Immigration from a Rural American

Political polarization in America has become an increasingly important and relevant issue in recent years, with a noticeable jump during and after the 2016 election. Many issues divide major political parties, but none as fiery as immigration. Along with nearly any political standpoint, moderation on this issue has become a distant and even fond memory. But the truth is, moderation is not appealing. It is not headline news. “Reasonable Politician Represents Mixed Ideals,” just does not grab attention like “Build the Wall,” does. While extremist views are “sexy” in the media, they leave many middle-of-the-roaders lost in terms of their political affiliation. Do they conform to the new brand of their party? Do they switch parties? Or do they lose interest in government and politics all together?

            Coming from a rural, agriculturally-centered community, many of the roles models in my childhood and early adulthood had conservative viewpoints. Whether they be 1990’s conservative ideals or those hot topics of the modern era, there was an underlying Republican tone to everything we did. We looked out for ourselves and those close to us in our community. We put our heads down and worked and didn’t question why we did things the way we did; we just plain did it. I don’t understand why this seems to have conservative undertones to it, but to me it does. Perhaps this is because to me, Republicans seem to be content with the way government has run, in that the amount of people I know who are demonstrating and protesting on behalf of Republican issues is far less than the amount of people I know who participate on behalf Democratic issues. In addition, those that are affected by immigration issues, who I have worked side-by-side with for many years, seem to take the same approach that everybody else in my community does; put your head down and work. At times it feels as if we, rural America, is too small to make a difference in the way government operates, especially on issues such as immigration. However, the 2016 election proves me wrong. Dead wrong.

            President Trump stands tough on foreign policy issues, such as immigration. “Build the wall,” he says. “Deport the illegals,” he shouts. As a Republican, I cannot say I agree with these bold, insulting statements. So why did any of us vote for him?

            When you come from small-town U.S.A. you feel very distant from the operations of government and your involvement in it. So when a candidate for the most powerful position in the nation, and perhaps the world, reaches out to you and your community, what do you do? Do you abandon your party because the candidate is rash, rude, and offensive? Or do you listen to him because he speaks in terms that are relatable? Do you listen to him because it feels like he is talking to you? When it feels like the rest of the nation has turned their noses up to you because 80% of your community didn’t go to college; you are damn right you listen to the first politician that you can identify with.

            So you could look at this nation as racist or not, or you could take a closer look at the people who are represented, and find out there is much more moderation and understanding between people of competing political views. My point here is, not all of rural America is racist and rude, because we voted for somebody who is. It is so hard to abandon everything we’ve known and stood for (agriculture), especially when the other candidate barely recognizes our demographic. Especially when it feels like Hilary Clinton would give us a $1 if she saw us after work, because she thinks we’re homeless. While it is hard to abandon what we’ve stood for because our representative is unlike us, it is easy to defect from government. It is easy to take disinterest and just put our heads down and work and ignore the rest of the nation. I think the greatest danger in politics lies in the moderation not participating in government because the representatives have become so polarized that it becomes impossible to back them. The nation would be run by radical extremists. It is much easier to not vote because we don’t want to be branded as racists, than vote and deal with the backlash. So take some time, urban America, and let us justify our Republican affiliation before you judge us based on who represents us.