The commentary on white rural rage was refreshing to hear.
I grew up in rural Idaho. More than that, I grew up in a literal farming family in Idaho. When I tell people this outside of my home state I either get wide eyes and raised eyebrows, or open mouthed shock, sometimes both.
The reaction is worse when I’ve been talking for a bit already and I’m suddenly not the stupid/uneducated/uninformed(take your pick) country bumpkin that their minds eye sees.
The classism is rampant inside cities. There’s a decent chunk of America who views rural communities as not much more than serfs.
Anyway. Aside from Trump being a giant middle finger to the political establishment, the other big reason that Trump resonates in these places is that they are so, so tired of being talked down to and belittled by democrats.
Something else that gets overlooked, FARMERS ARE BUSINESS OWNERS. It is no small wonder that they vote red when the alternative is usually a fairly direct line to more taxes, legislation, and red tape getting in the way of already thin profit margins.
I totally would have fallen for it a decade or so ago.
I just got back from Texas, and it's still jarring to me sitting in a ramen bar eating my vegan ramen and listening to some Asian guy telling the waitress that her cutesy hairstyle looks more Korean than Japanese...in Texas. It just was not in my worldview that anybody living south of the District of Columbia was anything other than like the Dukes of Hazzard.
And I still like to think I was less dismissive of the rural parts of America than the median inside-the-beltway person I left behind when I moved south.
This strikes me as very similar to what I experienced in the mountains of Peru. The people there have absolutely zero context for who Americans are or how they behave or what they do with their lives outside of what they see in movies.
Most people I met were legitimately shocked that I, nor anyone I knew well at the time worked in a big building in a cubicle in a major city.
When I told them I was a farm kid they started laughing until it became obvious knew more about their crops and tractors than they did haha.
I am one of those people who holds pride of place. I am a third-generation Floridian, all born in the same town, which is somewhat unusual.
I live in a purple county where I notice less support for Trump—such as signs and bumper stickers—and less political talk, although I expect it will ramp up closer to the election. While I know people in all demographics who will vote for Trump, I don't see a lot of new support, but I can't be sure since I generally avoid discussing politics in my day-to-day life. I believe my kids (21 and 23-year-old males) are voting for Trump.
It's true that words cannot hurt unless one decides to let them, but I also think it's okay not to particularly like a candidate who lacks decorum and respect. I can't see past the personality, and perhaps that is my loss.
The "Be Nice" trend has been around for a long time. My theory is that with fewer physical altercations and bullying among kids, parents are emphasizing teaching their children to be gentle and kind with everyone. Since there are fewer opportunities for physical altercations, words are now often equated with violence. I dislike the "Be Nice" command —my neighbor almost brands herself with it, and it's insulting. Instead, how about being nice yourself and letting others do as they please? It reminds me of "Be Better."
I see the irony in the above two paragraphs.
I appreciate the contemplation on class. There are some good reminders here to own your success while also accepting your origins.
I speak to you from the crucible of Scottish wokeness. Why is it so woke ? I'm not sure that it really is, compared to Canada or America; they're just common or garden woke socialists. It is a one-party state with an enthusiastic wing of young progressives who's overriding principles are to prevent "harm", fight "oppression" and enforce "equality". This, they tell me, is called "morality".
Yes, watching from England, it seems like SNP gets votes because of an enthusiasm for Scottish independence, and people didn't really take in the accompanying 'wokeness' or vote on that, and of course a lot of that wokeness (gender self ID, conversion bill) came from the Greens who they are in coalition with, which was formed because the SNP didn't get enough votes to rule on their own.
I've long believed what Meghan alluded to: Woody's legal (but inappropriate?) relationship with Soon-Yi and his on-screen depictions of similar relationships made people more inclined to believe the molestation accusations. I'm still waiting for these people to explain how sexual interest in 19 year women automatically translates into sexual interest in 8 year old girls, but whatever.
Sarah's cluelessness about the whole situation reminded me that the Woody-Soon Yi revelations date all the way back to 1992. No wonder Sarah is clueless. Hard to believe it's been that long.
It’s always been hilarious to me, the idea that political uniformity produces demographic diversity. Like, “we need to attract a broad coalition by rigorously enforcing one point of view and casting out all dissent!”
With respect to unicorns—I can’t be the only one that chuckled 🤭. The term unicorn is also used to describe the second woman recruited by a couple in a threesome. 😳
1. My clearly black son is named Tyler, hence the screen name. (Tyler Perry is the most famous black "Tyler". I do highly recommend Tyler Austin Harper's essay in the Atlantic.
2. I have developed trans fatigue over the last couple of years as the topic seems to have dominated the online heterodox space. But contrary to Meghan's assertions, I am a middle-aged heterosexual male and yet:
-Am willing to face the reality of gender ideology (I'm still not wholly convinced that the numbers justify characterizing it as an existential threat to society - we can agree to disagree).
-Am not afraid of my wife or daughter, both of whom are normies and really don't care much.
-Have a pretty strong layman's knowledge of the issue (certainly not Jesse Singal level, but I've read enough to have an opinion the last 5 years).
Having said all that, I am nonetheless outraged by the idea of post-pubescent men invading women's spaces, especially sports. In a few weeks I hope to bump into my alma mater's athletic director, so I can pointedly ask him why he allowed our women swimmers to share a pool with Will "Lia" Thomas. I would also ask about our school's response should the issue arise again.
I so hope you bump into the athletic director too!
I have been thinking about this whole Be Kind thing. Whenever someone uses it as a political guiding principle, it's bullshit. Because their "kindness" always seems to come a the expense of another group.
The past couple of weeks, it seems that some of our political leadership are telling Israel to "Be Kind" despite being continually attacked. (And to a lesser, extent, Ukraine). Sometimes, this world is completely upside-down.
I think Mia Farrow is a kid-collector, which is crappy. It's akin to those people who hoard animals.
I also think she made up the Dylan abuse thing.
But I think Woody Allen is shitty man. Ok, technically he was not Soon Yi's stepfather. He was Mia's paramour, not husband. And she made it all the way to the ripe age of 21 before she started banging her mom's 56 year old boyfriend. Or recent ex-boyfriend, depending on who you believe.
None of this makes him a man with a point of view on women that I have any interest in.
It was so refreshing to hear the way Meghan just shot straight about Mia Farrow. I remember watching that doc and having a very clear, visceral sense that Farrow was, like, dripping with insincerity — and also how utterly verboten it was to even suggest such a thing in my social and professional circles. She almost had that same glazed-eyed look that people in cults have, like when their minds have been marinating in a lie for so long that it warps their facial expressions. Even someone as measured as Robert Wright (Non-Zero, Blogging Heads) just laughed and called that documentary "a Mia Farrow production."
I also thought it was odd — and in poor taste — that Ronan Farrow installed himself as a #MeToo bounty hunter, especially with him being gay. It's like "What the fuck do you know about relating to women on any level, especially when it gets to the messier/uglier dynamics? And >you're< the one out here collecting skulls for the public as a benighted character assassin?" It was insulting, but also useful to see how public outrage just gets tweaked in one direction or another as if we're dogs chasing tennis balls.
Regarding why progressive men are averse to "punching down": I agree that they're capitulating to the women in their lives, but it's because they're sensing that the women in their lives feel safer on a gut level if they endorse men around them >becoming< women.
This is obviously operating on a non-rational level, but the sense I often get from women — mostly white women of a certain class/breeding (or women of other demographics who've bought-in to this kind of language) — is that if they can enfold men into themselves, if they can absorb masculinity into their feminine being, then they're safer because they're de-masculinizing the world, i.e: removing all the traits that make them feel unsafe. They obviously don't recognize that they're de-feminizing the world by wholesale replacing women with men.
Also, progressive men have falsely conflated feminine neurosis and control with women's strength and (healthy) authoritativeness. They don't recognize the difference, and they've literally talked themselves into thinking that they need to have less backbone to be good people because to be authoritative as men is to embody the tyrant-male archetype.
They've forgotten that men and women, in the right balance, check each other on their nonsense ALL THE TIME, and that it has to be a two-way street literally every day for any couple or family to be in-balance.
Meanwhile, progressive men and women alike tacitly endorse all manner of horrifically exaggerated stereotypes of black masculinity. It's not without reason that these dudes are derided as "cucks" by own-the-libs types. It goes pretty deep.
Hmm, not sure about that. I feel like men "de-feminize" women by kind of turning them into their mothers over time. I know that's not exactly what you're referring to, but I feel like men have certainly had a hand, unconsciously or not, in these sort of larger currents of behavior we've seen from women lately (or: always, if we're being honest).
Not sure that turning women into a mother is a "de-feminizing" thing.
But, say, do I see more women trying to get their husbands to stop playing video games or more men trying to get women to throw away their stuffed animals? Do I see more women trying to get men back down from a fight, or men trying to get women to stop backstabbing each other? Do I see more women trying to get their men to stay home and cook, or men trying to get women to learn how to change a tire?
The old saying is that women marry men hoping that they'll change and men marry women hoping that they won't, which holds true in my experience.
Thanks for critiquing White Rural Rage. I work in the sphere of rural politics and have been in damage control for months thanks to this misleading, damaging book.
It bugs the heck out of me that none of the arthouse theaters where I live are showing Woody Allen's 50th film (or any of his films since 2017). These were all theaters that were more than happy to show his films, new and old, before Mia Farrow was finally able to destroy him by co-opting #metoo. For the same reason, it bugs me that actors who were more than happy to work for Allen suddenly did an about-face after the #metoo shaming.
No new evidence against Allen came out between the accusations of the 90s and 2017. For the actors and theaters which seemingly had no issues with Allen until they suddenly disowned him in 2017, I see only 3 possibilities: 1) They somehow didn't know about the accusations involving Dylan until 2017, despite the accusations having been public knowledge since the 90s; 2) They were ok with child molestation or willing to turn a blind eye to it until #metoo caused them to rethink this; 3) They never thought the accusations were true, but can't face dealing with the repercussions of standing up for Allen. I know which of these I think is true.
this two-faced-ness is the reason I now detest timothey chamolet. he did his gig with allen, he got to drink in the experience that will forever affect him, and then he disavowed him. pathetic.
I just added this to the show notes, but just fyi . . . I think everyone should read this. https://mosesfarrow.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-son-speaks-out-by-moses-farrow.html
The commentary on white rural rage was refreshing to hear.
I grew up in rural Idaho. More than that, I grew up in a literal farming family in Idaho. When I tell people this outside of my home state I either get wide eyes and raised eyebrows, or open mouthed shock, sometimes both.
The reaction is worse when I’ve been talking for a bit already and I’m suddenly not the stupid/uneducated/uninformed(take your pick) country bumpkin that their minds eye sees.
The classism is rampant inside cities. There’s a decent chunk of America who views rural communities as not much more than serfs.
Anyway. Aside from Trump being a giant middle finger to the political establishment, the other big reason that Trump resonates in these places is that they are so, so tired of being talked down to and belittled by democrats.
Something else that gets overlooked, FARMERS ARE BUSINESS OWNERS. It is no small wonder that they vote red when the alternative is usually a fairly direct line to more taxes, legislation, and red tape getting in the way of already thin profit margins.
I totally would have fallen for it a decade or so ago.
I just got back from Texas, and it's still jarring to me sitting in a ramen bar eating my vegan ramen and listening to some Asian guy telling the waitress that her cutesy hairstyle looks more Korean than Japanese...in Texas. It just was not in my worldview that anybody living south of the District of Columbia was anything other than like the Dukes of Hazzard.
And I still like to think I was less dismissive of the rural parts of America than the median inside-the-beltway person I left behind when I moved south.
This strikes me as very similar to what I experienced in the mountains of Peru. The people there have absolutely zero context for who Americans are or how they behave or what they do with their lives outside of what they see in movies.
Most people I met were legitimately shocked that I, nor anyone I knew well at the time worked in a big building in a cubicle in a major city.
When I told them I was a farm kid they started laughing until it became obvious knew more about their crops and tractors than they did haha.
I am one of those people who holds pride of place. I am a third-generation Floridian, all born in the same town, which is somewhat unusual.
I live in a purple county where I notice less support for Trump—such as signs and bumper stickers—and less political talk, although I expect it will ramp up closer to the election. While I know people in all demographics who will vote for Trump, I don't see a lot of new support, but I can't be sure since I generally avoid discussing politics in my day-to-day life. I believe my kids (21 and 23-year-old males) are voting for Trump.
It's true that words cannot hurt unless one decides to let them, but I also think it's okay not to particularly like a candidate who lacks decorum and respect. I can't see past the personality, and perhaps that is my loss.
The "Be Nice" trend has been around for a long time. My theory is that with fewer physical altercations and bullying among kids, parents are emphasizing teaching their children to be gentle and kind with everyone. Since there are fewer opportunities for physical altercations, words are now often equated with violence. I dislike the "Be Nice" command —my neighbor almost brands herself with it, and it's insulting. Instead, how about being nice yourself and letting others do as they please? It reminds me of "Be Better."
I see the irony in the above two paragraphs.
I appreciate the contemplation on class. There are some good reminders here to own your success while also accepting your origins.
I'm watching the new Woody Allen movie tonight!
I speak to you from the crucible of Scottish wokeness. Why is it so woke ? I'm not sure that it really is, compared to Canada or America; they're just common or garden woke socialists. It is a one-party state with an enthusiastic wing of young progressives who's overriding principles are to prevent "harm", fight "oppression" and enforce "equality". This, they tell me, is called "morality".
Yes, watching from England, it seems like SNP gets votes because of an enthusiasm for Scottish independence, and people didn't really take in the accompanying 'wokeness' or vote on that, and of course a lot of that wokeness (gender self ID, conversion bill) came from the Greens who they are in coalition with, which was formed because the SNP didn't get enough votes to rule on their own.
When ever anyone attacks Woody Allen, those are fighting words to me. You go Meghan!
Nothing will clear the room faster than telling people you think Woody was innocent. NOTHING!
When Meghan talked about spoiling parties, who else listening wished they could be a fly on the wall to see that!!!
I am super happy to clear the room, then.
I've long believed what Meghan alluded to: Woody's legal (but inappropriate?) relationship with Soon-Yi and his on-screen depictions of similar relationships made people more inclined to believe the molestation accusations. I'm still waiting for these people to explain how sexual interest in 19 year women automatically translates into sexual interest in 8 year old girls, but whatever.
Sarah's cluelessness about the whole situation reminded me that the Woody-Soon Yi revelations date all the way back to 1992. No wonder Sarah is clueless. Hard to believe it's been that long.
I highly recommend Soon-Yi's 2018 interview where she finally broke her silence and politely told the pearl-clutchers to pound sand. https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/soon-yi-previn-speaks.html
Thanks for posting that link. I'm gonna add it to the show notes.
It’s always been hilarious to me, the idea that political uniformity produces demographic diversity. Like, “we need to attract a broad coalition by rigorously enforcing one point of view and casting out all dissent!”
With respect to unicorns—I can’t be the only one that chuckled 🤭. The term unicorn is also used to describe the second woman recruited by a couple in a threesome. 😳
I thought about that too … as well as the fact that the reason they are called unicorns is because few women want to play second fiddle like that.
You ladies are killing me today (metaphorically).
1. My clearly black son is named Tyler, hence the screen name. (Tyler Perry is the most famous black "Tyler". I do highly recommend Tyler Austin Harper's essay in the Atlantic.
2. I have developed trans fatigue over the last couple of years as the topic seems to have dominated the online heterodox space. But contrary to Meghan's assertions, I am a middle-aged heterosexual male and yet:
-Am willing to face the reality of gender ideology (I'm still not wholly convinced that the numbers justify characterizing it as an existential threat to society - we can agree to disagree).
-Am not afraid of my wife or daughter, both of whom are normies and really don't care much.
-Have a pretty strong layman's knowledge of the issue (certainly not Jesse Singal level, but I've read enough to have an opinion the last 5 years).
Having said all that, I am nonetheless outraged by the idea of post-pubescent men invading women's spaces, especially sports. In a few weeks I hope to bump into my alma mater's athletic director, so I can pointedly ask him why he allowed our women swimmers to share a pool with Will "Lia" Thomas. I would also ask about our school's response should the issue arise again.
So what you're saying is that you are a unicorn.
I would like to think that a significant percentage of the hetero men questioning the focus on gender ideology have thought deeply about the issue.
I so hope you bump into the athletic director too!
I have been thinking about this whole Be Kind thing. Whenever someone uses it as a political guiding principle, it's bullshit. Because their "kindness" always seems to come a the expense of another group.
The past couple of weeks, it seems that some of our political leadership are telling Israel to "Be Kind" despite being continually attacked. (And to a lesser, extent, Ukraine). Sometimes, this world is completely upside-down.
First.!
Damn you!!!
I think Mia Farrow is a kid-collector, which is crappy. It's akin to those people who hoard animals.
I also think she made up the Dylan abuse thing.
But I think Woody Allen is shitty man. Ok, technically he was not Soon Yi's stepfather. He was Mia's paramour, not husband. And she made it all the way to the ripe age of 21 before she started banging her mom's 56 year old boyfriend. Or recent ex-boyfriend, depending on who you believe.
None of this makes him a man with a point of view on women that I have any interest in.
Tyler posted this below, fwiw. https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/soon-yi-previn-speaks.html
It was so refreshing to hear the way Meghan just shot straight about Mia Farrow. I remember watching that doc and having a very clear, visceral sense that Farrow was, like, dripping with insincerity — and also how utterly verboten it was to even suggest such a thing in my social and professional circles. She almost had that same glazed-eyed look that people in cults have, like when their minds have been marinating in a lie for so long that it warps their facial expressions. Even someone as measured as Robert Wright (Non-Zero, Blogging Heads) just laughed and called that documentary "a Mia Farrow production."
I also thought it was odd — and in poor taste — that Ronan Farrow installed himself as a #MeToo bounty hunter, especially with him being gay. It's like "What the fuck do you know about relating to women on any level, especially when it gets to the messier/uglier dynamics? And >you're< the one out here collecting skulls for the public as a benighted character assassin?" It was insulting, but also useful to see how public outrage just gets tweaked in one direction or another as if we're dogs chasing tennis balls.
"It's barely English!" 😂
Regarding why progressive men are averse to "punching down": I agree that they're capitulating to the women in their lives, but it's because they're sensing that the women in their lives feel safer on a gut level if they endorse men around them >becoming< women.
This is obviously operating on a non-rational level, but the sense I often get from women — mostly white women of a certain class/breeding (or women of other demographics who've bought-in to this kind of language) — is that if they can enfold men into themselves, if they can absorb masculinity into their feminine being, then they're safer because they're de-masculinizing the world, i.e: removing all the traits that make them feel unsafe. They obviously don't recognize that they're de-feminizing the world by wholesale replacing women with men.
Also, progressive men have falsely conflated feminine neurosis and control with women's strength and (healthy) authoritativeness. They don't recognize the difference, and they've literally talked themselves into thinking that they need to have less backbone to be good people because to be authoritative as men is to embody the tyrant-male archetype.
They've forgotten that men and women, in the right balance, check each other on their nonsense ALL THE TIME, and that it has to be a two-way street literally every day for any couple or family to be in-balance.
Meanwhile, progressive men and women alike tacitly endorse all manner of horrifically exaggerated stereotypes of black masculinity. It's not without reason that these dudes are derided as "cucks" by own-the-libs types. It goes pretty deep.
I've always found it telling that women often seem to want to emasculate men, but you never hear about men trying to "defeminize" women.
Hmm, not sure about that. I feel like men "de-feminize" women by kind of turning them into their mothers over time. I know that's not exactly what you're referring to, but I feel like men have certainly had a hand, unconsciously or not, in these sort of larger currents of behavior we've seen from women lately (or: always, if we're being honest).
Not sure that turning women into a mother is a "de-feminizing" thing.
But, say, do I see more women trying to get their husbands to stop playing video games or more men trying to get women to throw away their stuffed animals? Do I see more women trying to get men back down from a fight, or men trying to get women to stop backstabbing each other? Do I see more women trying to get their men to stay home and cook, or men trying to get women to learn how to change a tire?
The old saying is that women marry men hoping that they'll change and men marry women hoping that they won't, which holds true in my experience.
Interesting point! I'd hafta think about it. Maybe Meghan and Sarah will discuss.
Thanks for critiquing White Rural Rage. I work in the sphere of rural politics and have been in damage control for months thanks to this misleading, damaging book.
@sarahhaider you can use getpocket.com to bypass many paywalls including the Atlantic. Also archive.is
Wait until you gals find out the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland (did someone already say this? I had a quick scan but was too eager)
It bugs the heck out of me that none of the arthouse theaters where I live are showing Woody Allen's 50th film (or any of his films since 2017). These were all theaters that were more than happy to show his films, new and old, before Mia Farrow was finally able to destroy him by co-opting #metoo. For the same reason, it bugs me that actors who were more than happy to work for Allen suddenly did an about-face after the #metoo shaming.
No new evidence against Allen came out between the accusations of the 90s and 2017. For the actors and theaters which seemingly had no issues with Allen until they suddenly disowned him in 2017, I see only 3 possibilities: 1) They somehow didn't know about the accusations involving Dylan until 2017, despite the accusations having been public knowledge since the 90s; 2) They were ok with child molestation or willing to turn a blind eye to it until #metoo caused them to rethink this; 3) They never thought the accusations were true, but can't face dealing with the repercussions of standing up for Allen. I know which of these I think is true.
this two-faced-ness is the reason I now detest timothey chamolet. he did his gig with allen, he got to drink in the experience that will forever affect him, and then he disavowed him. pathetic.