Libby Copeland, writing for the Washington Post, has an article about Muncie, Indiana in light of today’s primary. The piece has an anthropologist-among-the-natives vibe to it, but overall isn’t too bad. Apparently Muncie has been used as the epitome of “middle America” in various studies over the last century or so. The heart of the story, in my opinion, is this:
Cantrell, 51, says he’ll be voting Democratic this election. He’s not sure for whom yet, but Democratic for sure. Hillary or that guy, whatever his name is.
“As far as I’m concerned, the Republicans have turned things to [expletive],” he says. “I’m working two jobs now just so I can put gas in my van.”
Cantrell talks about what it was like when his dad came up from the South, like so many others, to work in the parts plants in Muncie. How the city was thriving then. If people think this is Middle America, he says, they’re wrong. Muncie doesn’t represent Middle America anymore.
Probably.
“Well, I hope Middle America is a little better than what’s around here,” he says. “Otherwise, that’s depressing.”
However, the story misses a trick by failing to mention Lazy Muncie which probably does as good a job as anything in capturing the spirit of the town:
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