Jesse – is it possible, that you and I read this differently, because we live in different parts of the country? I live in rural America. Where do you live – city, suburb, or rural landscape? I’ve worked in land-use for decades and the Rural/Urban divide is huge, it is real and extremely difficult to bridge.

Contrary to popular opinion, it is urban and suburban voters who vote against their own interests (not rural voters). Near as I can tell, these voters vote against themselves because they do not care – which is the same thing as apathy. The reason they are apathetic, is because they do not know why they should care.

Unfortunately, when urban and suburban voters vote against their own interests, they also vote against the interests of the entire country. It takes a lot of time, tons of work, and a Helluva lot of skill to overcome apathy this deep. Educating people about things they cannot see or experience for themselves is very hard to do.

The origin of the term apathy comes from a form of the prefix a—meaning "without," – and the Greek pathos meaning "emotion, feeling, suffering." Urban and suburban dwellers are “without feelings” about rural landscapes. While they are very unhappy that rural voters voted for Donald Trump, they still do not care about the reasons – and that’s a symptom of very deep apathy (not common sense or reason).

I belabored this for a reason. When people are beset by apathy, gaining their attention is the first step in restoring care. Asnen chose to say that people do not care – and that gained a lot of attention. With all due respect, you cared enough to respond and in my experience, that is a sign of engagement.

Speaking only for myself, I welcome your involvement.