New York, Chicago, L.A., Seattle, San Francisco, Houston, Miami, Portland, Austin, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, San Antonio, Orlando, New Orleans, Denver, DFW, and the other urban centers of the US. Most of US-GAF probably lives on one of these islands, myself included. They are 'hotbeds of multiculturalism', which I've seen used as a derogatory term but quite like the sound of, myself. Most of the nation's commerce is run through these islands. All the space between them is a rural ocean, and they make up the other half of the country's population.
This has been known for years. I've been waiting for a thread like this to pop up or get bumped in the post-election aftermath but have not seen any, so here I am.
Here's an image of the nation's county map for the 2008 election that won Obama the POTUS.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/2/25/949798/-
What is the Way Forward? How do we reconcile such stark ideological differences (evidence-based science, secular moral beliefs, social and economic equality vs religious-based creationism, religion-based morality, bootstraps mentality)?
I have trouble thinking of any wholly peaceful way. It is impossible for us to reach peace through politics or social justice movements alone. We can't rely on majority because as the thread title suggests, we are blue islands (albeit heavily populated) within a sea of red. Geographic distance makes even interacting with each other a Herculean task unless one's work or family demands it. Personally, I feel if transportation technology can reduce travel time even further and reduce costs to almost negligent amounts, and give people a reason to go to currently rural zones, we could have more interaction. We also need to be willing to interact with each other - one saying I recall is to hate the idea, not the person. It's incredibly hard to follow from personal experience, but it does highlight a nuance that is lost by simply calling a spade, a spade. Hate their racism, but don't hate the person for existing. I don't think most people would be able to follow that - I probably couldn't do it longterm. The viability, or lack thereof, of manufacturing and other low-education labor jobs has also been on the downtrend and is something that no amount of communication can solve.
Does a way to bridge the urban/rural divide without compromising our ideological beliefs exist? What way, realistically, is there to not leave working-class America behind as automation increases?
Perhaps I'm trying to tackle too many things at once, but they are all inter-related. Strand me on a blue island if old.
http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2010/11/a-nation-of-blue-islands-in-a-sea-of-red-249335.htmlBefore It's News said:
This has been known for years. I've been waiting for a thread like this to pop up or get bumped in the post-election aftermath but have not seen any, so here I am.
Here's an image of the nation's county map for the 2008 election that won Obama the POTUS.
Daily KOS said:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/2/25/949798/-
What is the Way Forward? How do we reconcile such stark ideological differences (evidence-based science, secular moral beliefs, social and economic equality vs religious-based creationism, religion-based morality, bootstraps mentality)?
I have trouble thinking of any wholly peaceful way. It is impossible for us to reach peace through politics or social justice movements alone. We can't rely on majority because as the thread title suggests, we are blue islands (albeit heavily populated) within a sea of red. Geographic distance makes even interacting with each other a Herculean task unless one's work or family demands it. Personally, I feel if transportation technology can reduce travel time even further and reduce costs to almost negligent amounts, and give people a reason to go to currently rural zones, we could have more interaction. We also need to be willing to interact with each other - one saying I recall is to hate the idea, not the person. It's incredibly hard to follow from personal experience, but it does highlight a nuance that is lost by simply calling a spade, a spade. Hate their racism, but don't hate the person for existing. I don't think most people would be able to follow that - I probably couldn't do it longterm. The viability, or lack thereof, of manufacturing and other low-education labor jobs has also been on the downtrend and is something that no amount of communication can solve.
Does a way to bridge the urban/rural divide without compromising our ideological beliefs exist? What way, realistically, is there to not leave working-class America behind as automation increases?
Perhaps I'm trying to tackle too many things at once, but they are all inter-related. Strand me on a blue island if old.
