Rural America has its head up its ass

Tuesday 17 November 2009 - Filed under Politics

Every once in awhile these revelations hit me. Once they do they are here for good, the bell can’t be un-rung. Rural America is killing America. Rural America is the Taliban of rational thought. There is a class war going on but its not between the rich and the poor, nor is it between red state and blue state, it is between rural and urban America. The country folk vs. the city folk.

Standard sweeping generalization disclaimer: I’m talking about sentiments in general. There are vast numbers of exceptions to these generalizations. I realize that and don’t need to be reminded.

There are several highly divisive and contentious debates going on right now and they are all driven by the intolerance of rural America. These are the three G’s – god, guns and gays and, although it fits neatly into the first G for psuedo-pious rural American, abortion.

Here, then, are the 4 deadly sins of rural America:

1. They hate all non-Christians, especially atheists and muslims and they would be perfectly fine doing away with the separation of Church/State so long as Christianity is the religion.

2. They think we want to take their guns away. In the meantime those guns are used 99 times out of 100 to harm someone they love through domestic violence, suicide and accidents. Gun use for self-defense almost never happens in rural America.

3. They don’t like the gays. Except maybe Ellen DeGeneres, but she doesn’t count. This is the voting block that is stopping gay marriage in this country — rural folk who would be the least effected by it. No one can think of one tangible, secular reason for opposing gay marriage. See #1. These people can’t even interpret the Bible correctly. Most of them have never actually read the Bible. But they are pretty sure that it says God hates fags.

4. Abortion. No one can give a tangible, secular reason to criminalize abortion, either. See #1 again. For some reason they are pretty sure that God gets mad at us if we kill fertilized eggs, even though 30% – 70% of fertilized eggs never make it to birth regardless! The notion that a fertilized egg equals a person is not true nor is there a shred of evidence to suggest it is true. An acorn is not an oak tree, right? Would a law against killing oak trees apply to acorns? No, of course not. This is religion in disguise, imposing their inept Biblical view on the rest of us. Abortion should be discouraged. Unwanted pregnancies should be avoided. It does harm women emotionally when they have abortions. Abortions are not good. But they absolutely should not be criminalized. Rural folk have abortions, too, they just lie about it.

The sum of these things is the Great Sin of Rural America – intolerance. They are intolerant of all people who are not like them. The other day I had a run-in with a land owner while trying to retrieve a rocket. At one point his passenger yelled at me to “go back to the city where I belong”. This is 40 miles from Minneapolis. It is astounding to me that some redneck who lives practically in the suburbs of Minneapolis would resort to that. In his mind I was different from him (my hair is a little long these days) and he immediately tried to use that difference as a tactic to disparage me.

This Great Sin of Intolerance is prevalent everywhere in rural America. If you are the slightest bit different in the slightest way, you are ostracized for it. This is not just school yard stuff. Adults who are gay, atheist or even just lean to the left are targets to the mob mentality of small-minded, uneducated, sheltered bigots.

Am I intolerant towards people who are intolerant? Yes I am. Don’t bother trying to catch me in that trap. I am accepting of all people who are accepting of all people.

I am born and lived until I was 5 in a tiny North Dakota town. I spent my formative years in a slightly bigger North Dakota town. I have hunted and fished my whole life. I know and love many rural Americans. It is hard in a sense to have finally realized that I am an urbanite. I deplore the intolerant mindset that dominates rural America.

I’m starting to realize that ethnic and territorial conflicts like the Bosnian War, for example, are driven by the exact same mindset. There is an “us” and a “them” and if you are not with “us” you are with “them” and intolerance begets violence begets war. Same thing with the American Revolutionary war. Fuck, many rural Americans in the southern states are still fighting that war!

In spite of what you’ve just read, I love rural America. It’s where I am from. But I’m taking the gloves off. I’m sick of this intolerant bullshit coming from people who should know better and I’m calling them out.

2009-11-17  »  lolife