THE URBAN/RURAL DIVIDE PROBABLY DRIVES MOST SOCIO-POLITICAL PROBLEMS FAR MORE THAN IDEOLOGY
A lot is made about political polarization and wealth inequality and the rise of populism. What is rarely discussed is the growing rural/urban divide. Just as this decade began, for the first time in world history, more people were living in cities than in small towns or the countryside.13 In countries all over the world, the populations are clustering in densely populated megalopolises. There, the cost of living is high, the level of education is high, access to amenities and art is high, populations are diverse and cooperative and safe.
The rural parts of the world, including the small towns and communities, are more and more, being left behind, in terms of economics but also in terms of education, infrastructure, and culture.
This stratification of society between the urban elites and the rural populace creates a phenomenon of two nations living within one country.14 The economic realities of the internet age and service economies demand high concentrations of wealthy, educated people in one place. This concentration then drives new attitudes and beliefs about equity, fairness, and justice that are completely counter to the traditional values and desires for people living in the interiors of their country. As these values diverge, cultural tensions emerge between the two parts of society. Old vs young. Educated vs uneducated. Diversity vs homogeneity.
Welcome to the 21st century… I hope we don’t all blow each other up.