What (Almost) Everyone Gets Wrong About Rural Voters
A new short cartoon explainer from our team
Hey y’all, Deanna, here!
As someone who grew up in a rural area (where’re my Southern Tier of New York people at?!), it’s often frustrating to see how people who aren’t from the countryside react to rural politics. We make a lot of assumptions, and I’ve long felt like those assumptions have cost us in electoral votes and solid policy.
But working with Hightower for the last few decades has always given me a ray of hope that we might someday get things right. There’s a lot of incredible organizing work happening in rural areas, and I’ve been grateful to follow along with and learn from the people on the front lines. I decided to put together a little explainer cartoon about how and why rural America ended up the way it has, and to show the promise of the work that’s happening there. And lucky for me, Hightower agreed to do the voiceover!
Enjoy as you head into your Labor Day Weekend.
We need more of this. If Democrats do not learn this lesson, we will have only ourselves to blame for the consequences. We think a lot of it goes back to popular shows like "Hee Haw", "Green Acres", and - maybe worst of all - "The Beverly Hillbillies". Lordy, how loaded those were with every demeaning stereotype! Thanks, Deanna and Jim.
I love rurality! The sweet smell of manure to This Lancaster County (PA) city boy turned world traveler, appreciates what it is like to be home again. Tuscany's world gourmet treasures, Piraeus' and New York City's odiferous fish and produce markets, South Carolina's lowland tomato fields.
As a surveyor, I trampled over harvested corn stalks (even finding an Indianhead penny as well as arrowheads), their crunch under my feet stoking my hunger for the evening meal.
I was an Independent until Republican rediculousness drove me the more reasonable Democrats.