Nothing's the Matter
Made a visit to Red America and didn’t see it. Drove all over tarnation, from the lush green top of Kansas to its dusty brown bottom at the Oklahoma border, crossed nearly the length of it as well, didn’t see the reactionary place Tom Frank warned us about. As a matter of fact, don’t recall seeing a single sign or billboard or flag bearing our current president’s name.
Frank’s 2004 book titled What’s the Matter with Kansas? became a national bestseller. His publisher boasted that the book “unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests?” Called it “a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.”
The publisher gushed about Frank’s analysis of a “thirty-year backlash”—a popular revolt against establishment liberals—where he “reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans” in a “place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation’s most eager participants in the culture wars.”
I read Frank’s book at the time with great interest, but was left unpersuaded. I heard a great many people here in Wisconsin parrot Frank’s main takeaway that rural working-class folks are voting against their own interests. I wasn’t buying it, considered it condescending and slanderous, have tried again and again and again and again—without much success—to disabuse people of that notion. I’m spitting into the wind. Frank’s portrayal has become an article of faith among liberals.
Frank didn’t seem altogether comfortable with this and began rethinking his position. His 2016 book Listen, Liberal comes off as something of an apology for What’s the Matter with Kansas? The same publisher marketed both, summing up the follow-up volume as a “book that asks: What’s the matter with Democrats?”
Much of what my family and I found in Kansas doesn’t match the stereotypes. We brought with us an expectation the scenery’s flat, barren and boring. The picturesque Flint Hills and Smoky Hills beg to differ.
Everywhere we went, from biggish cities to the smallest of towns, there was a pronounced Latino presence. The local cuisine at every stop was dominated by Mexican restaurants and food trucks. Pretty much every town had a small mercado (market), most also had a separate carnicería (butcher shop), and many a panaderia (bakery). The face of Kansas is evolving.
We certainly saw plenty of beef cattle and quite a few oil rigs, but the far more common sight was miles and miles of wind turbine forests stretching to the horizon. One massive tower after another, topped with those sleek single blades, set about a hundred yards apart, for as far as the eye could see. Looks like Kansas is big into renewable energy.
Kansas hospitality wowed us. Everyone we encountered was super nice. Some parts of the state are quite affluent; others we visited are dirt poor. The people there are clearly proud of their heritage and way of life, but don’t show even a hint of arrogance. We were warmly greeted in a spirit of neighborliness by people who have to be aware they are the subject of widespread condescension by at least some of the outsiders they welcome with open arms.
They sure do know how to cook and sure do like to eat. I had maybe the finest fish tacos I’ve ever eaten, made in a trailer parked along a dusty roadside. And we were treated to legendary Kansas City barbecue served up at an old-fashioned gas station.
What’s the matter with Kansas? Far as I can tell, not nearly as much as some would have you believe. Our visit was brief but memorable, gave me the impression change is afoot in this place with a rich history of unpredictability, a reputation for shedding its skin as readily as any prairie snake, a presumed “red state” once known for a different shade of red.
Glad we made it here, Kansas isn’t what I was expecting. Got back home late Tuesday night, we’re not in Kansas anymore, feeling kind of sad about that.