Hillbilly Elegy

[Spongebob]

I read a piece on the Independent about rural support for Trump. This is a highly generalized conclusion, granted, but I suspect it offers some valid insights. People of Appalachia would likely be included in this assessment. The conclusion of the author was that support for Trump stemmed largely from the lack of job growth and development in rural areas as compared to metropolitan areas, creating the need to blame others for their lack of prosperity. Americans (actually, all humans) are quick to blame others for their circumstances. Trump and many others, mostly Republican, have spent years offering up evil villains to fill this role; Mexicans, Muslims, gays, blacks...anyone but white rural inhabitants. And when Obama was elected, that was just the final straw; now no one in government was on their side. Given the extreme pressure to conform in small communities, this creates people who become solidified in support for politicians that don't actually offer them policies that they actually need. They just get firebrand rhetoric that casts blame on others. In some twisted way, rural people see Trump as one of them. I have no idea is this is something Vance was attempting to convey in his book but if he was, then I don't understand the controversy because it appears to be demonstrably true.

Here's a link to the article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/tru...14131.html