Pennsylvania the Bible Belt or Mississippi of the north

[TEB]

A conversation with evangelicals/ trump supporters. At diner this morning with my boys we were ready to go hit this lake long pine reservoir too get in on the bass when the bass are having breakfast. Now I really don’t start any sort of aggravating conversation since I quit drinking it aggravating trump idiots and booze went hand in hand.

Trumper too me - where is your boat if you’re heading lake

So this is how I got in conversation

Teb- we’re hitting reservoir today so we have the 18 foot zodiac as no motors allowed we have the to use the oars man. we hit the beach and use electric pump get it inflated and fish fast heavy try beat the 90 degree heat humidity today.

Then the waitress changes channel and changes it Jim grifter baker tv show. I’m like wtf thinking and jimmy is telling the masses that the left is evil they don’t respect the president.

Trumper - responds amen

Me - I am thinking eat up fellas let’s get out of here.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. You must've been in Pennsyltucky...

That part of PA that is more Kentucky than PA.

[TEB]

4. I know

We’ve lived here for decades

[murielm99]

7. My daughter went to grad school at Carnegie Mellon.

I didn't believe it until she told me, and I witnessed some of it. My husband's friend from that area is a retired special ed. teacher, and a devout Catholic. He is not like that.

[NewJeffCT]

2. Not long after the election in 2016

I looked up evangelical voters by state and was surprised at how many there were in PA. I think outside of Philly and Pittsburgh, it's got a heavy evangelical presence and I know guns are big - we had some friends move from CT to PA a year or two back for a big job at Hershey and they made a comment about how their kids get the first day of hunting season off from school. Never heard of such a thing in Connecticut.

I was trying to figure out how much of a difference the evangelical vote made if 1 in 20, 1 in 50 or 1 in 100 evangies stayed home or didn't vote Trump. Forgot the percentage, though.

[TEB]

3. Absolutely first day of rifle season

Yup schools closed and in our small burg town dot on map we’re surrounded by Talibangelist

[GoneOffShore]

5. Glad to be out of Pennsylvania. Beautiful state and some really nice places.

Trouble is that the Talibornagains and the Ammosexuals have way too much of a voice in the legislature.
Loved living in Philadelphia. Now I'm loving living in France.

[onethatcares]

9. best move I ever made

Pennsylvania to Florida (when Lawton Chiles was gov)

Reading area to the West Central coast.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. You probably wouldn't see that in my part of Mississippi.

I'm on the coast. But go north a little ways and it's Baptist Hell. The coast is more diverse because of the military bases and people from various places who come to retire here. It's still very Republican, but the people here aren't as socially conservative or religious as the rest of the state. If I was in some place and they tuned in to Jim Bakker on the television, I would laugh at him. The only thing he's good for is a laugh.

[Danmel]

17. We were in McComb Mississippi once

We were visiting our daughter in New Orleans and met up with a my husband's high school friend who lives oi outside Jackson now. ( I'm from Brooklyn and my husband grew up on Long Island)
So we met at a Ruby Tuesday and got there early.
It was a Sunday and bring New Yorkers and coming from New Orleans, we didn't give sitting at the bar a second thought.
Young woman working there comes over to us says hi. We say hi and she looks at us and says " I'd love to serve you but I cant because of the Baptists.
Talk about culture shock!
(That and the woman at the JC Penney in the McComb mall wearing a "Team Jesus, whose side are YOU on?" tshirt.)

[LuvNewcastle]

18. They are some of the biggest killjoys in America.

They don't like the comparison, but they can be like the Mormons in Utah.

[GulfCoast66]

31. Except the Mormons really don't drink...

Most baptist I know do...the more right wing of them just not around church friends.

They buy their liquor in the next town and ignore each other in the liquor store. Maybe a little hyperbole, but not much.

[LuvNewcastle]

34. They're ashamed of everything they do,

and they want you to be ashamed, too. They have a heightened sense of righteous indignation as well. They're not all bad, but the bad ones are horrible.

[Cosmocat]

8. Neither

The religious thing is a lot more understated, it isnt as overt as it is in the south.

It is different, less angry or predominant. Its an understated culture. Closer to the land and reserved.

General standard of living is higher.

Things are turning more overt with trumpism, but it just isnt like the south.

[watoos]

10. You must not live in central Pa. like I do?

Trumpers here are both bigots, racists, and religious. The sweet little lady who just did my paperwork when I bought a car practically told me her life's history, the ups and downs. All of what happened to her was god's will. She even asked me about Trump and I told her that anyone who looks at a 10 year old girl with sexual thoughts isn't for me. She basically defended Trump by maintaining that he was god's chosen one.

My 86 year old golfing buddy was a Korean war vet, does military funerals, Meals on wheels, and he is a racist gun humping bigot. He asked me what was the day that will live in infamy and when I responded Pearl Harbor Day he said no, it was the day they gave women the right to vote, but my granddaughter isn't too bad, she hates minorities.

That's central Pa., my voting district voted 80-20 Trump. There are huge Trump 2020 banners and bumper stickers up all over the place. ...and they are zombies, they will never change, they hate Democrats. They didn't used to be that way. We always have a big 4th of July celebration in our town, back in the 70's we had a Democratic Rep. and a Republican Rep. riding in the same car in the parade.

[TEB]

13. Adams county friend

[Butterflylady]

16. Lebanon county, here

It's the same here.

[Freedomofspeech]

19. Westmoreland County...

We used to be a beautiful blue. When Richard Mellon Scaife bought every local newspaper and would not allow a picture of any Democrat on the cover, things began to change around here. This is one scary place now...trumphumpers everywhere. I hate it. Hillbilly hell.

[Cosmocat]

30. lol

I drove the road going into Latrobe from Indiana and it has the biggest density of Trump signs and paraphilia I saw in the state before/after the election.

I grew up there back in the 70s/80s and honestly it does not surprise me.

They were always mean, back biting people.

22 has more porn joints/strip clubs in that one stretch then you see pretty much anywhere else in the state.

[Cosmocat]

29. In fact I do

People like simple generalizations.

The south just has a different vibe to it.

Everything you noted is what I see around me to an extent, it just is different than Mississippi, Louisiana, even Florida.

Also, there are areas that you describe in pretty much every state, I mean california has districts electing Duncon Hunter and Devin Nunes.

Look, I use the walking dead/zombie reference myself, and they are absolutely lost, they hate the evil liberal more than they care about their own better interests.

They just are different than people in the south, our work ethic is better, we are not as half assed, the religion there is there, but does not define things as much day to day, it is just the tool to justify their animus. Down south, it is more a part of their routine and lives.

[LanternWaste]

40. I dig your simple generalizations.

You appear to like them, as well.

[Cosmocat]

42. Cute and inaccurate

I didn't start the conversation.

It is a lazy framing of Pennsylvania, I tried my best to describe the inaccuracy of it.

Inartful yes.

Your high horse awaits.

[safeinOhio]

11. Me, I'd of had to yell out

Jessica Hahn.

[gratuitous]

22. Oh look, it's Jessica Hahn's old boyfriend!

If you really want to mess with these Bible banging God botherers, give them a few (okay, 22 is more than a few) verses from the parts of the Bible they don't read. A handy compendium from Sojourners:

https://sojo.net/22-bible-verses-welcoming-immigrants

[3Hotdogs]

12. Central Pa., ya drive the roads and see three crosses on the roadside.

One thing that's interesting. Jewish drivers are more careful drivers than Christians. I ain't seen no Stars of David on the side of the roads.

[UniteFightBack]

14. Personally, I always find it suspicious when a person of 'God' starts off with hating. Doesn't

sound very Jesus or God like to me. Unless the person looks crazy...I don't hold my tongue.

You want to say shit...then expect to get shit.

[GulfCoast66]

32. The Bible I grew up reading has lots of hate.

I finally learned to actually see it. Every awful thing my right wing bigoted family believes the have no problem finding justification for in the Bible.

[IronLionZion]

15. Plenty of confederate flags there, without any confederate heritage

I'm from the Appalachian rural southwest of PA and it's full of Trumpers expecting coal and steel jobs to come back and blaming liberals/immigrants for all their problems

[Freedomofspeech]

20. Oh, god...

You must be in my area...Westmoreland County. I taught in Fayette Co. Loved my students but how it all changed over the years. I really, really hate it here.

[IronLionZion]

25. I left as soon as I turned 18

I got to hear complaints about the "brain drain" from the same people asking me when I'm moving out of America without any irony.

[TEB]

21. I grew up in Appalachia as well

Moved here for work

[BBbats]

23. Bridgeport,PA here.

Last edited Wed Jul 3, 2019, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Bridgeport's a small town in between Norristown & King of Prussia.Considered a Philadelpia suburb.
Although were getting more liberal ,red neck racist gun jumping mentality is in full bloom here.When I wore a March for Our Lives hoodie last year I was called a faggot,had stuff thrown at me from moving cars & was called out.(I'm a big guy & capable of defending myself) a lot.
A lot of working class white guys feel threatened & the repukes are very good at playing on that.A lot of these people think Trump is a savior.You can't convince them that they are gonna get screwed. A lot of them are on disability or SS.If they lost that they would blame Obama & not Trump!
I hear this shit all the time here especially the " Trump's trying to straighten out what Obama ruined.
It's scary! You can't have a dialog with them.They are convinced!

[PRETZEL]

24. Know Bridgeport very well,

lived in West Norriton for many years and have worked in Norristown for well over 25 years,

(as an aside, please edit this post please)

[Freddie]

26. Hi, sort-of neighbor

Upper Bucks here. I know that in areas considered the Philly burbs there are pockets of red, Norristown area being one. Used to work with a guy who was new to the area and looking to buy a house. He was considering a new development in Gilbertsville. Someone quietly took him aside and told him he and his family would not be comfortable there. They’re Jewish. Hate to say but that was good advice, especially considering he had young kids in school who would have to deal with the redneck types all day. Sad.

[PRETZEL]

27. The whole southeastern part of the state is truely a microcosm of the state in general.

if you look at Philly and the immediate suburbs there is a very strong liberal presence. As you move further out, the landscape and demographics trend toward the more conservative viewpoints.

I know just from where I live and work, I can drive 20 and if I go east, it goes blue. I drive west, it goes red.

it's just the nature of the landscape here. Although, there is a shift I'm starting to see as more and more development goes further and further west.

I would venture to think that in another 20, the blueness of the area will once again make us a safe Democratic state.

[RobinA]

37. Gilbertsville

is getting into skinhead (or whatever they are called now) territory, which enjoys a fair sized pocket in central east PA. I don't know how far north they extend. They are not evangelicals, but swastika-scrawling Nazi wannabes. Awful.

[BBbats]

39. Gilbertsville

Gilbertsville and the town next to it,Boyertown,are real hot beds of that crap.

In the 80's Boyertown was going to have a Ku Klux Klan march. Don't know if it came off or not.

I lived in Collegeville for ten years & a lot of people there were extremely racist. That's changing as Collegeville has become more suburban.A lot of skinhead activity around & in Reading too.

[Merlot]

28. Please edit your reference to Obama.

[BBbats]

36. Edited.

I did edit my post.
That's a lot of people in my town's mentality not mine!

[Merlot]

43. I understood it was not your opinion, but it's still painful to read.

Thanks!

[RobinA]

35. My Father's

family, both parents, were from Bridgeport. They moved "up" to Norristown in the '30's. Back in my Grandparents' day it was the Catholics vs. and Protestants in Bridgeport. My Grandfather's brother wasn't allowed to marry his girlfriend because she was [gasp] Irish and therefore Catholic. She wasn't allowed to marry him because he was [gasp] German and therefore Protestant. He drank himself to death and she never married. I like to think that today they'd tell their parents to take a hike and live happily ever after. Sad.

Both my grandparents and parents left Norristown for the rapidly developing post war bedroom communities of Montgomery County. My area is Repub, but most of them are housetrained enough to be embarrassed by Trump. Plenty of people around are in a quandary, because well-bred people don't vote for Democrats who represent the blue collar worker, but they don't agree with the current rabid Repubs. The way they view the parties doesn't jive with current reality, so they tend to vote the old ways. From central Montco south there is virtually no evangelical presence. Thank the lord for that!

[Cyrano]

33. Pennsylvavia has often been described as

Liberal Philadelphia in the east, Conservative Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in between. Seems pretty accurate.

[Turin_C3PO]

38. Pittsburgh is pretty liberal now, isn't it?

I know it used to be blue collar but my understanding is that it’s pretty overwhelmingly Blue now.

[Freddie]

41. Usually the cities outvote the Alabama part

That’s why we were a pretty reliably blue state. Unfortunately the folks in the cities just weren’t enthused enough about HRC. Hopefully the old pattern comes back, I think it will.