My family and I recently returned from a weeklong vacation to upstate New York. More specifically the Adirondacks. It's a beautiful and quiet area, a forgotten America. An area with more Polaris and ATV dealers than car dealerships. And if you have ever had the chance to visit then you would certainly know why that is. Driving through the area got me to thinking. And while the following is not an original thought by any means, it really hit me while traversing the wooded roads and desolate highways of upstate New York: Americans live in two separate countries. Even within one's own state. Let's stay with New York for a little bit. There cannot be a greater contrast between New York City as well as the other large cities in the state, and the 95% of the land that makes up the remainder of the great state of New York. I want to focus on the people first. If you, dear reader, have ever been to NYC, you realize that there is an attitude that comes with the city (not to mention various odors). NYC is fast-paced, busy, loud and full of men in business suits in Manhattan and Yuppies in Brooklyn. The people, and I hate to group them all together, are mostly liberal, standoffish, cold, work-first and keep long hours. Drive about 100 miles north or west, heck even 75 miles, and you'll encounter an entirely different world. One that is rural, conservative (very), low key, laid back and desolate. And by desolate I really do mean desolate. One thing that I also noticed about upstate New York is the cleanliness of the roads. Nary a speck of garbage polluted the roadways. Mostly because many of the long stretches of road are "adopted", or sponsored by local businesses. These people grew up within the area and truly care about how it looks. At least in the public areas. Many of the houses are what I like to call "Ron Paul" houses. This term comes from the first time that I saw a Ron Paul political sign and the house that it represented was a run down, ramshackle of a house. I'd say about at least half of the houses within the Adirondacks and surrounding area are Ron Paul houses. I'm not belittling the individuals who live in these homes but because the area is so desolate and less travelled, homeowners don't see a need to keep up appearances. Getting back to the actual people that populate this fine area. Yes, they are very conservative, almost every house had a Trump sign and Trump flags as decorations. And given the state of social media and television news, many average people would be fearful of this type of person; conservative and a supported of Trump. They might just run out of their houses with guns blazing at the first sign of a Coexist bumper sticker. But that's not the case. All of the people that I dealt with in this bastion of conservatism were friendly, caring, welcoming and helpful. They would say hello and ask about your kids. They would offer a hand if they saw you struggling. They pick up littler along the road while wearing reflective vests. They don't tailgate, play loud music or cause any sort of scene while in public. I believe that a lot of what ails us as a nation is a lack of understanding of the rural folk. They are not just a bunch of hillbillies waving Trump flags and shooting anything that moves. They are God first, family second, community third type of people. They have townwide picnics where everyone shares a dish. They help out their neighbors and visitors when needed. This is in stark contrast to what is said about this type of person. The same can be said of the other side. Not every person on the left side of the spectrum is a rainbow flag waving, trans extremist. Many of them want the exact same thing, to just get along in life while living it to it's fullest. They will also help you out and welcome you to their cities. Most people will say that the two sides of the political spectrum are incompatible. But if individuals talk to each other they will often find that their goals and desires are quite often the same. But too often this meeting of left and right never happens. We are stoked by the fires of social media. Conservatives rage at drag story hour (full disclosure, I am completely against this type of entertainment for children). People on the left rage about a possible Trump dictatorship, which I think 99% of citizens don't actually believe. What we really get is the opinions of the loudest and most extreme. Most Americans just want to live a life unbothered. Especially in areas like the Adirondacks. I have some advice for the left: take a step back and try to figure out why people support Donald Trump. Instead of deriding their views, talk to them and learn what motivates them. You'd be surprised at how similar your motivations are. These people are fearful that their country is being destroyed. What will truly destroy this country is average citizens turning on each other. Instead of derision, let's have conversation. Words will hurt a lot less than bullets and blades.
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