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Not every small town is like whatever place you were obviously abused in. I couldn't imagine having to move back to the city. It's exciting and fun to visit the

by Pigo 7y ago

Not every small town is like whatever place you were obviously abused in. I couldn't imagine having to move back to the city. It's exciting and fun to visit the city, but the indifference people display to each other is taxing on my soul. The drug addicts over-dosing, people with mental health issues wandering, the rent being too-damn-high, etc... People actually care about strangers, and go out of their way to be friendly to you here. Also, every company I've worked with recently is embracing remote work.

blamestross 7y ago
All those people still exist when you leave the City. You and everyone you are claiming "cares about people" are still ignoring them. It's not that people in the city don't care. There you are forced to realize that nobody is.
fnord77 7y ago
your small town does not sound like the typical, depressed American small town where despair is palpable, there's extreme poverty and drug addiction.
- Pigo 7y ago
  You're correct that I haven't lived in every small town in America, thus having no direct experience, but I routinely enjoy the small towns more than cities. It rubs me the wrong way to see a comment about them only existing because of teen pregnancy.
  - blamestross 7y ago
    Yet it is true. Far fewer people would live there if they got the chance to get out. The normal pattern (as it has been for 200 years) is: 16 year olds get pregnant. They were never told any sex Ed other than "don't" and abortion isn't an option. They are informed that all goals for their life other than parenthood are waste and instead of leaving (for work or education) they join the local enconomy and make just barely enough to support their new "family". They proceed to struggle and fight to survive until their children are grown, by which point the cycle is repeating. It's a very stable pattern of behavior. I've watched 3 generations of women berate the 4th for getting pregnant out of "wedlock" at 16 when all of them were conceived the same way. I know it hurts to find out something you love is built from a horrible pattern. But it is worth enduring the pain and seeking understanding.
twoquestions 7y ago
Suburban gated communities != rural areas, no matter how well they cosplay rural culture. blamestross's assessment of rural culture is the most accurate I've seen in this thread, it's mostly teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, property crime, and suicide. I don't see a good way out with our all-against-all culture where trust and cooperation make you a mark for exploitation. It's not entirely their fault, I'd hate to see how NYC or San Francisco would fare if 70% of their industry picked up and moved out in 5 years. (I'm also from small town rural America, if it matters)

by Pigo 7y ago

blamestross 7y ago

All those people still exist when you leave the City. You and everyone you are claiming "cares about people" are still ignoring them. It's not that people in the city don't care. There you are forced to realize that nobody is.

fnord77 7y ago

your small town does not sound like the typical, depressed American small town where despair is palpable, there's extreme poverty and drug addiction.

Pigo 7y ago
You're correct that I haven't lived in every small town in America, thus having no direct experience, but I routinely enjoy the small towns more than cities. It rubs me the wrong way to see a comment about them only existing because of teen pregnancy.
- blamestross 7y ago
  Yet it is true. Far fewer people would live there if they got the chance to get out. The normal pattern (as it has been for 200 years) is: 16 year olds get pregnant. They were never told any sex Ed other than "don't" and abortion isn't an option. They are informed that all goals for their life other than parenthood are waste and instead of leaving (for work or education) they join the local enconomy and make just barely enough to support their new "family". They proceed to struggle and fight to survive until their children are grown, by which point the cycle is repeating. It's a very stable pattern of behavior. I've watched 3 generations of women berate the 4th for getting pregnant out of "wedlock" at 16 when all of them were conceived the same way. I know it hurts to find out something you love is built from a horrible pattern. But it is worth enduring the pain and seeking understanding.

twoquestions 7y ago

Suburban gated communities != rural areas, no matter how well they cosplay rural culture. blamestross's assessment of rural culture is the most accurate I've seen in this thread, it's mostly teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, property crime, and suicide. I don't see a good way out with our all-against-all culture where trust and cooperation make you a mark for exploitation. It's not entirely their fault, I'd hate to see how NYC or San Francisco would fare if 70% of their industry picked up and moved out in 5 years. (I'm also from small town rural America, if it matters)