this is a great interview on rural resentment from a political science professor from wisconsin....
Posted by
x (aka dmuck)
Nov 16 '16, 06:05
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"What specific things did people talk about with you when they spoke about what they resent in terms of their relationship with people who live in cities?
The main things that I heard was this feeling of not getting their fair share of power or attention. They felt like the important decisions, whether in government or industry, were made in cities. And then they had to deal with those decisions, and no one was listening to them or their concerns. It’s partly about resenting that lack of power.
It was also about this feeling of a lack of resources. They feel like they’ve really been getting the short end of the stick with respect to taxation. They felt like they’ve paid in way more taxes than they got back in return. For education, for example, they perceive that the bulk of the money was going to Madison and Milwaukee, and that their community just wasn’t seeing it in return.
And then finally, and this is the one I’m really piecing together these last few days, there’s this feeling of a lack of respect: People in cities look down on us, they think we’re stupid, they think we’re racist, they think we’re voting against our own interests. And I see that in the appeal of Trump so much, using the country vs. city thing to appeal to that resentment. People really resent being looked down on, and they feel like city folks just do not get what rural life is like, or what people value. It’s not all just resenting people of color, and it’s not just resenting urban elites. There is also this general sense that the rest of you out there don’t give a hoot about people like us.
It is kind of amazing that someone like Donald Trump could become the standard bearer of that sense of identity, given that he’s a wealthy real estate developer from New York City.
Yes, and I wonder if that’s partly why people looked past his obnoxiousness and some of the beyond-the-pale things that he says, and nevertheless support him. This is something I’m really thinking a lot about the last few days.
I mean, the KKK endorsed this person who is becoming our president. Is it appropriate to say that people who voted for him are not also endorsing some of the behaviors that the KKK finds appealing? And yet, when I spend time with these folks in rural communities, these are delightful, decent people. And I’m struggling to convey that, because then my friends in the city are saying, Yeah, but they voted for Donald Trump.
There is this sense of humanity when you are in their communities, listening to the way they describe their lives, and justify voting for Donald Trump, that just sounds very different from people from the outside assuming that these are a bunch of flamboyantly racist people. It’s just not accurate."
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"Right: I mean, you’re an urban elite, right? What was that experience like, to go in and say, “Are you willing to talk to me?”
Well thankfully I was naïve enough to not think that they wouldn’t want to talk to me. To be honest, initially, I didn’t expect that they’d be resentful of the cities, and have this deep resentment against people like me. So I’d walk in and say, “Hi, I’m Kathy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, do you mind if I join you all this morning?” And they’d laugh, and they’d say sure, we’ve got nothing better to do. And then I would just be spending time with them, and initially a lot of the groups were somewhat skeptical, but then after 45 minutes or an hour or so, they were saying things like, “Do you have to go? Can you stay until so-and-so gets here?” They were surprised that I was so normal, and they would even say that at times.
The trick for me is how we can go about conveying respect to these people while also trying to convey information. Especially talking with my friends—and I have dear friends who are deeply committed to racial justice—this is just the last thing they want to hear this week. How can you possibly stoop to show respect for people who voted for a candidate endorsed by the KKK? I’m really struggling with that.
But your feeling is that that’s exactly what’s required.
I think that’s the only way you change minds. Make it clear, before you give them information, that you actually care about them.
And how do you do that?
The only way I know is listening and spending time—and more than one time. Not just dropping in on them and saying here’s something you should think about. It’s showing respect with time and listening."
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