OK FOLKS, How is THIS helpful?

 I found the following OpEd offensive. Sure, it makes some good points, BUT............ we tend to blame the Right for our uncivil discourse, and here we have a piece attacking uneducated whites from Red states and we wonder WHY they get pissed at us more educated Leftists from Blue states.

However, after reading the following piece, if you feel it hit all the right notes, you are more than welcome to dispute my feelings about this OpEd, which I find divisive and insulting.

Opinion: Uneducated Rural Voters Have Ruined America

After every election, social media feeds are filled with maps showing how much of the country is red. These maps show surface area rather than population density, but that doesn’t matter to ignorant people.

I grew up in a rural area so I know what rural voters are like. I remember being in classrooms where there would be mini-mutinies because the students couldn’t figure out the course material. I always thought it was a colossal waste of time to have to go over the same things over and over and over again.

It was like my classmates were allergic to facts. In algebra, kids would say, “When are we ever going to use this?” Then they’d refuse to study.

Most of the people I went to high school with are still in the same town. If I come home to visit, I can go to the bar on Main St. and it’s like a class reunion. Few of them even attempted college and most of those that did dropped out.

Many of them work on family farms that only function because they qualify for regular subsidy checks from the government. That’s fine. I don’t mind that program. Our nation needs to make sure it has an adequate food supply.

But that’s also socialism.

I think it’s ridiculous that people who spend their whole lives being supported by government subsidy checks turn around and lambaste the “evils” of socialism. I guess it’s really easy to be self-righteous when you never hold yourself to your own standard.

If you don’t like “socialism,” then don’t deposit any government money into your bank accounts.

Then the red states sit around and complain about “socialism” even though they are the ones cashing the checks.

In many ways, our whole country reminds me of my old algebra class from high school. There are a few people who try to get the most out of their opportunities. They work hard. They educate themselves. They go on to achieve something.

All the while, they have to sit and listen to the howling of obnoxious people who think it’s a form of righteousness to remain ignorant. You’ve got people who haven’t read a book their whole lives who think they know more than renowned experts in their fields.

It’s time for the United States of America to cultivate some respect for the people who have proven they have discipline and drive. Everyone should have an opportunity to get an education. If more people were educated, perhaps there would be fewer ignorant voters in rural areas who supported policies that are detrimental to our nation’s future.

https://original.newsbreak.com/@walter-rhein-563121/2945032088257-opinion-uneducated-rural-voters-have-ruined-america

Questions: Is the above an over-simplification, is it insulting and self-congratulatory? Is it mocking and disingenuous? Is it stereo-typing?

OR are the points valid? Is what the author said needed to be said? Are rural Red State voters "ignorant" because of their lack of education?

Moreover: Do pieces like the above serve to enlighten us, Or do they serve to alienate a large part of the U.S. population? Do OpEds like the above only make rural voters angrier and see urbanites as snooty and acting "superior?"

Weigh in.