pockybot
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- Posted: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:15:41 +0000
Something I'm not sure I see talked about...while last year a spotlight was cast on the political rift in America(conservative tea party vs liberal occupiers) I've begun to notice how sharp the cultural divide has become. This weekend I did the usual grocery/supplies shopping with friends, and I was utterly struck by how different the motif is between Target and Walmart.
These days Target feels like a strange mix of Urban Outfitters, Ikea, and a Japanese stationary store. They carry trendy hipster clothing, owl stuff, Ikea inspired home decor, indie rock cds,
Domu Kun, organic vegetarian food, etc. Most the people in Target seem yuppy or upper middle class.
Then you go to Walmart. Now mind you BOTH Target and Walmart have the SAME exact prices, and most everything at both is made in the same Chinese Sweatshops. But the difference could not be more extreme. You see giant promo standees and displays for John Cena, Nascar, Rodeos, Country Music stars. They specialize in xx-xxxl clothing, lots of American flag motifs(tho nothing is made in America) half the people seem to require scooters to get around. But again, the same exact prices as Target.
To me this serves as a kind of analog or microcosm for this current snapshot of America.
Where on one side you have the smarmy smug latte sipping, pandora ipod shuffle Whole Foods listening Obama worshipping yuppy/cool college kid left...and then the beer-bullets-bible Tea Party right wing who "hates having a commie socialist Muslim" for president and wants to roll back the clock in America to less progressive times.
1. Culture: The question is, is this in your face cultural divide growing and causing Americans to feel more isolated and forced into little sports teams? Believe it or not I actually often find a lot of the conservative Christian midwest/southerner types liberals hate to be more down to earth and friendly than the smarmy yuppy types. Sure they may vote for rich conservatives, but they tend to have less money to work with and seem more HUMBLE.
2. Gadgets/Materialism:
People on all sides are feeling pressured to get the latest 60" LED tv screen, the newest Apple gadget, the latest smart phone, the newest video game to be cool.
Even the Occupy kids seem to be complaining about first world big city probems(omg, my Latte wasnt made right...my laptop doesnt get wi fi in here) Sure, the whole anti evolution/anti gay rights thing is archaic and sad...but I've begun to almost feel sorry for Christian conservatives/Southerner-Midwesterners that all the liberals make fun of and put down
3. The Future
But the big question: Could we ever see this cultural divide erupt into something more serious?
We've seen hate filled right wing radio influence extremists, we've seen Occupy leftists destroy property en masse...and we've seen this total alienation in people as the have and have nots and the gulf of disparaged incomes widen with neither Democrats nor Republicans truly caring.
These days Target feels like a strange mix of Urban Outfitters, Ikea, and a Japanese stationary store. They carry trendy hipster clothing, owl stuff, Ikea inspired home decor, indie rock cds,
Domu Kun, organic vegetarian food, etc. Most the people in Target seem yuppy or upper middle class.
Then you go to Walmart. Now mind you BOTH Target and Walmart have the SAME exact prices, and most everything at both is made in the same Chinese Sweatshops. But the difference could not be more extreme. You see giant promo standees and displays for John Cena, Nascar, Rodeos, Country Music stars. They specialize in xx-xxxl clothing, lots of American flag motifs(tho nothing is made in America) half the people seem to require scooters to get around. But again, the same exact prices as Target.
To me this serves as a kind of analog or microcosm for this current snapshot of America.
Where on one side you have the smarmy smug latte sipping, pandora ipod shuffle Whole Foods listening Obama worshipping yuppy/cool college kid left...and then the beer-bullets-bible Tea Party right wing who "hates having a commie socialist Muslim" for president and wants to roll back the clock in America to less progressive times.
1. Culture: The question is, is this in your face cultural divide growing and causing Americans to feel more isolated and forced into little sports teams? Believe it or not I actually often find a lot of the conservative Christian midwest/southerner types liberals hate to be more down to earth and friendly than the smarmy yuppy types. Sure they may vote for rich conservatives, but they tend to have less money to work with and seem more HUMBLE.
2. Gadgets/Materialism:
People on all sides are feeling pressured to get the latest 60" LED tv screen, the newest Apple gadget, the latest smart phone, the newest video game to be cool.
Even the Occupy kids seem to be complaining about first world big city probems(omg, my Latte wasnt made right...my laptop doesnt get wi fi in here) Sure, the whole anti evolution/anti gay rights thing is archaic and sad...but I've begun to almost feel sorry for Christian conservatives/Southerner-Midwesterners that all the liberals make fun of and put down
3. The Future
But the big question: Could we ever see this cultural divide erupt into something more serious?
We've seen hate filled right wing radio influence extremists, we've seen Occupy leftists destroy property en masse...and we've seen this total alienation in people as the have and have nots and the gulf of disparaged incomes widen with neither Democrats nor Republicans truly caring.
