Journal #2

Important quote: "Proponents of this hypothesis in its most radical form contend that America is in the midst of a culture war, with two opposing armies fighting on behalf of their views."
Reactions: This quote represents the clear split amongst the population of America between political, cultural and social views. This does not have to mean individuals in general, it can be based on an area as a whole (as seen with the different places that he describes). People who tend to live in the more red areas tend to have more conservative views while people who live in generally in blue areas have more liberal views.

What does where you're from say about who you are? Based on the article, the areas of which people are from tend to affect their moral views when it is being related to politics. I am from a republican-based town, so most of the people residing in my town tend to be more on the conservative side (including my parents). However, areas only an hour away, such as New York City, tend to be prominently more democratic in their views. Despite being so close in distance, it only goes to show the cultural gap amongst the different areas across America. 

Do you agree/disagree with the author? Why? I agree with some aspects of the authors views. I believe he is correct in saying that the divide is apparent in today's society. I also agree with the fact that he says "Although the nation is growing more diverse, it's only doing so in certain spots." I think that this quote is accurate because a lot of people who are more on the conservative side tend to have closed off minds when it comes to issues that deal with morality. As more young Americans are entering the age to vote, the divide is becoming more skewed since kids on social media are being influenced by pop culture telling them that being liberal is more culturally correct. 

Do you recognize these places? When he was describing the different places that he was observing, I would recognize some of the names of the towns but not the speculations that were affiliated with those towns. Despite not knowing all of the areas he mentions in the article, I do not agree with a lot of the different assumptions he made about all of the people residing in that area. For instance, he describes Franklin County as basically the worst place in America. In his words, this area is full of "heroin addicts, pregnant teens, reckless teenage drivers, young women in halter tops on the prowl, and gay people at church." I think that even if some of these things might be accurate, it may also be a bias speculation to make considering he doesn't actually live there. A lot of his observations come across as bias, even with his sufficient evidence, because he simply does not hold back when it comes to voicing his opinions on the different people and places that he is encountering.

On which side (red/blue) might you belong?  How so? If I were to be on one side more than the other, I think I would fall more into the blue category. When I look at politics, I tend to have more democratic/liberal views on most issues. I can attest to the idea that not all kids grow up to have the same political views as their parents because both of mine have very conservative outlooks on politics. Maybe since I grew up in such a republican-supporting home, it made me want to be an independent. The problem with me is that I see both sides to each affiliation, however I support liberal views more than i do for conservative views thus putting me in a more Blue America mindset. 

What assumptions does the author make about the people who live in these places? I listed the assumptions he made about Franklin County above under the third question. However in addition to those assumptions, it seemed as if most of his observations were based on a bias perspective of the places he went to because he was obviously a part of Blue America. 

What do you think?  What does "home" look like to you? My area around my home is typically more of a conservative area. Along with most of my neighbors, my parents and relatives are included in the republican support campaign. Typically, however, I have found that more kids my age tend to have more of a liberal outlook on many political issues because teenagers are highly influenced by social media and popular TV shows. I think that the problem with society is that a lot of people are just not very educated in a lot of political matters that are going on in the world today. On social media, both politics and pop culture that are being expressed to many teens are represented in a more liberal outlook than conservative, so that might be why a lot of people in my generation feel like they are more left wing than anything.

Essay: 

            Despite the obvious bias that is affiliated with this article, the author offers the reader plenty of information about the areas that he went to on his quest for information about each place’s culture. Along with his many observations about these specific areas around America, he made one key statement that stood out to me as a reader. This quote reads: “Proponents of this hypothesis in its most radical form contend that America is in the midst of a culture war, with two opposing armies fighting on behalf of their views.” This quote represents the clear split amongst the population of America between political, cultural, and social views. This does not have to mean individuals in general; it can be based on an area as a whole (as seen with the different places that he describes throughout the article). People who live in the mostly red areas tend to have more conservative views while people who live in blue areas typically have more liberal views. The issue that revolves around this clear divide between two different viewpoints is that each side truly believes that their outlook on a lot of topics is more correct than the other opinion. This battle for assurance of their accuracy causes problems because neither side wants to admit that their opinion is not legitimate.

Based on the article, the areas that people are from tend to affect their moral views when it is being related to politics. I am from a republican-based town, so most of the people residing in my town tend to be more on the conservative side (including my parents). However, areas only an hour away, such as New York City, tend to be prominently more democratic in their views. Despite being so close in distance, it only goes to show the cultural gap amongst the different areas across our country. 

I agree with some aspects of the author’s views. I believe he is correct in saying that the divide is apparent in today's society. I also agree with the fact that he says "Although the nation is growing more diverse, it's only doing so in certain spots." I think that this quote is accurate because a lot of people who are more on the conservative side tend to have closed off minds when it comes to issues that deal with personal morality. As more young Americans are entering the age to vote, the divide is becoming more skewed since kids on social media are being influenced by pop culture telling them that being liberal is more culturally correct. 

When he was describing the different places that he was observing, I would recognize some of the names of the towns but not the speculations that were affiliated with those towns. Despite not knowing all of the areas he mentions in the article, I do not agree with a lot of the different assumptions he made about all of the people residing in that area. For instance, he describes Franklin County as basically the worst place in America. In his words, this area is full of "heroin addicts, pregnant teens, reckless teenage drivers, young women in halter tops on the prowl, and gay people at church." I think that even if some of these things might be accurate, it may also be a bias speculation to make considering he doesn't actually live there. A lot of his observations come across as bias, even with his sufficient evidence, because he simply does not hold back when it comes to voicing his opinions on the different people and places that he is encountering.

If I were to be on one side more than the other, I think I would fall more into the blue category. When I look at politics, I tend to have more democratic/liberal views on most issues. I can attest to the idea that not all kids grow up to have the same political views as their parents because both of mine have very conservative outlooks on political issues. Maybe since I grew up in such a republican-supportive home, it made me want to be an independent. The problem with me is that I see both sides to each affiliation, however I support liberal views more than I do for conservative views thus putting me in a more Blue America mindset.

 

The area around my home is typically more of a conservative area. Along with most of my neighbors, my parents and relatives are included in the republican support campaign. Typically, however, I have found that more kids my age tend to have more of a liberal outlook on many political issues because, again, teenagers are highly influenced by social media and popular TV shows. I think that the problem with society is that a lot of people are just not very educated in a lot of political matters that are going on in the world today so they rely heavily on social media (a generally bias source) to get their information. On social media, both politics and pop culture that are being expressed to many teens are represented in a more liberal outlook than conservative, so that might be why a lot of people in my generation feel like they are more left wing than anything.

Word Choice:

RED
tractor pulls, rider mowers, hunting, religious, homophobic, powerboats, snow mobiles, drive ATV's, churches are everywhere, QVC, the power bowlers tour, hunting, not as culturally educated (in a sense) as blue. 

BLUE
Thai restaurants, NPR, Starbucks, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, sail boats, cross-country ski, hike, vineyard tours, illegal aliens, Doris Kearns Goodwin, socially conscious investing, read more books, attend more plays.