“Letting your wife support the family degrades the husband. By tradition, he’s the main support. So men whose wives earn more than they do are looked down on. But the very lowest people, in the eyes of this community, are the welfare recipients.”

“Yes. And that differs from more urban areas, does it not? How many of you would look down on a man in that situation?”

Pissed-off girl snorted. Professor Lilt homed in on her like a hunting dog. “Comment?”

“My mom makes twice what my dad does. Nothing wrong with that,” the girl said.

“According to our values. According to the study area’s values, not so much.”

“But if, say, my parents both make more money than the people in this… place, wherever it is, wouldn’t they be of higher status?”

“Possibly. However, the men in that society might just agree to view your father with contempt. Why?”

It was quiet for a second. “Because it lets them feel better about themselves,” Declan found himself saying.

“Yes. Feeling better about their position in life. In general, humans always want to place themselves as high up the hierarchy as possible. This means they are vulnerable to manipulation.”

“That seems a pretty harsh way to phrase it,” someone said.

“Ah, forgive me. I’ve been away from the collegiate atmosphere too long. I’m used to a more… competitive place. Let me rephrase it for your more delicate sensibilities. Understanding this need for status and social order allows one to predict behavior and perhaps influence it. Let me ask you this… why do rural communities almost always vote in favor of gun rights?”

“Because many rural inhabitants hunt. Gun control threatens that right, that tradition, and in poor areas, threatens a major source of food,” Alli said.

“Bing, bing, bing. Give the girl a prize. How do conservatives approach rural communities? Hey, I own guns too. Here’s a picture of me with my hunting dog and trusty double barrel shotgun. My opponent wants to do away with your traditional right. Your God-given right. Oh, and incidentally, he wants to take food from your kids’ mouths!” Professor Lilt said.

“But not every rural community votes Republican?” another student asked.

“True, but listen to where the winners of either party position themselves on key points like gun control. Much more toward the center,” she said, looking around the room. Then she came to some kind of decision. “ Okay, I have some housekeeping stuff to do that I normally get done first, but we kind of leapt right into it today. So if you didn’t do the reading, do it now. Everyone who did already read the first two parts can get a head start on the next two chapters. When I’ve got all my ducks in a row, we’ll break a little early.”