The Fordlands and the Cornlands

The Middle West can be divided roughly into two distinct parts, one we shall call the Cornlands and the other, the Fordlands. We shall first consider the Cornlands. This region is mainly agricultural in character, but overland transportation and meatpacking are also important here. It was settled primarily by Germans and Scandinavians, and is frequently perceived as pleasant, but boring. The population has an innate tendency towards conformity. This has many good effects, such as low crime rates, but this trait causes the Cornlanders to be particularly susceptible to the worst aspects of modernity. The population was formerly free farmers on their own land, but is now concentrated in regional center cities, largely due to the granting of sinecures in the form of pointless office jobs. The best historical analogy for this is the summoning of French nobility to live in the artificial suburb of Versailles. Meanwhile, many farms have been converted to latifundia-like institutions, owned by absentee landlords and worked by migrant labor.

The Fordlands are far more industrial, and their population more heterogeneous. Life is less pleasant, but more happens here. Family farms are still fairly common here, as the terrain is often too irregular for combine harvesters. A variety of crops are grown, and the area is also known for dairy and pork production. Land prices are very low compared to the Cornlands. The industrial metropoli certainly contain more cultural development and wealth than would their counterparts in the Cornlands. However, much of this development has slowly migrated to the suburbs, and crime rates in the central cities have not fully recovered from the social and economic dislocations of the late twentieth century. Probably the highest standard of living is enjoyed in the smaller industrial and university towns, such as Grand Rapids or Green Bay. The northern reaches of this region are rich with mineral resources, which traditionally fuel the factories of the great industrial cities. The population is in no way conformist and can be considered among the most Faustian of Americans. Wilbur Wright, Ernest Hemingway , Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are among their number. This area is immensely capable of technological innovation, with achievements of this region tending to be more practical than theoretical. These states have shown exceptional ability in the area of vehicle invention. Indeed it is reasonable to credit the Fordlanders with much of the mechanical and artistic achievement of the twentieth century.

The distinctive characteristics of each of these areas have diminished over the course of the twentieth century. Over the first fifty years of this period, the German and Scandinavian culture of the Cornlands almost disappeared, partly due to general American homogenization, and partly due to the geopolitical necessities of the world wars. Consolidation in the Cornlands, as well as high foreign demand for staple crops lead to the development of a corn-based agricultural monoculture, and the destruction of the majority of family farms. The Fordlands have lost much of their industry due to the effects of outsourcing and foreign trade. For these reasons, the Middle West has lost its distinctive culture and is now regarded by many as the least appealing portion of the nation.

However, due to the end of Moore’s law and increasing geopolitical instability, the factors which lead to the decline of the Fordlands and the Cornlands have recently diminished. It is therefore possible to imagine a future in which these regions once again leads the nation in cultural achievement. Perhaps the most important way this will manifest itself will be in a rejection of digital involution. This problem is partly due to the shift of the brightest minds from mechanical engineering to software engineering on the West Coast. Therefore, it is likely that a restoration of the Fordlands will lead to a renaissance of physical innovation. Distinctive cultural aspects of the Cornlands are likely to return, as Amish and Laestadian populations continue to grow. In time, this trend might eventually reverse the effects of rural depopulation. If you are interested in the industrial future of this nation, these areas are very interesting places in which to live.