Honestly, I used to be an energetic supported of the D's. In my early college days, Obama's rise to the WH filled me with hope. But the 2008 crisis and bailouts, drone strikes in the Middle East, increasing ICE budget and deportations... It just moved me further left, where the D's don't want to go.
That last bit was the point of my comment. Look back at the Patriot Act, that shit was fully bipartisan, passing 98-1. Look at the resolution the House passed 285-98 denouncing the "horrors" of socialism. These don't strike me as votes of a party that truly cares for or believes in its people.
Look, I have voted for Democratic candidates almost exclusively for 20 years. I don't like voting for them, but I feel compelled to because of our joke of an electoral system. If I could truly vote in my best interests, I would vote for an actual left wing candidate, not the left-of-the-right.
What do you mean by that?
Good lord, do you actually think 100% of people in rural areas are racist homophobic hicks?
And brother, no one in the US can actually vote in their best interests. We are presented with a false dichotomy of two parties that are beholden to the ownership class. For whatever reason though, the ones deadset on defending the second-worst option sure do get self righteous about it
Personally, I see this discourse as generally counterproductive. It only serves to sharpen the divide between urban and rural (a divide which is in the interest of capital) when what we really need is *class solidarity*
I so often see discourse ,such as in this very post, about "curting off" people in rural areas, to "stop subsidizing" people in rural areas. But truly we all subsidize each other (in all sorts of ways that are not necessarily best measured in dollars) - this is how a society functions.
Obviously, there exist conservative and progressive people everywhere - they grow up in urban and rural areas alike. One of the most progressive people I know grew up in a small town in a rural county, and one of the most reactionary fearful people I know lived his whole life in Chicago.
My questions are sociological in nature, not personal in nature. When I look back at presidential voting maps from my home state, I see a lot of variation over the past century. In many election cycles the map is heavily Blue in rural areas, and in some years even Cook County is red!
Yes, you are wrong about my morivations. I have loved ones all over the political spectrum, from anarchist to socialist to centrist to conservative to fervently right wing. Ironically, the one who's most fiercely right wing grew up and has lived most of his life in urban areas.
Is it that powers are selling a rural identity as a means of dividing working class people? Is it a vacuum left over from progressive people leaving for cities? Are progressive movements failing to consider or connect with people in rural areas?
In a lot of cases yes, but what is the root issue leading to this outcome? There is nothing innate to rural-ness that itself causes people to be conservative. If I moved to a rural area, I wouldn't suddenly start drifting to the right.
"Rural places make people conservative"
I'm curious what your basis for this is. There's obviously a correlation, but is there evidence that there's causation going on?
I see it more like wanting to live in a place where one's level of freedom is a function of how much capital they control
If the folks making under 75k have it so good, maybe you should make under 75k. Problem solved!
When they say that, what they mean is "I'm going to extract surplus value from this project for my personal gain"
When I was a kid, I once ate 3 tacos for dinner and I thought it was a pretty big deal
I was always most creeped out by that little dungeon at the bottom of the well
If only more people could push through their cognitive dissonance!
I demand that all leads be expressed as z-scores
Look at the clock? Jail. Don't look at the clock? Believe it or not, jail.
Marvel vs Capcom being taken to strange new places
Shower thought: is the US electoral system a hostage situation with the electorate experienceing Stockholm Syndrome
I don't understand the point in congratulating this lukewarm, US-centric take.
Oh no, we as a country are weaker and less influential. Dude, boasting about annihlating a whole people is *straight up evil behavior* and the big concern is how we'll be perceived?
Brother, racism exists everywhere unfortunately
Everyone engaging in the process to improve society... sounds kinda communist to me
Man, Final Fantasy II really got carried away with the empty decoy rooms
