Submitted by GlobeOpinion t3_102af78 in massachusetts
Thisbymaster t1_j2s22gl wrote
Why does 11% of the population have a seat over the rest?
cjpowers70 t1_j2s615t wrote
They do all the work and services that city and suburban folks can’t and won’t do. We couldn’t survive without rural people and their concerns are the concerns of the broader public. Their voices should absolutely be heard.
Imagine someone said that because black people are only 13% of the population they don’t deserve representation. You’d call them a bigoted ass hole, but you get to say the same thing about rural folks because they’re white and disagree with you. I don’t really expect you to hold yourself accountable to hatred but just some food for thought.
Proof-Variation7005 t1_j2sf938 wrote
Holy shit, this is unhinged for so many reasons.
if you ever find yourself living in an area with black people around, I'd advise you from maybe not comparing the shit they go through to any imagined grievances you have.
Prestigious_Bobcat29 t1_j2sceol wrote
But they have representation. What they’re demanding, as always, is over-representation.
cjpowers70 t1_j2scpid wrote
Literally everyone does that. You just only think it’s bad when the poor whites do it.
nixiedust t1_j2sj6rq wrote
lol....yes, the underprivileged of Lenox....not every rural area is impoverished, and do you think poor people get elected anyway? You're complaining about the wrong thing if you want power.
cjpowers70 t1_j2sjc0h wrote
Right…because Lenox is representative of broader rural mass. Great take.
nixiedust t1_j2t0242 wrote
It's as representative as any subgroup. Point is, you don't speak for everyone you think you do and what you're complaining about wouldn't be solved with more representation because lack of seats is not what's keeping you down.
When you're ready to fight income inequality and the wealthy gap, especially in politics, you're welcome to join us fighting the system. If you're just looking sympathy as a poor disenfranchised white dude who wouldn't offer the same sympathy to an urban dweller, you can get bent all the way to Connecticut.
cjpowers70 t1_j2t0pe0 wrote
Lol way to make massive assumptions about who I am and my identity. Unsurprisingly incorrect, and your assumption says a lot about you.
You’re unironically making an argument that I’m being ignorant of viewpoints as you cherry-pick one of the wealthiest towns in western mass. The lack of self awareness is palpable.
nixiedust t1_j2tt1v0 wrote
Yes, I chose a wealthy town to show that not all rural residents are poor. That's a logical statement, nothing ironic about it. You need to read more slowly because you aren't understanding much of what we're discussing here. Your confusion and bitterness are apparent, but your argument is nonsensical. I'm sorry you take issue with your representation, but you're not really communicating your needs, either.
It's also odd to comment on my self-awareness when I haven't mentioned myself once. I believe you meant to insult my social awareness.
All the ad hominem stuff aside, we agree that the less fortunate should be helped. I'm more confident in my ideas than yours is all; you'll live.
cjpowers70 t1_j2w5rwz wrote
Not confused, bitter, or rural. I don’t know what kind of complex discussions you think I’m misinterpreting, but basically every message I’ve received has been ad hoc and has had nothing or little to do with rural politics. You pretend to care about working class people while ignoring their perspectives in lieu of supporting the business class in Eastern Massachusetts while grifting as some kind of anti-systemic activist.
You’re on a real high horse for someone who can’t even ride a pony.
Keep up the revolution brother, I’m sure you’ll get far from your keyboard.
[deleted] t1_j2sjfw8 wrote
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maralagosinkhole t1_j2sobms wrote
False. I understand that as a fellow "poor white" living in western MA that it's the big city and it's suburbs that put billions of dollar into the state coffers each year. Just say "thanks for all the free stuff" and go about the rural life that you have chosen for yourself.
cjpowers70 t1_j2t0tfj wrote
Not rural, just advocating for people less fortunate than me.
Ex-Pat-Spaz t1_j2scabj wrote
Rural folk have representation and a voice, why do you think you vote? What you want, is special and more representation than what the rest of us have, which is some sort of outdated electoral college bullshit.
Your example and comparison to minorities is borderline stupid.
cjpowers70 t1_j2scx29 wrote
So every political decision should come down to a simple majority vote? Under this logic you would support Jim Crow laws so long as the voters upheld it.
Ex-Pat-Spaz t1_j2shmlo wrote
You are lost, dude. Please don’t throw around terms, comparisons, you barely understand and try to gaslight me with severe faulty logic.
Rural folk have representatives and that is pretty much the end of it.
Also, as an aside which I am sure I will regret to point out. City and country folk have symbiotic relationship, not a CiTy FoLK wOuLd DiE without rural folk.
cjpowers70 t1_j2sy6ip wrote
I would be willing to bet a lot money I’m much better educated than you. You can say I’m gaslighting you all you want but can’t refute the points I’m making. If they’re so bad, it should be easy. That’s how I feel about your arguments at least.
You’re right about the symbiosis, it’s just that only one participant in the relationship is given credit.
Ex-Pat-Spaz t1_j2umqoj wrote
No, you are trying to troll me into a stupid argument with you. Guess what….you are not that slick nor bright enough to tempt me.
Your ignorance of basic civics is astounding, dragging the Jim Crow era into this, belies how much you do not understand how the government works.
cjpowers70 t1_j2w4z25 wrote
You continue with ad box attacks yet you can’t even engage with any substance. It sounds to me like I presented you with a conundrum in your perspective of democracy and you are having some kind of meltdown dealing with it. Have a good day man, I hope 2023 will be better than 2022 for you.
Ex-Pat-Spaz t1_j2wbem5 wrote
Hey Troll, you already got blown up in the first post by me and nothing more needs to be said. Accept it and move on. Rural folk have representation….and that’s the simple fact of it. Anything else is gibberish and ignorance. Learn how the government works….come back when you do.
What you want is MORE representation than the rest of us. Our government doesn’t work that way. See game over, insert quarter and try again.
PS it’s “ad hoc” not box. Another phrase you do not understand
[deleted] t1_j2woz3a wrote
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GWS2004 t1_j2suil0 wrote
Dude, are you one of those white dudes that thinks he's discriminated against?
gerkin123 t1_j2tsh2r wrote
Civil rights decisions, like those leading to the end of Jim Crow laws, are a justification for the Judicial Branch. Their institution is not a justification to reconstitute representative power.
Believing majority power matters in the distribution of funding doesn't make one prejudicial, and hitching rural MA to the plight of people living in the Jim Crow south is plain gross.
cjpowers70 t1_j2w5x4i wrote
Drawing a parallel to exemplify the consequences of democracy may have been an uncomfortable realization, but it’s not “gross”.
Obviously I understand how separation of powers work, that is mot the topic of conversation. Nice straw man though.
RoyalSloth t1_j2se8h8 wrote
Ok I’m from the Berkshires and I have to say we don’t really contribute that much. Most of us are just poor and stuck in retail, personal care, or fast food, and the few rich people are mostly involved in the arts.
I do think we need more help than we get, but that’s simply because the area isn’t as developed or interconnected with the rest of the state, and a lot of us are stuck here due to being poor rather than by choice. Accomplishing that will require more resources per capita than elsewhere in the state. But it’s not like we’re the only ones who should be getting more resources per capita—low-income people in eastern MA also need more help than the average person for similar reasons.
We do have at least one disadvantage relative to the urban poor in that our representatives have to lobby for communities that are way farther apart, meaning even if rural and urban representatives are securing the same funding for their districts, the higher cost of trying to develop a larger area diminishes the rural representative’s returns relative to the urban representative. It’s a problem inherent to our representatives belonging to winner-takes-all single-member districts.
But we aren’t better than the rest of the state. We just need more help.
Constructestimator83 t1_j2ue48i wrote
That’s laughable because all I ever hear rural people say is how they could never commute into the city everyday for work so really it’s us doing the work rural folks can’t and won’t.
TheTechOcogs t1_j2sci3e wrote
They have also been systematically suppressed since Shays rebellion.
There’s no real solution to it though unless western mass becomes it’s own state, which would be nice because we’d get two more democrats in the senate and we’d have more representation for the rural community in Western Ma.
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