Trying to Move Past the Endless Stereotyping of the “Rural American”
What’s something you think national conversations get wrong about rural attitudes or rural people? This is the somewhat dreadful question the publicist for my book asked. She lives in Brooklyn and struggles with what to make of me, what to
The publicist who asked me the question about rural attitudes or people lives in Brooklyn and finds it difficult to relate to me and what I have accomplished. She intended to generate interest in my book by producing an eye-catching thinkpiece or article. My initial reaction to her question was annoyance at how national conversations about rural attitudes often involve JD Vance's "blood and soil nationalism."
While I understand Vance's desire to be buried in his family's cemetery, I believe his concerns should not be used as proof of menace. My family has been buried in our rural plot for generations, and I take pride in maintaining it. Stereotypes about rural people are often inaccurate and offensive, and I find it frustrating when national conversations generalize our experiences.
I am not a "typical rural person," having a Ph.D. in philosophy, which makes me ill-suited to represent the rural experience. However, I do recognize that rural life involves a deep connection to place and a sense of rootedness. I hope to dispel harmful stereotypes and emphasize the unique experiences of rural communities, such as my own, rather than relying on broad generalizations.
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