I've often wondered exactly why America's red states are so red. I mean, think about it for a minute. What do places like Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and Kansas have in common? For starters, they're among the most economically devastated and blighted places in America, with the widest income inequality and lowest education acheivement.
So, given that the reddest of the red states are being economically raped by Conservative policies even more than the blue states, why do they keep voting their tormentors back into office?
I think I have the answer. It's the food.
No, really. Seriously. I think that diet is at least a significant part of this apparent paradox. There's plenty of evidence gradually accumulating on the connection between lousy nutrition on one hand and violent behavior plus poor academic performance on the other. Here's one small sample.
Well, this week the CDC has released a very interesting report. It uses survey results (I know, always a bit iffy compared to prospective evidence, but it's the best we're likely to get on this topic) to generate state-by-state data on dietary fruit/vegetable consumption. The results are available here.
What's really striking about this, at least to me, is the red state/blue state correlation. Fruit and veggie consumption is highest in Massachusetts, California, New York...you know, really blue states. It's lowest in Oklahoma (by a lot; good work Sens. Coburn and Inhofe!), Mississippi, South Carolina...you know, the really red states.
Perhaps the mind-boggling practice of screwed-over working class people repeatedly voting in politicians who enact more of the same policies screwing them over can be explained by lousy nutrition. These low-information voters lack the necessary nutrients to think clearly.
Just a thought.