I lived in VA. From 2nd to 9th grade pre-internet. Now VA. Is South but it’s not west va., Mississippi, or Tennessee south. Even back then, you could spend an afternoon in a library and alleviate yourself of a lot of bad information unintentionally just by looking up that information. I know because I did. I’d hear grownups around me say sketchy shit and look into it. It’s even easier to do so now. Just the act of seeking clarity can bring some small pieces of enlightenment. A lot of people didn’t bother then and wouldn’t now.

What’s happening is post-truth BS. People just choosing to believe whatever the fuck they want, often without any verification.

Are some people being led astray? Absolutely. But they’re also allowing themselves to be. People have been trying to convince southerners (and others) for decades, of not a century, that they’re being screwed over and the people they vote in are doing the screwing but many just flatly refuse to look into it at all and just keep going on blind faith. What happened to personal responsibility and self-agency? Not to mention that some people are just dumpster fires given human form and those people definitely deserve to reap what they sow.

I don’t wish hardship on anyone but if a person continually brings hardship on themselves through their own, thoughts, votes, and actions, while ignoring all the warnings being handed out like candy at Halloween, I don’t find it surprising that others feel less inclined to be sympathetic let alone empathetic with their plight.