Small town political bullshit

In the back of my mind, I've always kind of figured that I might move back to my hometown someday. I miss my family members a lot (some of them, anyway), and the simple life sometimes seems like it might be much more relaxing than the hectic race I run in the city. But, sometimes there are things about small town living that I just can't get past.

Everybody knows everybody. The phrase "close-knit" comes to mind, and sounds like a positive thing, however, this closeness has a dark side. Everyone has something about themselves that they don't want to reveal...everyone has a secret of some sort, and I'll be damned if those sweet neighbors of yours don't all really want to know what it is. Privacy doesn't exist as much in a small town...face it, there are just less people to hide behind...it's harder to just blend in.

And if you don't "fit in" with the fold, expect to hear rumors flying. For instance, if you're a married man and you are friends with a woman that's not your wife, you're probably having an affair. If you're a man that looks too neat or dresses too nice, you're probably gay. If you're a person that goes to therapy or takes mood-altering medication, you're some sort of whack-job. If you're a Democrat, you're a hippie or a traitor (it gets to this extent sometimes, believe me).

But, I can't just focus on the negative. For all the qualms I have with small town mindedness, I do love where I'm from...it's part of who I am. It also doesn't mean that there aren't some of the same issues if you live in a city...these things can happen anywhere, it just seems that in my overall experience, people who live where there is a more diverse culture are more open-minded. I'm not saying that this is always the case, but in my experience it has been.

In my personal opinion, it makes no sense to "fit in" when my generation has been taught to embrace diversity and change. I wouldn't say that I'm outwardly different than anyone else, but I want to be myself and not give a shit. Be myself, and not worry about what my neighbor or cousin or even sister think about it.

So, that's my little preface for the real subject of this post. The real subject doesn't really relate to what I said above, I was just noting some of the positives and negatives to living in a small town. The current big negative I'm thinking about is small town politics. Some folks, in general, just don't know when to shut their fucking traps. You would think over time they would learn that pointing fingers and placing blame doesn't really get you anywhere...IT JUST MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A JACKASS.

Such is the case in the comments placed below the article attached (click here). My brother's name shows up, for reasons unknown to me...basically he lives on a road that just got some new blacktop. Did he make that decision...did he even know about it...NO. But some people just have to throw names around anyway. The person who initially brought it up recanted, in a way, but then another idiot just had to go and bring my family name into it.

I look at this stuff and just laugh sometimes. All of this uproar...about some damn pavement. Shit, most of the roads in the county probably weren't even paved until the past couple decades, I wonder how the hell these folks got along before? These people should be used to shitty roads! This is what happens in small towns. If there is no drama, there is apparently a need to create it.

Regarding this, a reason I am probably not that well-suited for small town life is that I'm protective of the ones I love. Rumors can fly, and fingers pointed, but if you bring my family and friends into it...shit, I'll probably just tell you where to go. I'd probably be pretty good at pissing some people off back home, but for the sake of my family to avoid such drama, I'll just have to have my little rant over here for now....2300 miles away in Seattle =) *insert shit-eating grin here*.

Song of the day: "Evil Angel" Breaking Benjamin (fitting, don't you think?)