There are many in the Dissident Right and identitarian sphere of modern political discourse who would claim that the Southwestern United States is a wasteland full of white trash and Mexicans, with tacky reservations and their casinos dotted about the desert. It’s lost. But hey, who cares? It has no outwardly discnerable identity or heritage to speak of, unless you’re some kind of payote cactus injun. But with the recent proposed legislature of SB1624, SB1625, and SB1626, native Arizonans have started rising up in a way I’ve not seen them do in my lifetime.
In my childhood, Arizona was known as a hard red state – a land of vicious, gun loving, white people who shot Mexicans on sight, drank whiskey out of Apache skulls, and men who turned cactus into parlor furniture. Or, so it was said. While not overly far from the truth, my hyperbole is to denote the type of folk who lived out here prior to the rise of the Phoenix metro area and cost-efficient air conditiong; this is/was a people who are distinct on this American continent, and generally derived from the old Southwest, aka Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and much like their cousins back east, they are a notoriously scrappy and idignant breed.
Yet, despite this, the state has been flooded over the past two decades by both foreign migrants from south of the border, and by completely alien migrants from the northeast and midwest, and everyone’s favorite source of transient carpetbaggers: the Californian. Of course, these newcomers brought their failed policies, alien character, and what passes for culture with them. With this, among a myriad of pathogens too lengthy to compose in this article, is an assault on the 2nd Amendment, amounting to blasphemy among the old blood. The population boom in the metro areas has created more districts, and thus more representatives, who are basically foreign ambassadors for these outlanders. This has pushed our once blood red state into an indigo one, much to the lament and frustration of Arizonans.
I am witness to a lot of normie groups about hunting and gun rights in the Southwest, and for a people largely content to respect the rule of law and mind their own business, a great beast has awakened. I see more [REDACTED] posting from Boomers, X’ers, and Millenials than in any of the old Alt-Right chat rooms; nor is it just idle resentment and impotent rage, these people are very, very *angry*. They were mad about Obama. They were mad about Trump and other politicians betraying them. But, they have never come close to the amount of fire-eating wrath I see erupting from them now. And, it gives me hope.
Many people, even our supposed allies, would write us off as a desert wasteland with no future. The Tatooine of Americana, you could say. However, I see a people with backbone and grit, folks who aren’t going to go quietly into the night. I see terms like “carpetbagger” and “Yankee” being thrown around as insults and perjoratives in a way I would only expect out of Dixie. They have exploded into protest, both on the street and in contacting their representatives. They are scorching our RINO representatives like McSally and other lying, dog-faced pony soldiers (thanks for the insult, Joe Biden).
They look at what happened in Old Virginia and lament for the folk they see as brethren losing their rights. They cry out with “Sic Semper Tyrannis!” and “Throw the Carpetbaggers Out!” They foster lofty plans about inviting gun loving Virginians to move to Arizona to combat the snowbird migrants. A bit unrealistic, but good natured in motive. When the Empire finally collapses, whenever that might be, this place will endure. Much as burning sun and pelting sand can weather a rock while never managing to crack it, the hardy people of Arizona look to emulate their ancestors and surviving the encroaching societal wasteland.
Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle ‘Dixie’?
Good luck in y’all’s endeavors. I’ve always found the Southwest fascinating.