People are strange: NYT columns reveal Tulsans’ duality
Nick Kristof had two noteworthy commentaries about Tulsa published in The New York Times on April 1. Although neither was a joke, their juxtaposition of Oklahoma’s contradictory political culture is flat-out bizarre.
First, the public reaction to In Trump Country, Shock at Trump Budget Cuts, but Still Loyalty made Kristof worry that our weirdness could be infectious. The author suggested that, “maybe we need more junior year ‘abroad’ programs,” so Americans on the coast and in our “flyover” country get to meet each other.
Counterintuitively, Kristof’s article on Trumpism in Tulsa refers to other accomplishments of the city’s service providers. His story could not be told without reviewing the great work done by Tulsa Domestic Violence Intervention Services and Tulsa WorkAdvance. One Tulsan portrayed in the article said the domestic-violence program saved her life. Another asked why spend money building a wall to keep immigrants out instead of investing in the education necessary for them to get a high-quality job?
Unwavering Trump loyalty fuels ‘infectious’ rage
Both, however, remain loyalists to President Donald Trump even after he has begun trying to kill the programs they see as so constructive. Kristof describes how a kindergarten teacher grew tearful when describing the program that helped her and her son escape an abusive relationship. She is “aghast” that Trump would cut its federal funding, but she remains loyal to him.
None of the Trump supporters Kristof spoke with regretted their votes. They all said that they might even re-elect Trump. This echoes a recent poll that found only 3 percent of Trump voters would People are strange: NYT columns reveal Tulsans' duality - NonDoc:
