|
 RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
|
 Small Town Blues 
#3407030 - 11/25/04 01:53 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
I live in a small city(pop. 8000). My county has roughly 55,000 people in it. There are a few other small cities and towns in my area. My part of the U.S. could be termed a rural but populated area with small cities(5,000-15,0000 people) every thirty or so miles.
The economy in my area of the country used to be incredibly vibrant. Oil, timber, steel, mining, and general manufacturing made my area very prosperous. There are a fair amount of mansions in certain areas of the local towns. These were all built long ago however.
The economy has gone completely downhill in the past forty years. Several major corporations were based here and have since moved. A lot of the mills have closed down. You are lucky if you have a job that pays more than $7 an hour here. Whatever the national economy is at, the area economy is always worse. During the tech boom of the late 90's, the area economy was bad. During the recession of 2000-2002, the economy was even worse. More and more places close down every year. The downtown of most of the local towns have empty storefronts. I have lived here pretty much all of my life and I have never seen one year go by where the economy got any better.
As the economy has gone downhill, there has been an exodus of people. The main city in my county had 25,000 residents in the 1920's. Now it has 11,000 residents. A lot of people move away from here as they graduate high school and college. The only people that stay are losers it seems. The local population seems to be made up of the following people: old folks who have lived here their entire lives and who are not going anywhere, the "middle-aged" generation(my parent's generation) of people who struggle to hold onto their jobs, young losers, and people on public assistance.
There are so many people on welfare in my area. I could take you through entire neighbourhoods where you will see nothing but dilapidated houses, trash strewn everywhere, dirty little kids running all over the place, and fat moms in sweatpants screaming at their five kids. I used to work at a grocery store in high school. I would see dirty women come in with their dirty kids and whip out food stamps to pay for better food than I was eating. It made me fucking sick. "White trash" is not a myth; it is a reality I assure you. My tax money goes to pay for these people to breed more and be social parasites.
Because so many people have moved out of here, and because the economy is so bad, there is not a lot to do except do drugs and go to bars. There are only a few industries thriving in my area: drugs, bars, correctional facility management, and care for old people.
This area still has charm. I have noticed most of the middle-aged and older people tend to be very nice "small-town" people. They will stop and try to help you if your car is broken down for example. But, the local people of my generation(18-25) seem to be complete wastes. Many of them don't have jobs or cars and still live at home(well into their twenties). Also, I have noticed that many middle-class and upper-middle class children have fallen into the white trash lifestyle. It is really weird seeing someone you know who had good parents(who provided a stable household) ending up with three kids, drinking a lot, and living off of welfare.
I am not saying that people who have no money are scumbags(I have been poor myself), but I have noticed that people who cannot get their lives together financially often cannot get their lives together morally. I could tell you infinite stories about "good friends" pinching weed out of their friend's bags, people borrowing stuff and giving it back broken and not offering to replace it, people outright stealing from other people they know, and people being selfish(bumming $5 and never paying it back, asking for rides and offering no compensation, using other people for weed, etc..).
My parents partied when they were younger. But, they had good friends who were nice and didn't take advantage of them. The same people they smoked weed with and drank with were the same people that they had family get-togethers with when they had kids. Nowadays, my local generation parties, but they have no aspirations and no morals.
I don't smoke weed. I don't drink alcohol to excess. I don't mooch off of other people. I don't impose myself upon other people. ...It really seems as if I don't have anything in common with the people my age around here. I don't want to stagnate like them, and I don't want to be around people like them.
I think I want to move.
Edited by RandalFlagg (11/25/04 02:05 AM)
|
 felix
Registered: 01/20/00
Posts: 10,503
Last seen: 1 month, 9 days
|
|
join the merchant marines...
--------------------
Real botanists laugh at HPS systems, we do however use high pressure sodium in the parking lot. - artthug
|
Loosifa
none
Registered: 05/26/04
Posts: 506
Loc: England (South) 
|
|
I think you need to get out and go on an adventure. Small towns can really suck. I lived in Bognor Regis in my teens (small seaside town on south coast of England). There was such a narrow minded mentality there, in my social circles anyway.
--------------------
LURK
|
CaRnAgECaNdY
Tool's groupie
Registered: 04/09/04
Posts: 11,505
Loc: Billy Howerdel's closet
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
|
Re: Small Town Blues [Re: felix]
#3407057 - 11/25/04 02:04 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
I didn't read most of that. I saw your population and thought about the size of my town.
450 people. That is all.
So you don't live in that small of a town compared to mine.
--------------------
The secret to being funny is to say smart things stupidly, or is it stupid things smartly? Whatever..it's not rocket surgery...or something like that.
|
felix
Registered: 01/20/00
Posts: 10,503
Last seen: 1 month, 9 days
|
|
i'd say move near the beach. that's where it's happening..
--------------------
Real botanists laugh at HPS systems, we do however use high pressure sodium in the parking lot. - artthug
|
RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
|
Re: Small Town Blues [Re: Loosifa]
#3407068 - 11/25/04 02:10 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
I think you need to get out and go on an adventure.
I am actually well-traveled. I also am going on a road trip
this spring and summer to see all of the United States.
My real question is...should I stay in this town, or should I move
somewhere else? On my trip I hope to figure that out.
Edited by RandalFlagg (11/25/04 02:11 AM)
|
Loosifa
none
Registered: 05/26/04
Posts: 506
Loc: England (South)
|
|
Have you always lived in this town?
--------------------
LURK
|
RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
|
Re: Small Town Blues [Re: Loosifa]
#3407084 - 11/25/04 02:20 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Have you always lived in this town?
I have spent about 90% of my life in this area. I have lived in other areas(larger cities in other areas), but I had problems adjusting because I didn't know many people there.
|
Silven
I trip,therefore weare.
Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 2,071
Loc: El Mexicano
Last seen: 16 years, 11 months
|
|
Man, I bet we live next door to each other.
If we do, sorry about thrashing the flowers by your pond when I was 10. 
You described the shitty town I live in to a T, and most of the surrounding ones. I used to think Pittsburgh held salvation from it all, and then I started hanging there for a while and realized it's basically the same just on larger scale.
--------------------
Born: 10/31/83, which makes me a Scorpio.
1) Scorpios are the most highly sexed of all the signs of the zodiac.
2) Scorpios are prone to excesses: booze, drugs, sex, bad puns, etc.
They usually exploit the weaknesses of others, who fall victim to
their capacity for total lust & sexual abberation.
3) Scorpios possess great intellectual curiosity & creative talent. They
think they are rebels & are arrogant, proud, conceited, and worth every
penny of it.
What do you bring to the table?
|
Real_Poopypants
Stranger
Registered: 09/02/04
Posts: 237
Loc: Surrey, B.C.
Last seen: 13 days, 12 hours
|
|
Quote:
Nowadays, my local generation parties, but they have no aspirations and no morals.
I don't smoke weed. I don't drink alcohol to excess. I don't mooch off of other people. I don't impose myself upon other people. ...It really seems as if I don't have anything in common with the people my age around here. I don't want to stagnate like them, and I don't want to be around people like them.
I think I want to move.
Edited by Real_Poopypants (02/28/05 10:25 PM)
|
|
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order 
Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds 
Red Vein Kratom 
Kratom Powder for Sale 
CBD Concentrates
Edit 
Reply 
1 2 3 all )
Ripple
Shroomism
Learyfan
Rebirtha
Papaver
dnL
notapillow
