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> You clearly have never been to rural America. That is a very ignorant statement. There are many people in rural America that respect all types of people.

I've travelled to several places in rural Illinois, Georgia, and Virginia. And my wife grew up in a small town in Northwestern Iowa. I've found people in rural America to be very warm and friendly.

That said, Steve King is the House representative for the town where my wife grew up. Rural people are disproportionately behind the sorts of laws that make it necessary to have conversations about transgender bathroom rights (something that people would otherwise have no reason or desire to talk about).

Well, on this specific issue, I think part of the problem is the messaging. The trans-equality movement is rife with mountains ill-conceived, pop-philosophy, psycho-babble b.s. on the nature of gender and sex, that is often almost perfectly tuned to antagonize the people who need to be won over the most.

My hunch is that many would be more receptive if the messaging was more educational about the hardships trans people experienced (and that led them and their doctors to believe an incredibly invasive, expensive, and irreversible surgery was their best chance at happiness). Could be wrong.

(That and there just isn't a need for bathroom legislation going either direction - total waste of time - neither side ought be making a big deal about that sort of ineffectual legislation which is nothing but pandering one way or the other)

> Are we actively trying to level the educational playing field between cities and rural America?

Yes, we are. But the cities remain very far behind and there's an enormous amount of work to do.

Seriously: what are you on about here? Almost everything you're saying is just plain wrong. Urban incomes are lower than rural ones in this country. Urban crime rates are higher. Urban hunger rates are higher. Urban drug addiction rates are higher. Urban suicide rates (c.f. this very discussion) are higher. Pick your social ill. The cities have it worse. The cities have always had it worse, since literally the invention of the city.

You've invented this idea that "cities" are inhabited only by college-educated liberals who hate you. Well... they aren't. And the people that actually do live there kinda need your help (and, ahem, empathy) too.

This comes down to empathy.As I said before, I don't know anyone in rural America that can't empathize with poor people in the city.

I know many people in cities that have 0 empathy for rural America and issues such as the heroin epidemic facing America. I know many people that go out and passionately fight for black lives matter. It's actually kind of a trendy thing nowadays. Where is rural lives matter? Where are the people fighting for the girl I knew who was raised in a house that was filled with cigarette smoke that had her parents laugh at her when she talked about applying for college. I know these issues exist in cities, but there is empathy for them. But the 40% of America that has serious issues is completely ignored right now.

> I don't know anyone in rural America that can't empathize with poor people in the city.

Odd, because I know several just within my own extended family. And I'd say last November 8th provides a pretty good existence proof that you're wrong about this bit too.

There's no shortage of assholes in this country. Don't you dare pretend that you get to decide who they are.

A number of your political comments have been crossing into incivility. Please don't do that, regardless of how wrong other commenters may be.

One striking thing reading this thread- There are many people rushing in to explain every feeling you're expressing for rural people is invalid.

It's the very definition of lack of empathy.

How much empathy did rural America have for those effected by the crack epidemic, really? How much does it have for those in the opioid epidemic, which somehow they own?

What does empathy look like? What makes you say rural America has it for urban America but not vice versa?

"You clearly have never been to rural America. That is a very ignorant statement. There are many people in rural America that respect all types of people." I think what he means is that legislation banning this drives the discussion rather than vice versa

also for your second graph how does that compare to the south side of chicago and balitmore, will the poor in cities be spared the automation? what solutions have they gotten? How many people from those parts go to good colleges vs rural people?

As I said before, I don't know anyone in rural America that can't empathize with poor people in the city.

I know many people in cities that have 0 empathy for rural America and issues such as the heroin epidemic facing America.

You literally said it yourself, "That's an entirely self-inflicted problem.". Go to rural America. Talk to them. Then come back and tell me if you think its self inflicted. Do you really think you are so amazing that you would have been impervious to the cultural impact your environment has on you and never touched those type of drugs?

> Then come back and tell me if you think its self inflicted.

I mean people talking about transgender bathroom rights instead of rural poverty (to the extent that's true--which it largely isn't) is a self-inflicted problem.

You say they can emphathize with the poor in the city but what policies over the last decades have they ever advocated to help those poor by and large. Most politicians the past few decades have been PICK YOURSELF UP BY YOUR BOOTSTRAPS AND GET A JOB and WELFARE QUEEN. I'm sorry if the people there voted for that by accident, but if they didn't it really didn't show their empathy. I also did not say "That's an entirely self-inflicted problem." that was somebody else. Idk what that has to do about drugs , but when you say "impervious to the cultural impact your environment " do you mean growing up there would've made him afraid of trans people? (I'm not trolling just confused when you crossed over to drugs)

Huh, I've never met a Facebook or Google employee. I never realized how few opportunities I have in life.

It was more symbolic of how disconnected these people are from the general economy. If you go to rural America, many of these people are very disconnected from the general growth and mindset the cities have. I didn't know that Google and Facebook were companies until i was 21, which was in 2011.

It's lack of visibility into the thriving economy America has.