Finding stereotypes capable of holding up under close scrutiny is necessary for humans, but generally goes unrefined.
Hi readers. Thanks for coming by for a read this morning.
I spent a while bouncing around RV full timers forum-type discussion board-type places lately. Curious about whether any stereotype applies. What I found was not a single good, solid stereotype a person could hammer down to perfection, but rather a number of herds of them.
Not much of this sort of thing out there among the modern nomad population. Whether they’re van dwellers or motor homesters, clean lines, shiny paintjobs and glitter are major attractions. If it ain’t eye candy it belongs in a different universe.
Fields of peas pretty much running with other peas, cornfields sticking with their corny neighbors, and everyone seemingly well fed. A few farmers within each stereotype weeding and watering.
I was especially interested in Slab City and what the people who stay there winters have to say to one another. I thought because it’s as near anarchy as a person gets in the US, it might tell some worthy things about us as a place viewing itself as a free people, thinkers, individualists.
There’s some of that on the surface. Everyone saying to one another, you have to take whatever comes in Slab City. Everyone celebrating and patting themselves on the backs for their rugged individualism.
But in fact there’s an undercurrent a lot less worthy of self-praise among them. An undercurrent of bullying and intimidation hidden in the “gotta take it as it comes” platitudes.
Turns out “take it as it comes” means, “take me as I come” and don’t even think about me taking you as you come. If you try I’ll probably slit your tires. Or shoot your cats.
It manifests itself subtly in the matter of cats. Seems over the past few years women visiting the slabs have had their cats killed by dogs, or shot by dog lovers. Always women. How about them apples?
For folks who don’t have much interest nor love for cats and don’t have any desire at all in going on crusades, sacrificing the soothing rewards of rugged individualist wildass self-image community, it just flows down like Jack Daniels Black Label. Everything bad hiding inside “taking it as it comes” harmony.
I’m figuring it would be a place I’d have to go to war if I landed there. Can’t see myself sitting still for having my tires cut, knowing someone else who got his tires cut, me having a firm idea who did it. And most especially knowing who some cat-shooting human was, or cat-killing dog-running-loose owner.
Sometimes wars can happen without anyone having to go looking for, drive so damned far out of the way. I hope I don’t have anymore wars left ahead of me this lifetime, but if I do I ain’t going to drive 1000 miles to find them.
Old Jules
So Far From Heaven 