The political migration of Americans over the past thirty years to areas that suit their political objectives and lifestyle is the basis of this book by Bill Bishop. He writes in "The Big Sort" how gerrymandering by politicians to reshape districts has pretty much lead to more polarized country and with this polarization a mass movement of people to areas where they expect everyone to share their beliefs. This has always been a rotten fucking country where real estate developers and so forth or always trying to get people to move. That is after all how they make their money but this new development has helped caused the pathetic uncompromising bickering of congressional leaders who are suppose to act like our leaders and get things accomplished. Bishop talks much in tis book about the psychology of tribe and how these new isolated tribes don't want to hear the other side and this has become the basis of our current political system.
The year 1965 was the beginning according to the author of the cultural shift into one of a more political identity among people as the social fabric of is nation unraveled. White flight was enabled and those who fled the for the suburbs were the beginning wave of people leaving an area because they didn't like the direction the city or area was headed and without a doubt these political divisions were played out by the business real estate and development industrial complex. Those who could profit from promoting hate and fear were among the biggest advocates getting people to move. Bishop talks about how people formed new mega churches o suit their needs in an ever expanding religious choice lineup. This has done much to split and sort the population of America into hostile camps looking suspiciously at those who are of a different mindset. The overwhelming number of churches are the one areas of society where homogeneous is encouraged and observed as easily as anywhere else in this country. I was glad to see Bill Bishops include. Chapter on advertising as the United States of Advertising has done as much as anything else to help spread lifestyle segregation and conformity in this country. This book does the best job I have yet to read about how stubborn political ideologies and not wanting to be around anyone with different political views has lead to a new type of segregation of society and basically explains how lame areas of rural shitholes and exurb extremities even exist in this country.
There is no relevant similar lifestyle or habitat in Europe despite there being more political parties in many of their countries. I highly recommend this book who want to read and learn why California and Texas are practically separate countries and really shouldn't be drawn up not the same country. In a reality America is fast becoming like the continent of Africa and the countries of Middle East where many small separate tribes of like minded people reside and should to be in a political union and they are always in a state on anarchy.
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