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Central Claim: Appalachia is more than just their past

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Central Claim: Appalachia is more than just their past

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The United States of America has always been built upon the right and left, Republicans and Democrats. Elizabeth Catte's "Finding the Future in Radical Rural America" argues that rural areas in the United States are not monolithically conservative and are experiencing a growing progressive movement.

"But the way forward for the left, in my world, is through the past" (Catte 4).

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"The limbo we are trapped in compels white progressives to see themselves in a Trump voter rather than in a rural socialist or communist—or even a rural person of color, who faces many of the same struggles as the Trump voter, perhaps even more pronounced, and chooses a different way forward."

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"Indeed, the biggest gift that the left has given the right since 2016 is not a few avowed socialists but the myth that Trump voters are inscrutable and monolithic. 'I love Cleveland, but I’ve always considered it separate from Ohio,' resident Julie Goulis told the Guardian just before the 2017 inauguration. 'Some of the soul-searching I’ve been doing after the election has been about how I can understand people outside of my bubble'"

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"And the region’s conservative voters, who have been profiled endlessly, have been a reliable stand-in for all Trump voters, absorbing the outrage of progressive readers."

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"To create solidarity in the present, to make change for the future, West Virginians needed to remember their radical past."

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Support: Appalachia is more than it's past 

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Support: Appalachia is more than it's past 

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Rebuttal: Appalachia confined to being conservative 

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Rebuttal: Appalachia confined to being conservative 

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Social media plays an essential role in politics and political campaigns. However, there is an issue with the way rural conservative voters in the Appalachians are portrayed in the media. They are often categorized as representing all Trump supporters, which oversimplifies the diversity of conservative voters as a whole. This leads to misunderstandings among Trump supporters and affects the way white progressives perceive political identities. The "limbo" or the division of politics leads white progressives to identify themselves with Trump supporters rather than any other political group.

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Past Foundation Important to Progressive Future

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Past Foundation Important to Progressive Future

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In West Virginia, influential movements such as the coal mining protest and the labor movement have played a crucial role. The challenges faced during these movements have laid the foundation for inspiring modern activism. By acknowledging and embracing this history, it can help motivate and drive the fight for change in the future.

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In the quote, Catee mentions a myth that the left has perpetuated, which claims that all Trump supporters are the same: "inscrutable and monolithic." This myth overlooks the diversity and complexity of Trump supporters. Julie Goulis reflects on being more open to people outside her cultural environment. She explains that she sees Cleveland as distinct from Ohio, recognizing the divide between the rural and urban perspectives, and expressing a desire to understand both viewpoints.

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Helen Lewis was an Appalachian educator who became an activist in the 1940s. She taught students about economic history, which led to generational thinking. Rural areas have traditionally leaned conservative, and this trend has been consistent over many election cycles. Generations pass down their thinking to the next generation, creating a historical context that suggests shifting these areas towards progressive politics might be more challenging than Catte implies.

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"Helen Lewis, a beloved Appalachian educator who became an activist in the 1940s, taught poor people economic history to prime them for organizing. She began by asking them what their grandparents did for a living, then what their parents did. This strategy inspired generational thinking."