Rural Americans' identity is rooted in family and community rather than individual self-reliance; therefore the neoliberal assumption that every individual should leave and make a living elsewhere fails to account for what people actually value and how they define themselves.
causalpending
Speaker
Nancy EisenbergEvidence Quote
“if you imagine that your identity comes as many poor rural americans it comes from your family it comes from your community you're not just going to pack your bags and move because that's kind of been the source of who you are so the idea that individualism...doesn't take into account the way in which people in rural america actually live and what they value”
Source
Nancy Isenberg - White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America— Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter CollegeCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:12:44 PM
My Notes
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