There's a number of rural-dwelling left-leaning types who've discussed their experiences with the assumptions a lot of the rest of us tend to make about "red states", namely that a lot of those places...aren't so red.
Like, there are conservatives living in those areas, but where most of us picture endless waves of confederate flags down the streets of these places, there's a lot more left-leaning types than we tend to assume.
And a lot of the actual working class people are less conservative, at least in the way conservatism tends to be on the national level, than we think they are.
Where we see voting trending rightward in those places is often because of who's disenfranchised.
Where we see voting trending rightward in those places is often because of who's disenfranchised.
Like, a lot of Black people have pointed out that a large part of the working class portion of those states and those counties are Black.
There are places in those states that are basically white enclaves, and they have oversize pull in politics, but Black people are there too.
There are places in those states that are basically white enclaves, and they have oversize pull in politics, but Black people are there too.
And then you have various examples of right-wing carpetbaggers, like Roy Moore putting on a fucking cowboy hat despite having not a single clue how to ride a horse.
And wealthy conservatives owning large properties end up being a big influence on local and state politics.
And wealthy conservatives owning large properties end up being a big influence on local and state politics.
I think it wouldn't be surprising if how most of us tend to see NASCAR operates along the same notions.
Confederate flags get flown because confederate types enjoy NASCAR, but there's also a lot of people who've been longtime fans who might actually be glad to see them go.
Confederate flags get flown because confederate types enjoy NASCAR, but there's also a lot of people who've been longtime fans who might actually be glad to see them go.
We see the flags flying and we see people and NASCAR itself passively allowing it, it's easy to assume broader representation for those views.
But we might be missing that a number of fans might have been pushing for them to be gone for a while.
But we might be missing that a number of fans might have been pushing for them to be gone for a while.
The whole thing with Bubba Wallace and people rallying around him might be a good example of there being a different sort of point of view among a lot of fans than what the rest of us tend to assume.
Clearly there's racist fans, but maybe a lot of pushback on them too.
Clearly there's racist fans, but maybe a lot of pushback on them too.
I'm not a NASCAR fan so I couldn't tell you much about what the majority of fans are like.
But I'm thinking that maybe a lot of things I might have assumed about NASCAR fans in the past might have been less true than I thought.
But I'm thinking that maybe a lot of things I might have assumed about NASCAR fans in the past might have been less true than I thought.
And it's another reminder to not just reflexively dismiss "red state" people when there's a lot of people who are in red states mostly because the people in power where they are have devoted decades to limiting their political impact, to keep those states red.
