The politics of flyover country
Monday, 7. December 2009, 20:09:10
I have lived most of my life in what's known as flyover country. It's called this because most residents of our coastal cities have never visited this part of America themselves. They have merely flown over it on their way to the other coast.
Some of the visitors to my blog are from other countries. I would assume that many of these people believe they have gleaned some understanding of American culture from watching movies and/or television shows that were produced in America. The catch is that our film exports almost exclusively represent the experiences, values and viewpoints of people living on our coasts (the West Coast and the Northeast Coast). When Hollywood does set a storyline in flyover country, the characters living there tend to either be portrayed in a negative light, or if relatively positive, they are portrayed as being "quirky".
Some of the visitors to my blog are from other countries. I would assume that many of these people believe they have gleaned some understanding of American culture from watching movies and/or television shows that were produced in America. The catch is that our film exports almost exclusively represent the experiences, values and viewpoints of people living on our coasts (the West Coast and the Northeast Coast). When Hollywood does set a storyline in flyover country, the characters living there tend to either be portrayed in a negative light, or if relatively positive, they are portrayed as being "quirky".
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