Across the Wide, Growing American Divide

Townhall.com ^ | May 21, 2020 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Kaslin]

Red- and blue-state America was already divided before the coronavirus epidemic hit. Globalization had enriched the East Coast and West Coast corridors but hollowed out much in between.

The traditional values of small towns and rural counties were increasingly at odds with postmodern lifestyles in the cities.

[foreverfree]

Bump

[SkyPilot]

I hate the old "Blue State - Red State" mantra.

Years ago, every network had blue states as Republican, and red states as Democrat.

Then, the media and Democrats got together and had it swapped, because they feared that "Red" was associated with Marxism/Communism (which it is).

Even today, I simply reject the labels of Blue and Red.

[DoodleDawg]

Both parties view the growing divide as something that benefits them so neither one is going to try anything to halt it or lessen it.

[Reeses]

I hate the old "Blue State - Red State" mantra.

Further there are no Democrat or Republican states anymore. All the cities are now majority Democrat, the countryside is majority Republican, and the suburbs are mixed. It used to be much more geographically mixed but the power obsessed Democrat politicians discovered it was much easier and cheaper to buy votes out of the Devil dens. They transformed into the city slicker party only because it is the path of least resistance to maximum power. But whether it is a wise strategy to have all your eggs in a small number of baskets remains to be seen.

[central_va]

The USA is the only advanced first world nation that hasn’t provided broadband access to all of its citizens. To those of us in rural areas we’ve been given the finger. It makes ME SICK.

[PapaBear3625]

Republican governors, with only a few exceptions, like most republican congress bums, are a joke. One democrat woman governor can easily kick all of their collective asses. You can hate the dems as much as you want, label them, identify their political infections, but you have to admit they don’t give a damn. They will cut you, smile and shoot you in the head for kicks. Doesn't bother them at all. They believe in their righteousness as they see it and that makes them dangerous and successful.

Collectively, Republicans need to stop caring what hard-line Democrats think, and copy Trump's approach:

1) Set out a competing vision, and

2) ignore and mock the Dems

[PapaBear3625]

The focus of the presentation was on the changing nature of the modern work force. Basically, the old model of getting an education through childhood into young adulthood and then working at the same place -- or even in the same career -- is a thing of the past.

You're correct. Technology will keep things changing. People will need to continuously learn new things, while working. We will probably need to dispense with physical colleges, and rely more upon distance learning.

The old college diploma was a certification by the college that the recipient had learned certain things, and was competent in certain skills. With Affirmative Action and affirmative grading, the old certification is increasingly worthless.

We need a new way to certify competence for potential employers. This new way will probably be "controversial", because in order to be useful, it will need to be objective, and thus ignore the race, ethnicity, and sex of the person being certified and ONLY address skill.

[marktwain]

Lots of places in Australia where access to the Internet is through the phone system, just as it is in the rural areas of the United States. (About 1/3 the cost in Australia, though).

[karnage]

All governments inevitably tend toward tyranny.

That’s why less is more.

[Lurker]

“I predict the Democrats will be in full meltdown mode, and some of their more violent folks will gang up on 14 year old boys and 80 year old women wearing MAGA hats and murder them, then get off from Clinton, Bush, and Obama judges saying they were “triggered”.

See my tag line.

L

[11th_VA]

great essay

[central_va]

I live 30 miles from the center of a major city in the USA and I STILL can’t get broad band. Stop making excuses. It’s travesty and an embarrassment. People in downtown Nairobi have better broadband access than central Virginians.

[MuttTheHoople]

I have seen that. I have had some civil discussions with proggies. However, they are few, far between, and not the people in charge. I predict that the anti-Trump fireeaters will react violently to Trump’s landslide victory, and the Normals will defend themselves. It could either be a real civil war, or the Red Chinese will attack in a desperate bid to keep their empire from crumbling.

[11th_VA]

I know quite a few people who have worked at the same high tech company for twenty years or more.

Most all the tech companies like Lockheed, Raytheon, etc did away with their pension plans in the early 2000's. So there are a few people hanging on for pension plans, but not that many.

My wife worked for a local Gov't that did away with a pension retirement plan, but instead, matched employee contributions into an 'IRA like plan' that has a guaranteed interest rate of 7.5%; that's actually pretty good, because the stock market swings don't affect her.

[Vaduz]

Not dividing exposing the left for what they are.

[Big Red Badger]

Let Loose the
Dogs of War!
.
Got room for 1?

[marktwain]

You cannot get connection to the Internet through your phone?

You cannot get connection though landline?

Perhaps you can explain what you mean by "broadband".

I mentioned the fact, that Australia provides Internet connection by phone service, to show that a first world nation has similar problems to providing Internet as to the United States.

How is that "making excuses".

[central_va]

Internet 101: In the context of Internet access, broadband is used to mean any high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than dial-up access over traditional analog or ISDN PSTN services.

Ok I have DSL which is 45 mps down and 6 mps up. So technically I have BB but by this point (2020 AD ) I should be in the gigabyte range. The cities all have fiber but us schulbs in the sticks, well we don't count.

[gogeo]

Burn the bodies afterwards.

Define "afterward," please.

[reformedliberal]

They took over my county...
______________________

The first such wave happened in the 70s in my county and I was part of it. Within 5 years, the majority returned to the suburbs and took city jobs, often in the family business.

We stayed and over 45 years turned a failed hillside farm into a pristine wildlife preserve, as we became more and more conservative. The nearby town had the magnetic attraction of a brand name alternative school with a side of the occult. It attracted a 2nd wave in the 90s and oughts who turned it into a mini-millennial paradise of boutiques and bistros.

Enter Rona, stage left. All the amenities are closed. The 2nd wave is in self-imposed isolation as a form of resistance. We sold and purchased in a deep red area where “there is nothing to do” for the urban refugees.

In my present county, the original conservatives are seeing the invaders increasingly panicked. Some of their own children are trapped in the Blue urban zones. My new county is full of confident people, many of whom have served their country. Lots of smiles that can be seen because there are few masks. Lots of straight backs and situational awareness.

We needed to downsize and we are fine without trendiness. Everyone is different. Stay and persevere, move to more amenable surroundings, whichever works.

At some point, the left will begin to call for their diaspora to return to the devastated cities. Your county and those like it will revert back to normalcy. Those of us who had to leave will love coming back home to visit and you can visit your dispersed friends and families in their new homes.

The hogs will return to their mire and the rural areas will bloom again.

Now, the shoppes and restaurants and wine bars