What would a war between urban and rural look like?

Just a hypothetical question.

In the US we seem very divided between conservative and liberal right now. More so than I have ever seen in my 45 years on the planet. Everything is very polarized, and it seems there is no turning back at this point.

Let's face reality. Urban centers are basically liberal, while rural areas tend to lean conservative.

In the hypothetical situation, let's assume that things boil over, the government can no longer control things, and basically a new civil war begins.

What would that look like? It sure wouldn't be pretty. Every state has big cities, and open country. How would the dividing lines be drawn, certainly not via states like in the Civil War.

Coastal cities would cut off supplies that are incoming bound for middle America, farmers would stop shipping goods bound for cities. Who would control the electric infrastructure, highways between cities, sanitation, etc???

Which side would the military come down on, would it split? Would they just disband and go home to protect families, and whichever side they believe in?

All hypothetical... let's keep things on topic, not go political. Just a what if scenario.

a reply to: MrRCflying

Food, water and electricity come from rural areas.
That and we tend to be better armed.

But it ain't gunna happen..

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: MrRCflying

Food, water and electricity come from rural areas.
That and we tend to be better armed.

But it ain't gunna happen..

Food, water, yes. Electricity is generally in a rural area, but the company HQ may be in a large city.

Hopefully it does not come to that, but I wouldn't say "ain't". Anyway, it is just a hypothetical question to get different views.

Well....
I would think the good folks in the military, would either form small parties, or go home to protect their families.
I definitely think the rural folks would survive better. Many of them can survive without electricity.
Take my area for example. (just because we have actually discussed things like this out here.)
We have many older folks, with generations of families living close by. Farmers, an actual butcher, many, many hunters, and even military and ex military.
If left on our own, there would be some issues, but generally we could get by pretty well.
The main problem we would face, would be urbanites, and others, trying to take from us. That's
were things would get really bad.
And I would imagine it would go down hill fast, in the urban areas for the same reason. People who know how to survive, being preyed upon by those who don't.
I would also guess, a lot of people would head south, to avoid winter, which would be bad. While it wouldn't be easy here in MI, we could survive.
I sure hope it never comes to that. The loss of life would be horrendous.

Depending on the how the military splits, it wouldn't be a good lookout for the cities. There is just too much rural America for them to really control. There is too much area between cities. There are too many hunters and ex-military who know their land too well.

The urbanites would try to breakout, but they couldn't keep themselves safe.

I don't think they'd make it.

The big danger is that the lefties, being naturally copacetic with most of the rest of the world, would call in outside help, and then it would end up bring rural America vs. the world, not just blue America.

a reply to: chiefsmom

Thanks for the reply! Interesting thoughts. I live in a rural area of blue NY. It is only blue because of NYC.

I agree, most rural areas could survive for a time, some permanently. Things would sure be different though, throwback to 1850.

After a while of this hypothetical war, would it become every town or country for themselves?

I can't see either living without the other. Our lifestyle is dependent on both.

a reply to: MrRCflying

Blow all bridges and roads out of the cities and the cities will collapse very quickly. By the time they are calling 911 because MacDonald is out of chicken nugget gives you a good idea of their survival skills.

City would attack in mass and probably but eventually win but have won nothing because they don't know what to do with they won. Starvation.

THE END

a reply to: MrRCflying

Things might start to improve when they realize they have to start trading with those evil rural right wingers in order to get things they need.

These days, they forget where a lot of their essentials come from.

a reply to: ketsuko

So you think the city dwellers would try to leave for the country? Would the rural army detain, kill, or otherwise?

If the cities could become independent from outside (the country) resources, would permanent borders be set up. USRA and the USUA?

Just playing both sides of the fence for this exercise.

originally posted by: MrRCflying
Let's face reality. Urban centers are basically liberal, while rural areas tend to lean conservative.

I think your premise is flawed.

originally posted by: mikell
City would attack in mass and probably but eventually win but have won nothing because they don't know what to do with they won. Starvation.

THE END

Mass starvation. Interesting. I am sure there would be survivors, people tend to have some good ingenuity.

But then... The urbanites left over become ruralites. Do their convictions change? Is being a liberal or conservative dependant more on what you do, or where you live?

a reply to: Blue Shift

Look at the voting map, and I don't think it is.

Like anything, you'll find the odd rightie or leftie off the reservation, but large urban centers are the blue strongholds while the rural counties tend to be red.

There is something about urban life that inclines people to being liberal.

Ask GB... seriously even though outnumbered rural folks would have miles of land to retreat through will be able to fire from behind the rocks and trees and everywhere.

Most (not all but most) city folks would have trouble walking through a park without a sidewalk, let alone trying to fight through mountains, or forests, or desert like environments.


Many would have no clue on farming, or hunting, or how to dress an animal, it would be simple to strangle all means of transport into the big cities so no supplies would get in except for what the military flew in and that would never be enough for the masses in the city.

a reply to: Irishhaf

And the military would have trouble securing their families and the city centers.

The military would be split too.

a reply to: Blue Shift

Not at all. Look at a map. Cities for the most part are liberal, and vote that way. Middle America is mostly conservative and vote that way.

I am not saying every single person, just in general.

No food going into the cities, a gun behind every blade of grass for people trying to leave the cities.

a reply to: MrRCflying


Quick...somebody get this idea to Netflix!

I have to split for a while. I look forward to seeing all your thoughts when I come back.

a reply to: MrRCflying

Lots of Dead " Urban's " Starving to a Kamikaze Death and Piling Up like Cord Wood while I Eat Gods Daily Bread........... ........