After every election, social media feeds are filled with maps showing how much of the country is red. These maps show surface area rather than population density, but that doesn’t matter to ignorant people.
“Look at how red the United States is!”
“I guess that means that right-wing politics are the reason why the country is such a mess.”
“It doesn’t mean that!”
I grew up in a rural area so I know what rural voters are like. I remember being in classrooms where there would be mini-mutinies because the students couldn’t figure out the course material. I always thought it was a colossal waste of time to have to go over the same things over and over and over again.
It was like my classmates were allergic to facts. In algebra, kids would say, “When are we ever going to use this?” Then they’d refuse to study.
As an adult, I’ve found algebra to be very useful in things like running a business, investing, and retirement planning. I used it when I remodeled my bathroom. But back when I was in high school, we had a rural teacher and he seemed more inclined to agree that learning algebra was a waste of time.
Most of the people I went to high school with are still in the same town. If I come home to visit, I can go to the bar on Main St. and it’s like a class reunion. Few of them even attempted college and most of those that did dropped out.
I’m different from them in that I had the discipline and the drive to earn my degree. Getting an education takes commitment, it takes a work ethic, and it takes effort. You have to be willing to own your mistakes and practice things you don’t understand until you master them.
You have to be able to admit when you are wrong.
I don’t see that in my rural classmates. I didn’t see it back in algebra class, and I don’t see it today. They thought it was better to use class time to make jokes and mock anyone who tried to better themselves. Today, they spend their days perched on a bar stool watching lies presented as news.
Their vote counts the same as mine.
It wouldn’t be so bad, except that they make awful decisions and I’m the one who ends up having to clean up the mess. I’m tired of cleaning up after ignorant rural voters.
Many of them work on family farms that only function because they qualify for regular subsidy checks from the government. That’s fine. I don’t mind that program. Our nation needs to make sure it has an adequate food supply.
But that’s also socialism.
I think it’s ridiculous that people who spend their whole lives being supported by government subsidy checks turn around and lambaste the “evils” of socialism. I guess it’s really easy to be self-righteous when you never hold yourself to your own standard.
If you don’t like “socialism,” then don’t deposit any government money into your bank accounts.
You always see this with politicians too. They want to take away our retirement in the form of cutting Social Security, but there’s never any talk of cutting government pensions for politicians. All of a sudden, they don’t see it as “socialism.” They’re perfectly happy to take that money when the check has their name on it.
This goes on and on.
People will say, “Having a degree doesn’t make you smart. I know a lot of foolish people with bad ideas who have college degrees.”
That’s true. I know a lot of foolish people with college degrees too. But it’s not the degree that makes people foolish. They were foolish before they got an education. At least sitting through some classes combated their ignorance on some subjects.
People who don’t go to college don’t have that advantage. Yes, I’ve known foolish people with degrees. In my experience, the percentage of foolish people is much higher among people who don’t have degrees.
But the fact is, our country is set up to give greater weight to the opinions of ignorant people who live in rural areas. It doesn’t matter that the blue areas in our country are the ones that drive the gross national product. The people in the blue states do the work and they end up having to support the people who live in red states.
Then the red states sit around and complain about “socialism” even though they are the ones cashing the checks.
In many ways, our whole country reminds me of my old algebra class from high school. There are a few people who try to get the most out of their opportunities. They work hard. They educate themselves. They go on to achieve something.
All the while, they have to sit and listen to the howling of obnoxious people who think it’s a form of righteousness to remain ignorant. You’ve got people who haven’t read a book their whole lives who think they know more than renowned experts in their fields.
It’s time for the United States of America to cultivate some respect for the people who have proven they have discipline and drive. Everyone should have an opportunity to get an education. If more people were educated, perhaps there would be fewer ignorant voters in rural areas who supported policies that are detrimental to our nation’s future.