I got the opposite feeling camping and biking on the Creeper Trail in southwestern Virginia. I ran into urbane young people escaping DC/suburban VA. Admittedly brief conversations suggested they are thoughtful, not reactionaries nor Trumpers, and holding their own economically.
I've just returned from a week in the north end of the NC mountains. The best election-related sign I saw was in Collettesville: 'Jesus 2024, our only hope.' I also saw far fewer Trump signs than during previous visits.
I just bought a house in that aforementioned “small town in the Georgia mountains”. Similarly to the lady you met, I haven’t found a lot of like-minded progressive folks with whom to talk politics.
People DO leave ideologically-intense groups. They experience cognitive and emotional dissonance between what is preached, the actions/behaviors, and the outcomes they expected. People in this country who were "all in" on abortion are experiencing this dissonance and adjusting their views. The ringleaders who benefit don't experience the dissonance, because their motivation for being involved is different.
On a weird side tangent, what do you think about North Carolina growing avocados? 🥑 "Michoacán, where about four in five of all avocados consumed in the United States are grown, is the most important avocado-producing region in the world, accounting for nearly a third of the global supply. This cultivation requires a huge quantity of land – much of it found beneath native pine forests – and an even more startling quantity of water. It is often said that it takes about 12 times as much water to grow an avocado as it does a tomato. Recently, competition for control of the avocado, and of the resources needed to produce it, has grown increasingly violent, often at the hands of cartels."
Great to take a breather and enjoy changes of scenery mountains offer. My brother especially likes that corner where on a clear day, it's possible to catch sight of seven states near Clingmans Dome. And too bad hearing about shameless, icky 2024 election signs and decals forever reminding us of our divided, bedeviled nation.
Those stickers are a saddening indicator of the health and stability of the Union. I see our challenge going forward being reimagining the Union without another civil war. Years ago the thought of a Constitutional Convention scared the hell out of me. Today I wonder if it’s the only peaceful way to address the challenges of multiculturalism and economic inequality. The Democratic Party might have provided a roadmap if it hadn’t become so Balkanized and lost its voice a few decades ago.
Again you nailed it. I will never understand how these people think Trump will save them. It's very distressing.
I got the opposite feeling camping and biking on the Creeper Trail in southwestern Virginia. I ran into urbane young people escaping DC/suburban VA. Admittedly brief conversations suggested they are thoughtful, not reactionaries nor Trumpers, and holding their own economically.
I've just returned from a week in the north end of the NC mountains. The best election-related sign I saw was in Collettesville: 'Jesus 2024, our only hope.' I also saw far fewer Trump signs than during previous visits.
I just bought a house in that aforementioned “small town in the Georgia mountains”. Similarly to the lady you met, I haven’t found a lot of like-minded progressive folks with whom to talk politics.
Hi, Tom. You mentioned your daughter lives in Sweden. My colleague, Robert Orell, is Swedish, and a former neo-Nazi. He's now part of Life After Hate and doing things like this, in Australia, after the Christchurch shooting: https://www.smh.com.au/national/meet-the-former-violent-nazis-who-now-preach-compassion-20200310-p548m5.html
People DO leave ideologically-intense groups. They experience cognitive and emotional dissonance between what is preached, the actions/behaviors, and the outcomes they expected. People in this country who were "all in" on abortion are experiencing this dissonance and adjusting their views. The ringleaders who benefit don't experience the dissonance, because their motivation for being involved is different.
On a weird side tangent, what do you think about North Carolina growing avocados? 🥑 "Michoacán, where about four in five of all avocados consumed in the United States are grown, is the most important avocado-producing region in the world, accounting for nearly a third of the global supply. This cultivation requires a huge quantity of land – much of it found beneath native pine forests – and an even more startling quantity of water. It is often said that it takes about 12 times as much water to grow an avocado as it does a tomato. Recently, competition for control of the avocado, and of the resources needed to produce it, has grown increasingly violent, often at the hands of cartels."
I thought this was an interesting case of community-based activism: https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/jun/11/inside-mexico-anti-avocado-militias?utm_term=666d5815d1a34ce212977b13d9c6b7b1&utm_campaign=TheLongRead&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=longread_email
Great to take a breather and enjoy changes of scenery mountains offer. My brother especially likes that corner where on a clear day, it's possible to catch sight of seven states near Clingmans Dome. And too bad hearing about shameless, icky 2024 election signs and decals forever reminding us of our divided, bedeviled nation.
Those stickers are a saddening indicator of the health and stability of the Union. I see our challenge going forward being reimagining the Union without another civil war. Years ago the thought of a Constitutional Convention scared the hell out of me. Today I wonder if it’s the only peaceful way to address the challenges of multiculturalism and economic inequality. The Democratic Party might have provided a roadmap if it hadn’t become so Balkanized and lost its voice a few decades ago.