In the heartland of America, a complex tapestry of rural white resentment is being unraveled, revealing a disturbing pattern of racial bias. This is not a new phenomenon, but the recent surge in research has brought it to the forefront of public discourse. As political scientists delve deeper into the attitudes of rural white voters, they find a troubling disconnect between rural and urban America.
In their book, "The Rural Voter," researchers Jacobs and his co-author note, “Even when we account for composition effects related to race, we see that racial resentment is higher in rural than in urban America.” This statement, while stark, is not without its nuances. The authors argue that the resentment is not necessarily rooted in overt racism, but rather in a perception that nonwhites are less self-reliant, less hardworking, and more reliant on government assistance.
This perception, they suggest, is intricately tied to the rural ethos of hard work and self-reliance. Katherine Cramer, author of "The Politics of Resentment," echoes this sentiment, stating that if she were to rewrite her book, she would focus more on the subtle presence of racism, even when it's not explicitly discussed.
While this rural resentment continues to simmer, the power of radio journalism in shaping public opinion cannot be underestimated. One such influential platform is "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," a radio talk show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally on National Public Radio (NPR).
Since its inception in 1975, the show has evolved from a local 3-hour daily program to a one-hour national edition, producing approximately 250 shows annually. The show's reach is impressive, with nearly 4.8 million people tuning in weekly on over 620 public radio stations in 2016.
Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features interviews with journalists, scholars, and experts, providing a larger political, cultural, and historical framework for current issues. Gross's interview style is renowned for eliciting personal experiences that have influenced the work of her guests.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, New York. Her contributions to public radio have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award in 2003 and the Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2016.
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