rural co-ops are cool. if you ignore the elevated messaging and narratives that dominate media, its not hard to see why 120 years ago places like kansas were a major hub of socialist politics in 1900.
but, equally instructive, is just how effective reactionary political projects paired with media-owning capital formations are at convincing people who they are and how to recontextualize their own values in service to the hegemon.
i met this woman once from rural kansas who would probably crucify herself to save a strangers life, but she was absolutely anxious and afraid of all the things capitalists wanted her to be. it's fucking tragic what has become of us.