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The people love him in southern Virginia. He speaks their language.
Really? Because here I sit in southern Virginia, one of "the people," and I do not love him; nor do most of the people I work with. Nor do m ost people I know, many of whom have square sideburns and stiff boots.
It's not progressive to paint with a wide, red-state brush the people of any region, nor is it acceptable to make such condescending, tired comments about "the people" and "their language." Southerners-- and our rural counterparts across the nation-- are just as thoughtful and complex as big-city blue-staters, and representing us as backwater, easily snowed, boot-loving rubes is as offensive as any other cultural stereotype.
The language I speak does not require me to fall back on old sterotypes, or to drag out social cliches to make a point about ignorant politicians.
