Totally agree, both sides are made to keep us content. You are right that we need to be vigilant of both narratives.

I would guess most midwesterners have not been, so they dont know the reality of the place. So anyone can say it’s full of bad people and they won’t bat an eye.

Make it easy to understand and repeatable. If you do not have the education credentials, it may take a little more finesse. Finding a conference is a great idea. Make some personal contacts with someone putting on a workshop. Depending on the field, they may be in need of papers. I am happy to help with any questions on the overall process or formatting. I have a published paper, so I have an idea of some of the struggles. My wife has put on many workshops in the AI field and is often complaining of how hard it is to find quality content to have presented.

Dexter is criminaly insane, this boy needs therapy!

I would guess that these are the seats that are more contested, allows them to act like they are against something while they know they have the votes to pass it theor way anyway.