Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
UC Berkeley instructor calls rural Americans 'bad people who have made bad life decisions’
November 08, 2019
Said they deserve 'uncomfortable' lives
A UC Berkeley graduate student and instructor took to Twitter on Wednesday to vent about his repulsion for rural Americans and why they deserve to live "uncomfortable" lives.
Jackson Kernion, a graduate student who has taught at least 11 philosophy courses at the university, posted that he "unironically embrace[s] the bashing of rural Americans."
"They, as a group, are bad people who have made bad life decisions," he said in the since-deleted tweet. "Some, I assume, are good people. But this nostalgia for some imagined pastoral way of life is stupid and we should shame people who aren't pro-city."
According to Campus Reform, the Twitter thread started with Kernion advocating against affordable health care solutions for rural Americans, saying that "Rural Healthcare Should be expensive! And that expense should be borne by those who choose rural America!"
"Same goes for rural broadband. And gas taxes," he argued. "It should be uncomfortable to live in rural America. It should be uncomfortable to not move."
Evidently Kernion believes that rural living Americans are purposely rejecting the more "efficient" city-dwelling life, and thus should bear the consequences of more expense.
Though Kernion may have been intending to make economic arguments for his beliefs, his tweets had quickly devolved into ad hominem attacks on rural Americans.
After facing some backlash, Kernion did seem to apologize for his tone, which he says came across as "way crasser and meaner" than he believes himself to be.
Want to leave a tip?
We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
Phil Shiver
Phil Shiver is a former staff writer for The Blaze. He has a BA in History and an MA in Theology. He currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina. You can reach him on Twitter @kpshiver3.
more stories
Sign up for the Blaze newsletter
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Get the stories that matter most delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.