Opinion: Seeing more in common than differences

A recent trip from Small Town America to Big City USA got me thinking about the differences between those who live in our cities and those who make their homes in small towns or out in the country.

If you look at a color-coded political map, you’ll see a massive sea of red dotted with islands of blue, and purple shorelines. Republicans dominate the rural areas of America, Democrats own the cities, and a battle continues for control of the suburbs.

But, with only a few exceptions, that’s not indicative of how we all live. Deep down, Americans are more or less the same no matter where they reside or what colors they wear.

A lot of it has to do with the way the internet has connected us all, but even more of it is human nature. People and places everywhere are part good, part bad, so you really can’t judge a place as all of anything. Especially in America, where there’s always someone who doesn’t fit the mold.

My trip was to the Chicago area, which included landing at and navigating my way through O’Hare Airport, renting a car to drive to McHenry, Ill., and attending the wedding of good friend and former New Mexican David Giuliani.

It’s commonly believed that rural folks are friendlier, but I didn’t experience anything of the sort on this trip. Strike up a friendly conversation with someone (which I did more than once) and they’re almost always friendly in return — and will help you navigate unfamiliar surroundings (like O’Hare) if you need the help. Just like country folks.

Of course, small towns tend to be more homogeneous, often connected through family ties, which tends to make some people adverse to diversity — or, for the younger sets, differences simply make them curious. But in the cities, where racial and cultural identities abound, people tend to be more accepting, or at least more tolerating, of their differences.

As for mobility, I don’t think city folks are more likely to leave home after they’ve grown up. In fact, they might be less likely. I’ve known countless urbanites who never left their home city, in part because no matter what profession they choose, they can find it there, in their home city, along with opportunities to move up. Small town and rural economies don’t have that luxury.

I knew a man who used to say everyone wants four things: to be loved, to belong, to own something and to create something worthwhile. It seems to me you can find all that no matter where you live — except for the belonging part. That requires acceptance, something that’s lacking among closed-minded people of all shapes, sizes and locations.

All things being equal, there’s a certain smugness in the behavior of some city dwellers who, for whatever reason, feel superior to country folks, and I suspect that’s part of the reason for our political divisions.

Country folks tend to value common sense more than advanced degrees.

On the other hand, maybe it’s that rural spirit of self-reliance that has turned country folks conservative. They’re practiced in what works, and change can be difficult. In the cities, however, change is a constant, and there’s a certain interdependence that simply can’t be ignored.

Government has a much more active role to the inner workings of a city, while in the country, government frequently feels more restrictive than helpful.

Strip all that away, however, and there’s common ground in our humanity. People are people no matter where you go. So let’s quit acting as if we’re all so damned different.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

[email protected]