ARE SMALL-TOWNERS DEVOLVING?

Perhaps the reason that small-town America hates evolution so much is because they themselves may be de-evolving. Evolution is making them increasingly less intelligent, less ambitious and more conservative.

Why do I say this? What happens when a bright, ambitious person is born in small-town America? Do they stay there? No. They go to the big city where they can reach their ambitions and exercise their intelligence. Few of the more intelligent and ambitious people born in small-town America remain there.

Hence, over the past hundred years, high intelligence and high ambition have been evolutionarily de-selected from small-town America.

On the other hand, conservatism and caution have been selected. People who are fearful to leave their town, fearful of change and fearful of big city ideas have been selected. They are the ones who remain in small-town America.

Hence, there is almost a new species evolving in small-town America. Less intelligent, less ambitious and more conservative. Hence, more likely to vote Republican.

There is also coming to be a conflict between two important American mythologies. One is the new salt-of-the-earth-wisdom mythology that has been pushed by Bushies. In this mythology, the small-towners are not as dumb as they look, but rather are filled with great Christian wisdom. They happily live their little Christian lives in their little Christian towns.

However, this conflicts with the great Horatio Alger mythology. In this mythology, one is born into a poor farm family but through great hard work, intelligence and ambition, one accomplishes great dreams. Ronald Reagan was in this category, and he once said that "America is too big for people with small dreams". So how does that jibe with the salt-of-the-earth-wisdom mythology?