Who Are You, America?

They call it “The Heartland,” the heart of America. Here, in South Dakota, no one loses sleep over Obama, Congress, Syria or the eurozone crisis. The territory is so expansive that it consumes itself: All politics are local, all history is state-specific and all insurance is individual. This Republican bastion, with gun-worshipers who don’t even allow discussion and divide devotion between the rodeo and the Almighty, can be culturally replicated throughout the extensive central North American territory, reminding the world that the U.S does not define itself by its progressive coastal regions. The political polarization that exists here is reflected in the geographic heterogeneity, in the cultural multiplicity and in social diversity.

Will there, then, be just one American culture? No. Historically, each state is the bearer of a foundational autonomy that authorizes it to pursue its [own] legacy. Those most exposed to large surges of industrialization and immigration tend to be more heterogeneous, and display a more urban and less flag-waving culture. Those who have preserved traditional elements at the expense of external acculturation tend to be conservative in relation to the rest of the country, and solidify these fundamentals.

It is “The Heartland” that culturally defines this North American territorial majority: In family, in the flag and in hatred of Washington. The family is the traditional nucleus and neighborhood, with possession of guns for the purpose, above all, of defense of this circle in the absence of a police force. The flag provides a sense of collectivity and an exalted pride of being part of the history of a country seen by many as “blessed.” The hatred of Washington is more or less genetically ubiquitous: The federal power is far away, thrives on palatial intrigue, and is self-consuming and therefore disposable. They live well without it: If D.C. does not speak to the rest of America, America does not care to know about D.C. Politicians in Brussels, pay attention.