I sat yesterday and watched a MSNBC piece, where Paul Waldman and Tom Schaller (college professor types) did a talk on their new book...."White Rural Rage". What I'll say from the talk they gave (I haven't read the book)....is that civilized America....living in the urban areas....just can't argue (win in a debate) with the 'less-than-smart' rural folks, and this is screwing up things in our little democracy.
This other book? The Unprotected Cass: How Anti-White Racism Is Tearing America Apart by Jeremy Carl. He goes at this urban-rural discussion in the opposite direction. Rural America in his book....is under a threat, and they simply won't stand there patiently...waiting for something to happen.
This rage thing? Most people walked around the nation....both in small towns, rural areas, and suburban areas....all the way through the 1980s, and at some point in the 1990s.....tension started to rise up. I can't really blame TV, media, some movie, or even some political group.
Up to 2008....it was simply pacing along and not really a big deal. In the 2008-to-2016 era? It took off....I'd say that newspapers, news media, and social media carried the bulk of the message. Rage was 'in'.
People go to work with rage today. They sip coffee with rage. They attend church with rage. They manage their rage to some degree....always careful not to talk certain subjects.
The NFL, NBA, and pro-golf....affect rage. Just listening to Nancy Pelosi might affect your rage level. Your kid's school....might affect your rage. Some pronoun-person might trigger your rage.
The urban guy? Oh, he's got rage. His wife? She's got rage.
The rural farmer? He's got rage. The Piggly Wiggly gal? She's got rage.
The retired welder? He's got rage. The charming dental lady doing your teeth clean-up? She's got rage.
The date you got with the artsy 40-year old gal who camps out in a tent occasionally? She's got rage. The co-worker who has watched all the Star Gate episodes and knows dialog of Daniel Jackson? He's got rage. The dumbass Fox News morning guy that you hate with a passion? He's got rage.
All of this brings me to my chief observation. Whatever CIA guy who designed this trend and figured you could manage rage....guessed wrong. All of this can only lead to a 1859 'point' where the bluff no longer works, and you have to find physical way to reset the rage.
The people who think the rural people can be dominated or swayed? They probably guessed wrong. And here's the odd thing...these suburban folks? Half of them actually 'closet-rural' folks (meaning they only pretend to be urbanized). This aspect should worry some folks.
