"I love the South. . . . I'm a poor, White-trash redneck from the middle of nowhere in Tennessee. I am also a well-educated, well-traveled, godless liberal. If you can't reconcile those two things that's your problem. Not mine."
Trae Crowder, American comedian
Some of American tribalism isn't political. It is regional.
There is a lot of "the South" all over America.
I recently stumbled across the comedian Trae Crowder. His humor plays off of a character: The southern redneck who describes the foibles of both blue and red America. His politics are blue. His culture is red. He can explore the quirks and self-delusions of both parts of America because he does it as an "insider" of them both.
Other comedians do a version of this. Larry the Cable Guy and John Foxworthy have been around for decades.
Crowder's videos are about up-to-the-minute politics. Underlying it all is the premise that America has regional differences that should not be politically divisive, but are. Crowder's schtick demonstrates a point that this blog has made repeatedly for seven years. The presentation of the messenger is an inextricable part of the message itself and how it is accepted by the audience. The messenger--his accent, tone, biography, body language--are themselves most of the message. Yes, issues matter. Policy matters. But different messengers can get away with sending messages that others cannot. What registers as "all too true" when said by one person registers as offensive if said by someone else. Trae Crowder teases southern evangelical Christians for their support for Herschel Walker and it seems gentle and funny to my ear, even as he says they are fools and hypocrites. Amy Klobuchar, for example, saying it would come across as scolding the "other." It would be another instance of calling opponents "deplorable."
There is a lot of "the South" all over America. Rural America is "the South" even when it is in northern Idaho, Montana, central Pennsylvania, or Oregon. I have written here that I have men wearing Trump hats installing the irrigation system and trellises for the vineyard I am adding to my farm. I am paying serious money to men who support Trump. They also refused COVID vaccination and told me that since I have been vaccinated twice and boosted four times so far, I may be dangerous. People like me "shed" something. They aren't sure what I shed, but they heard the vaccinated shed. Why would I trust the competency of people who support a man who attempted a political coup d'état and who believe crazy conspiracy theories about COVID? Because that is who lives in rural American, especially among people who do outdoor work.
Democratic readers of this blog might take a few pleasant minutes to watch a Crowder video or two. They are short and funny. Take the time to sit back, relax, and laugh. If a reader thinks being amused for a few minutes is too great a time-wasting self indulgence, do it for a serious reason. Consider it work--research. Pretend it is kale. The videos are a profound political lesson on message and messenger.
I think the most plausible Democratic nominee for president will be someone from a red state, or at least a purple one. An urban blue state Democrat, sensitive to the values and tones of educated elites in the professions, in academia, and among Democratic activists, speaks a different language. A Democrat who can unite America does not need to sound like Trae Crowder, but that candidate will need to sound OK to people who sound like Trae Crowder.
Want a little more? Here is his early warning about Trump:
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Great! I so appreciate your blog. I don't often comment, but your perspective is always a helpful one to me.
Thanks for sharing this!