This just in: I read an article a couple of days ago (N.Y. Times or Wapo) that said we shouldn’t keep trying to understand Trump voters. Then it went on to explain why.
First, let me start with a short story. I grew up in Wasco, Ca, population 7,000 in the 1960’s. We had about 40% hispanics and maybe 10% blacks. The rest were white. I have fond memories of growing up in this small nest in the middle of nowhere. Life was good.
Last year, Wasco made the list of the top 10 places in California that you don’t want to live in. Crime was so high you had a 1 in 12 chance in being involved in a crime in a single year. Years ago they had built a prison nearby. The population surged to about 25,000. The demographics changed strongly in the direction of hispanics. The last time I drove through, all of the stores had Mexican names. It felt like I was in a different country.
I longed for my hometown to return to its Mayberry roots. No crime. Small. Simple.
There you have it. My little story. I’m not blaming the prison or the Latinos or any other specific influencer for the change. I’m just saying that it changed.
So, what about the story I read in the paper.
It basically said, “Trump supporters have noticed that the United States, is no longer a predominant White, Christian nation…and they resent this.” It went on to say they support Trump because they think he will stop this.
When I thought about this…everything became clear.
People are not conservatives because they want to return to the past. They are conservatives because they are uncomfortable with the future.
Trump comes along and promised to basically erase anything and everything that is not White and Christian. He has lots of other loopy ideas as well but for those that fear change…he had them at “White and Christian.”
It turns out that race is a very divisive issue. More than half of the Russian Troll Machine posts had to do with race.
So, to fear that we are becoming a non-white country seems to be a powerful thing for some people.
This is a fundamental part of their psyche. You can’t argue them out of this rut because to give it up would be to give up what makes them who they are.
It’s not wrong to long for the past. It is wrong to think you can turn back the clock.
You can’t because time only moves forward.
Long for the past but continue to look forward.
Why?
Because that is where the future is.
Time to save the world.
Up, up and away…
Jim
It will be interesting to see how your fellow Wasco folks feel about this. It might take more insight than they are comfortable with, but your points are well taken. Thank you!
My guess is that today’s Wasco is the Mayberry they will remember.
Hi Jim-so true about so many being in fear of the future. Fear holds us back in so many ways- letting go of fear will allow us to grow as a nation, as a democracy and as individuals. We are a mixed race humanity. We can get stuck trying to stop the future or we can embrace it. You nailed it again.
Hi anonymous, I grew up in Wasco, have known Jim since kindergarten I think. We did have a Mayberry existence and as kids, we grew up color blind I think. However, racism was alive and well with our parents and grandparents, most of whom came to Calif from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. Our little town was segregated geographically as well, and I heard the descriptions of those areas in derogatory terms from my elders…yet as kids we played together and have forged lifelong friendships with those kids that had skin that looked different from ours. I can’t speak for my fellow Wasconians (although I have been gone from our little town for more than 30 years), I can say that honestly, I don’t care what the color of this country is, I care that we are decent humans who are kind and compassionate. I am not afraid of being the minority, I am afraid of the evil and hate that has become so prevalent since Trump was elected. I do long for the days of dignity, kindness and decorum in the White House. Hopefully it won’t be too long before that returns.