Keep on Truckin'
an essay about food, freight, and foibles
As I sit in a grocery store parking lot overlooking Interstate 90, I watch dozens of cars travel into Seattle. I’ll probably sit here for two hours so I’ll see hundreds of cars, perhaps thousands. And among those thousands will be many freight trucks carrying food into Seattle.
Based on general demographics, a large majority of those truck drivers will be Republicans. Plenty of them will be extremely conservative dudes who voted for Trump twice and will vote for him again if given the chance.
Yes, MAGA truck drivers are delivering food to Seattle, the second- or third-most liberal city in the United States. And this food was grown and shipped by farmers and farm corporations that are also heavily Republican.
Yes, Republicans are feeding Democrats. Yes, this is a ceremony. But is it sacred or secular? I think it’s a combination of capitalism and eucharist.
I don’t believe in God, not much at least, but I believe that metaphors, similies, and analogies are holy. So I think that these truck drivers are bringing a little bit of Jesus into Seattle.
You can disagree with me. I’ll shrug my shoulders and say, “It’s difficult to find the beauty in our enemies.”
But, on this lovely and cold day in Seattle, I roll down my window so I can hear the traffic on I-90. When I close my eyes, I can closely listen and pretend the rush of the wheels is an ongoing hymn.
Love this. As someone from rural Montana with many conservative relatives, I can’t easily think of Republicans as enemies. It’s fascinating to me that many of the values that my family holds dear -- growing your own food, minimizing waste, knowing the place you live well -- are also “liberal” values. There is still a great deal that we share.
I'm a liberal who lives in heavily republican, conservative South Dakota. Food from here is problably on those trucks. Thanks for the reminder that we are all connected.