I think back to my intro to literature class at Illinois Central College in 2007 when we were assigned to read "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. My best friend and I were the only ones who spoke of thoroughly enjoying it. Anyone else in the room who had an opinion questioned how someone, an Irishman at that, would dare suggest the English eating the children of McImmigrants. That is Peoria for you, and sadly since it is the premier test market in the country, that is a reflection of the rest of the country, at least the cities and suburbs that lack major league sports franchises...and Indianapolis...Mike "Fucking" Pence.
I bring up the rest of the country because population density suggest that they do not truly have neighbors. They only have themselves to care for. So they lack any thought to being empathetic because everyone around them looks or acts just like them. If you cannot understand how other people feel, how are you going to comprehend a joke about how ridiculous one group of people were treating another? To them it is a tale of the evil British eating the white babies that we all identify as on March 17 instead of a statement about how people do not care for the marginalized.
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