History Main / BourgeoisBumpkin

Many stories set in the South or the Midwest (particularly the more "western" part of the Midwest) will feature characters of this type. They are often NouveauRiche - and if the "hick" part of their persona is more apparent than usual, they're bound to have traces of the CorruptHick as well. Despite the name, this character need not be a literal hick, or even rural; an urban character will do if his traits include political conservatism and a disgruntled and/or entitled attitude toward the world. If such a character ever does gain ultimate power, expect a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny.

This character type is described in great detail in Thomas Frank's 2003 book ''What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America''. This book, which traces the rise of the new, [[DarkerAndEdgier rawer and angrier]] brand of American political conservatism that fully crystallized in TheNineties, explains how the radical right appropriated the "class-warfare" worldview of the radical left and retooled it to serve their ends. In Kansas and other "red" states, wealthy conservative politicos will take this basic stance in order to appeal to working-class voters. George Wallace and UsefulNotes/RichardNixon are generally considered [[TropeCodifier the first men to employ this tactic]], with Nixon referring to it as his "Southern Strategy."

-->''"I'm going to help you - because nobody ever helped a hick but a hick hisself!"''
-->-- Willie Stark, ''AllTheKingsMen''

This character type is described in great detail in Thomas Frank's 2003 book ''What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America''. This book, which traces the rise of the new, [[DarkerAndEdgier rawer and angrier]] brand of American political conservatism that fully crystallized in TheNineties, explains how the radical right appropriated the "class-warfare" worldview of the radical left and retooled it to serve their ends. In Kansas and other "red" states, wealthy conservative politicos will take this basic stance in order to appeal to working-class voters. George Wallace and RichardNixon are generally considered [[TropeCodifier the first men to employ this tactic]], with Nixon referring to it as his "Southern Strategy."

Another important difference is that while the Bohemian will, for the most part, shy away from proletarian trappings (although proclaiming that they're fine and good for other people), the Bumpkin fully embraces them, or at least embraces them as much as is feasible or plausible. The Bourgeois Bumpkin is as proud to be a bumpkin ("hick") as a Bourgeois Bohemian is to be a [[{{Hipster}} hip, "cool" dude]]. Indeed, much of the irony that proceeds from the Bourgeois Bumpkin is the dissonance between his avowed affinity for all things bumpkinish and his professed sympathy for bumpkins on one hand, and on the other his self-absorbed outrage and indignation at the supposed hardships he faces - hardships that pale in comparison to those of actual bumpkins.

* Mary Lillian Ellison was once the only daughter in a large family of sharecroppers of Scots-Irish and Native American descent in a ''very'' small town in South Carolina. When she became big on the pro wrestling scene in the 1950s, she renamed herself "The Fabulous Moolah", a RichBitch obsessed with money. Although Ellison obviously did not become villainous in real life, she did end up leaving her humble roots far behind by building a mansion in the same South Carolina town where she was born and renamed the street in front of it "Moolah Drive." She did, however, retain her Southern accent and lower-class mannerisms.

* The Tea Party movement is largely bankrolled by billionaires, for the same reasons as the Populist Party.

* Mary Lillian Ellison was once the only daughter in a large family of sharecroppers of Scots-Irish and Native American descent in a ''very'' small town in South Carolina. When she became big on the pro wrestling scene in the 1950s, she renamed herself "The Fabulous Moolah", a RichBitch obsessed with money. Although Ellison obviously did not become villainous in real life, she did end up leaving her humble roots far behind by building a mansion in the same South Carolina town where she was born and renamed the street in front of it "Moolah Drive."

* JohnBradshawLayfield had this as part of his gimmick during the early part of his heel run, constantly attempting to ingratiate himself to the fans by playing up his rags-to-riches story and his [[PatrioticFervor patriotism]]. It was always clear, however, that what JBL valued most in the world wasn't the fans or even America; it was the WWE Championship.

* Big Boy Caprice has a bit of this trait in ''Film/DickTracy''.

Many stories set in the South or the Midwest (particularly the more "western" part of the Midwest) will feature characters of this type. They are often NouveauRiche - and if the "hick" part of their persona is more apparent than usual, they're bound to have traces of the CorruptHick as well. If they ever do gain ultimate power, expect a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny.

-->''I'm going to help you - because nobody ever helped a hick but a hick hisself!''
-->- Willie Stark, ''AllTheKingsMen''

This character type is described in great detail in Thomas Frank's 2003 book ''What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America''. This book, which traces the rise of the new, [[DarkerAndEdgier rawer and angrier]] brand of American political conservatism that fully crystallized in TheNineties, explains how the radical right appropriated the "class-warfare" worldview of the radical left and retooled it to serve their ends. In Kansas and other "red" states, wealthy conservative politicos will take this basic stance in order to appeal to working-class voters. George Wallace and RichardNixon are generally considered the first men to employ this tactic, with Nixon referring to it as his "Southern Strategy."

''I'm going to help you - because nobody ever helped a hick but a hick hisself!''
- Willie Stark, ''AllTheKingsMen''

* TheManBehindTheMan who runs a behind-the-scenes political machine that tries to get The Penguin elected mayor in ''BatmanReturns'' is a scheming department store owner. He worked his way up from poverty (or so he claims) to become the most powerful plutocrat in Gotham City, even more so than Bruce Wayne (whom he mocks for being an UpperClassTwit). He has never forgotten his roots, and while giving a public speech he remarks: "I'm just a poor schmoe - got lucky. And sue me if I want to give some back." He indeed presents himself as a philanthropist, and engages in a lot of BreadAndCircuses publicity to distract the citizens of Gotham from his plot to corner the city's electricity market with a massive, draining "capacitor."

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* Big Boy Caprice has a bit of this trait in ''DickTracy''.

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Many stories set in the South or the Midwest (particularly the more "western" part of the Midwest) will feature characters of this type. They are often NouveauRiche - and if the "hick" part of their persona is more apparent than usual, they're bound to have traces of the CorruptHick as well.

This character type is described in great detail in Thomas Frank's 2003 book ''What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America''. This book, which traces the rise of the new, [[DarkerAndEdgier rawer and angrier]] brand of American political conservatism that fully crystallized in TheNineties, explains how the radical right appropriated the "class-warfare" worldview of the radical left and retooled it to serve their ends. In Kansas and other "red" states, wealthy conservative politicos will take this basic stance in order to appeal to working-class voters.

A Bourgeois Bumpkin is, generally, someone who enjoys many privileges - or at least enough privileges to be happy - yet suffers from delusions that he is deprived, marginalized, persecuted, or otherwise disadvantaged. In practice this character type will tend to overlap with the BourgeoisBohemian, but a key difference is that, typically, while a Bourgeois Bohemian is depicted having a "bleeding heart" for other people, the Bourgeois Bumpkin has a heart that bleeds primarily for himself. And precisely because the Bumpkin is more likely to see himself as a victim than the Bohemian, he'll tend to complain a lot more.

A Bourgeois Bumpkin is, generally, someone who enjoys many privileges - or at least enough privileges to be happy - yet suffers from delusions that he (it does tend to be a "he", though not exclusively so) is deprived, marginalized, persecuted, or otherwise disadvantaged. In practice this character type will tend to overlap with the BourgeoisBohemian, but a key difference is that, typically, while a Bourgeois Bohemian is depicted having a "bleeding heart" for other people, the Bourgeois Bumpkin has a heart that bleeds primarily for himself. And precisely because the Bumpkin is more likely to see himself as a victim than the Bohemian, he'll tend to complain a lot more.

Another important difference is that while the Bohemian will, for the most part, shy away from proletarian trappings (although proclaiming that they're fine and good for other people), the Bumpkin fully embraces them, or at least embraces them as much as is feasible or plausible. The Bourgeois Bumpkin is as proud to be a bumpkin ("hick") as a Bourgeois Bohemian is to be a [[{{Hipster}} hip, "cool" dude]]. Indeed, much of the irony that proceeds from the Bourgeois Bumpkin is the dissonance between his avowed affinity for all things bumpkinish and his professed sympathy for bumpkins on one hand, and his self-absorbed outrage and indignation at the supposed hardships he faces - hardships that pale in comparison to those of actual bumpkins.

* The page quote comes from ''AllTheKingsMen'', a novel by Robert Penn Warren, which has been adapted by Hollywood twice (films in both 1949 and 2006). Its [[AntiVillain Anti]] Villain Protagonist is Willie Stark, a small-town Louisiana mayor who aligns himself with a sleazy political machine in order to run for governor, then rebels against his handlers and runs as a "share-the-wealth" populist candidate in a manner much like 1930s Louisiana governor Huey Long. Once in office, Stark does partially keep his promises: he uses some of the state budget to build schools and hospitals for the poor, but spends the rest on ruining his political enemies and financing a private harem of [[RaceFetish multiethnic hookers]].

Many stories set in the South or the Midwest (particularly the more "western" part of the Midwest) will feature characters of this type. They are often NouveauRiche - and if the "hick" part of their persona is more apparent than usual, they're bound to have traces of the CorruptHick as well.

A Bourgeois Bumpkin is, generally, someone who enjoys many privileges - or at least enough privileges to be happy - yet suffers from delusions that he (it does tend to be a "he", though not exclusively so) is deprived, marginalized, persecuted, or otherwise disadvantaged. In practice this character type will tend to overlap with the BourgeoisBohemian, but a key difference is that, typically, while a Bourgeois Bohemian is depicted having a "bleeding heart" for other people, the Bourgeois Bumpkin has a heart that bleeds primarily for himself. And since the Bumpkin is more likely to see himself as a victim than the Bohemian, he'll tend to complain a lot more.