[ArkyBeagle]

That book is so totally "OMG, what's WRONG with those people???" Emphasis "those people."

While that's one interpretation, there's Long been conflict in the US on the rural-urban axis - see Andrew Jackson's vision versus Alexander Hamilton's vision

Race is only useful in this sort of thing as a predictor of rough economic class, and even then it's less than useful. IOW, I don't think it's specifically race.

A better resource is "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" http://www.amazon.com/American-Nations-History-Regional-Cult...

[lliamander]

> That book is so totally "OMG, what's WRONG with those people???" Emphasis "those people."

Indeed. Although I am not (currently) among the rural poor, I can't imagine ever trusting someone who openly refers to me or mine as "those people".

[true_religion]

I'm curious. This is a question that's plagued me my entire adult life. Why are many people against being called "those people" or "these people"? Is it a connotation thing---as in previously someone trying to marginalize a population would refer to them casually as "those people"?

Or is there some deeper insult that I am missing due to not having experience of it?

[ArkyBeagle]

It fairly screams "Jungian Other" doesn't it?