When we look at election maps we see that we are divided between the urban experience and the rural experience in America. It seems as though where you live or where you were raised is a more accurate predictor of worldview than other identity politics we tend to consider as untouchable.
While the red state v. blue state divide is certainly real, it highlights something that is a lot more telling...
Regularly experiencing people different than ourselves makes it harder to hate them for no reason. The state by state schism itself is less important than what it tells us about diversity, inclusion, and regularly relating to people who are different than we are...
It opens us up, makes us more inclusive, and engenders empathy and compassion.
In this sense, people who live in cities need to visit rural areas and people who live in rural areas need to visit cities.
We can call it a 'Reality Exchange Program.'
You in?