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VV [ truth]

When Did Geography Replace Thinking? I write from Campbell, California — and for some people, that’s all they need to know. Before they read a word, I’m labeled a “Democrat” or some lazy insult, not because of what I said, but because of where I live. Here’s the part they miss: I was born and raised in rural Missouri. I know small towns and big cities. Back roads and boardrooms. I didn’t get perspective from a map — I got it from living. Somewhere along the way, Americans stopped debating ideas and started sorting people into boxes. Geography became identity. Zip codes replaced thinking. That isn’t strength. It’s intellectual laziness. California has conservatives and liberals. Missouri has liberals and conservatives. Every state has people who don’t fit neatly into political stereotypes. Pretending otherwise is just a way to avoid listening. I don’t hate Americans who see things differently than I do. I feel concern. Fear, pressure, and media outrage have done real damage to how we talk to each other. Division sells. Unity doesn’t. Real progress doesn’t happen in comment sections. It happens when adults sit down — sometimes uncomfortably — and actually talk. If where I live today is enough to disqualify my voice, the problem isn’t my politics. It’s our unwillingness to think beyond labels.