It’s no secret: There is a strong divide between urban and rural Wisconsin, between Madison and Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin. And recently, the divide has only been growing.
Kathy Cramer, a political science professor at UW-Madison, noticed these bubbling tensions when studying rural Wisconsinites’ political opinions. In her book “The Politics of Resentment,” Cramer explains the ever-growing wariness of people in rural areas toward Madison and Milwaukee.
There is a belief that most of the hard-earned tax dollars are funneled into Madison and Milwaukee (an idea that has been disproven), and our politicians only care about these areas. Understandably, as a result of this view, rural Wisconsinites feel more ignored than ever.
On top of this, some rural Wisconsinites feel that people living in Madison and Milwaukee get converted automatically to the cities’ signature liberal views. This perception gives an excuse to some rural people in the state to simply disregard urban Wisconsinites’ views, since they might seem “disconnected from reality.”
On the other hand, I have seen for myself that tensions are also felt in the opposite direction, from urban to rural. Some of my peers who moved from rural to urban Wisconsin eventually turned their backs on their hometowns. They make fun of rural Wisconsin, calling it “backward” and referring to its towns as “hicktowns.” I noticed how some people in the city get baffled by the viewpoints of rural Wisconsinites and discredit their ideas. These people therefore shut out rural voices before even hearing an explanation.
Both rural and urban folks now scoff at one another and disregard each other’s views—thereby ignoring each other’s grievances. This situation allows divisiveness to rise and exacerbates rural-urban conflicts.
Being part of a state that transitioned from neighborly to now fiercely politically divide, I have to step back and ask myself, “What the heck happened?”
As a sociology student who comes from semi-rural Wisconsin and now studies in Madison, I believe that most of these issues stem from miscommunication, and not genuine urban-versus-rural conflicts of interest. Urban and rural Wisconsin are not fundamentally different, but rather two sides of the same coin.
Although these two areas have likely always had some strain, UW-Madison journalism professor Lewis Friedland says that he found an explanation for a rise in current strains. He argues that rural tensions toward urban Wisconsinites have escalated recently because of outside intervention. He explains that the ultra-wealthy (the top 0.01 percent of earners in the U.S.) have used political groups such as Americans for Prosperity and the Bradley Foundation to both politicize media messages and intervene in state politics. They interfere in Wisconsin to promote policies favorable to protecting and increasing their already massive wealth. The ultra-wealthy do this by exploiting the grievances of rural Wisconsinites by aggravating preexisting rural-urban tensions.
In these actions, the ultra-wealthy often encourage demonization of our fellow Wisconsinites. They endorse negative stereotypes and intolerance of urbanites, liberals and public workers in order to discredit their voices and reap the benefits.
Madison and Milwaukee residents notice this loss of their voice in state politics. As a result, many take their frustrations out by blaming rural Wisconsin and resorting to their own negative stereotypes of the area.
If we ever want to return to the community that Wisconsin once had, we as Wisconsinites must fight the divisiveness that’s come over us. We need to open communications between rural and urban Wisconsin once again.
This call for communication goes down to the smallest level: you. Every one of us, myself included, must be more open to hearing the views of Wisconsinites from other backgrounds and other political beliefs. We must achieve this communication despite the forces and tensions working against us.
To all Wisconsin residents, the next time you hear a view from someone different and laugh to yourself, take a step back, ask them why they think and listen. Try to understand their point of view. After all, everyone just wants the best for our state, even if their opinion is contrary to yours. Everyone deserves to be heard.
Furthermore, speak up when divisive rhetoric is used by media, politicians or colleagues. Such rhetoric further splits our divided Wisconsin and often plays right into the hands of the ultra-wealthy who exploit us.
Once we embrace open communication and stop demonizing one another on an individual level, Wisconsin’s institutions will work better for us all. We must keep in mind that society itself and the diverse groups of society are what give institutions their power.
When we improve our intergroup relations, then our politics will work for and listen to all of Wisconsin instead of functioning out of urban-rural tensions. Then, we can overcome our current divide to be kinder and more neighborly than we’ve ever been before. This will help Wisconsin as a whole return to the direction it has lost, but the one it’s meant to follow: Forward.
Mitchell is a senior majoring in sociology and Portuguese. Have you seen evidence of an urban-rural divide in Wisconsin? How do you think these tensions should be combatted? Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
