UC Berkeley instructor says rural Americans are "bad people" who deserve "uncomfortable" lives

A UC Berkeley graduate and instructor learned not to mess with rural Americans the hard way last week after he embarked on a Twitter mission to shame "people who aren't pro-city." Jackson Kernion—a walking-talking embodiment of the privileged white male stereotype—claimed in a controversial tweet last week that those who choose not to live in the city are "bad people who have made bad life decisions." This coming from a guy who has reportedly taught at least 11 philosophy courses at the California university since 2013, definitely raises concerns about the kind of narrow-minded balderdash he's been dishing out to his students.

According to a report by Fox News, Kernion voiced his controversial observations on rural Americans during a Twitter discussion exploring the costs of rural healthcare. Advocating against affordable healthcare solutions in rural America, he said, "Rural Healthcare Should be expensive! And that expense should be borne by those who choose rural America!" He claimed, "pro-city Americans" who chose "a more efficient way of life" should not have to bear the financial burden of providing healthcare to those who prefer rural life, reports Campus Reform.

Kernion seems to believe that promoting a need for "affordable rural healthcare" is equivalent to arguing for rural Americans "to be subsidized by those who choose a more efficient way of life." Aggressively leaning into his pro-city stance, the Berkeley instructor added, "Same goes for rural broadband. And gas taxes. It should be uncomfortable to live in rural America. It should be uncomfortable to not move." Although Kernion's privileged opinions failed to win him any fans on Twitter and made him the target of severe backlash, rather than reflect on the gravity of his words, he decided to go on the offensive and double down on his rural American-bashing.

"I unironically embrace the bashing of rural Americans. They, as a group, are bad people who have made bad life decisions... and we should shame people who aren't pro-city. Some, I assume are good people. But this nostalgia for some imagined pastoral way of life is stupid and we should shame people who aren't pro-city," he wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted. Digging himself further into a hole, Kernion then threw what I'd describe as a "misunderstood teenager-esque" tantrum after being called out. "None of the replies I'm getting even *try* to address the central point I'm making: that we shouldn't make rural life *artificially* cheaper. That's how you know I'm right," he wrote.

Following an even more severe backlash online, the Berkeley graduate finally realized that there are no takers for regressive thoughts and pulled a cliché PR apology stunt that literally no one bought. "Pretty sure I did a bad tweet here. Gonna delete it. I'll want to reflect on it more later, but my tone is way crasser and meaner than I like to think I am," he tweeted. Kernion has since deleted his Twitter account in what we can safely assume was an attempt to flee from the angry rural Americans tweeting out to him and setting the record straight on life in rural America.

"So Jackson Kernion believes rural Americans deserve terrible lives. How shallow can one person be or is it the liberal culture to put down people you feel are outside of your mental capacity. UC Berkeley should be ashamed they employ people not willing to give equal opportunity," tweeted @Stiflersdad1. "I've invited Mr. Kernion to our rural district in Ohio. Here he can meet some of the terrible people who grow his food, work the railroads, and do other jobs to keep the greatest country ever running. Jobs that he is too weak to do but couldn't survive without," tweeted @tayhoffgg.