In order to combat the divisive political resentment separating Milwaukee and Madison from the rest of the “outstate” this election season, Wisconsin needs more respectful communication between its rural and urban populations, according to Kathy Cramer, director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service.
In her lecture “The Politics of Resentment” Tuesday, Cramer explored the way uneven development and a culture of disrespect has alienated the rural parts of the state from its urban parts, and the way this anger translates into votes.
Cramer has been conducting public opinion research across the state for the past 10 years, and her lecture was part of UW-Madison’s sociology department’s series “FORWARD? The Wisconsin Idea, Past and Present.”
“We hear a lot about voter anger these days, which is real and powerful. Resentment to me is this slow, boiling attitude which can be fermented into anger and mobilized at the polls,” Cramer said. “Donald Trump is not a small government candidate, but he has been very adept at tapping into the politics of resentment.”
To bridge the communication gap dividing these populations, Cramer referred back to the Wisconsin Idea—the UW System’s grounding principle for outreach to the state—and examined the role a public university can play in creating unity statewide.
“The Wisconsin Idea to me is, ‘How do I help people acquire the skills they need to become their best civic selves?'" Cramer said. “One of the purposes of a university like this is to give individuals the skills to do that and also to be a public institution that helps other public institutions do that work.”
Finally, Cramer suggested that the most important thing voters can do is listen.
“We need to figure out how to listen to one another, and try to find some collective solutions,” Cramer said. “Education at its best is about teaching people a willingness to listen to difference.”
