One Nation, Slightly Divisible

In this article David Brooks talks about their being a difference in voting depending on where you live in America. He says that we are divided and he refers to it as red and blue America. He says, “People in Blue America, which is my part of America, tend to live around big cities on the coasts. People in Red America tend to live on farms or in small towns or small cities far away from the coasts. Things are different there” (582). This shows how Brooks thinks that the American people are different even though we are all Americans. He says this difference comes from the place or environment that we live. He gives some example like, “In Red America the Wal-Marts are massive, with parking lots the size of state parks. In Blue America the stores are small but the mark ups are big” (582). He points out differences in the places that were live in because they influence our political views. Our surroundings play a part in shaping and forming our morals, opinions and standpoints. I think this is very true because people who were brought up in the big cities have a different life style then people who grow up in small towns. Small town people have to drive a while to get to big shopping malls and city people can basically walk to any store they want to. Small town people know most the other people in the community here, as city people don’t because there are so many people. Brooks points out some other differences too such as, “Red America makes social distinctions that Blue America doesn’t” (584). He also points out something that I agree with and that is, “There also seems to be am important distinction between men who work outdoors and men who work indoor” (584). I think this is true because these men have different work ethics. It is these differences that change the way big and small town people think. These differences also set apart their political ideas and this is where the division comes from in political parties and voting. Since these people grow up in different environments they identify with others that grew up with the same background. This means that they can also identify with the political candidates as well. This is something that Brooks also points out, “Gore dressed down throughout his campaign in the hope that these middle-class workers would identify with him” (589). Since they have the same background experiences the voters will want to vote for the candidate that identifies with them most. This is because they feel like they have the same views on issues and some morals. Since they feel a connection the voter will tend to put their vote in for the candidate that they most identify with.