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I mentioned traditional Christianity because it's one characteristic on the losing side of the urban-rural divide, specifically one I happen to identify with. Certainly it's one thing Hillary is hostile to, Methodist or not. But I agree that Trump speaks poorly to the devout; their resentment is better channeled through Cruz, or worse yet Pat "Godly Fumigation" Robertson.
Be that as it may, the other parts of that same identity have also had enough of being stereotyped as stupid inbred racists--I notice such things less than the LOL STUPID JESUS PEOPLE because all my family comes from north of the Mason-Dixon, but that, too, has a long, obnoxious heritage.
Quite simply, urbanites have one set of interests, and rurals have another, and since the urbanites used to own all our cultural megaphones the rurals got to hear all the abuse coming downstream with no ability to retaliate. Now, it wasn't really directed their way as such; your average academic or producer is more inclined to talk about the hillbillies than to them, as he assumes they will be too stupid and poor to either purchase his book/movie or to understand it. Really, he forgot they existed except as stock types and political bugbears. But they overheard and understood surprisingly well. And when Limbaugh et al finally gave them a megaphone of their own, and they started swearing viciously back instead of just being snide en passant, that was perceived as crossing some sort of line.
Be that as it may, the other parts of that same identity have also had enough of being stereotyped as stupid inbred racists--I notice such things less than the LOL STUPID JESUS PEOPLE because all my family comes from north of the Mason-Dixon, but that, too, has a long, obnoxious heritage.
Quite simply, urbanites have one set of interests, and rurals have another, and since the urbanites used to own all our cultural megaphones the rurals got to hear all the abuse coming downstream with no ability to retaliate. Now, it wasn't really directed their way as such; your average academic or producer is more inclined to talk about the hillbillies than to them, as he assumes they will be too stupid and poor to either purchase his book/movie or to understand it. Really, he forgot they existed except as stock types and political bugbears. But they overheard and understood surprisingly well. And when Limbaugh et al finally gave them a megaphone of their own, and they started swearing viciously back instead of just being snide en passant, that was perceived as crossing some sort of line.
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