Rants and raves of an old soul in a new age.

[rebelcowboysnb]

Mayberry, and LHotP are fictional but are based on how things were. Things were never perfect but they were enough like these shows that the reference is ok. I grew up here in the mountains of Ga. I was born in 1978. Dukes of Hazzard started a year later an ran till I was 8 years old. I knew then that it was fiction an now I know the rest of the world saw it as a comedy but here in Ga it was reality. What everyone was laughing about was fact here. You will find more truth about what was going in Ga at the time buried in that show than you will ever see in any history book. Next time you see that show on, really watch it. Stop laughing an think about what is going on as if it were real. Then you will have an idea how this part of the country really was at the time.


I watch that every now an then to remember how things were. To remember being chased by the cops for fun. To remember running just cause it was fun. An to remember standing in the same store the next day talking to that same cop about how his wife an kids are doing an wishing them well. People would be shocked at how much of that show was not made up...

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'm not big on change, but I think sometimes we do need to embrace the here and now. There is a reason things are changing and a lot of the changes are very exciting. Life was a lot more difficult 100, 50, or heck, even just 10 years ago.

I do think people should be more connected with the natural world though. I like the "romantic" thought of life 100 years ago. But at the same time, 100 years ago I would have had very little rights as a woman and life would not be as simple as we tend to think.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Good point Chickerdoodle. Thinking about simpler times is nice but, yeah, as a woman, your options were quite slim then.

 

[member 142084]

There are extremes on every end. What I see is that certain things should no be lost.. the know h to be able to provide without relying on the mass production system. What happens when it fails.. which it does from time to time. But as a society we have become complaicant and lazy. Dependent upon detached things and loosing the know how of arts. The biggest issue is propriety and heart. How we treat each other. Something which I could write an entire essay on and post it. but it's one thing to be a bit of a rebel... its another to not geniunely feel for others. We have been desensitized by entertainment, texting, talking on the phone. yet we miss the fading beauty around us... and take a video of a woman being raped instead of calling 911. Better yet stopping the situation. Bad things have always happened, there have always been punks ad oppressors, but it is getting out of hand. Especially for such a privileged nation. God work ethics... nearly gone out the window. People expect perfection in their food, not knowing where it comes from, nor the labor involved. And no not all women were 'oppressed' nor at all times and current liberation has gone extreme in my view as well. (No I am not discussing womens right, just making a point I do know the terrible truths, and men suffer as well). I find that those that know the arts and crafts are older generations passing by... who is grooming/apprenticing to pass it on? so few.. it is quite sad. I may want to be sustainable.. but I will still have a hone, and a laptop a vehicle... nothing old fashioned about that. But I will have satisfaction that my hands had purpose and I passed something on to my children, and other more than attitude.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

and take a video of a woman being raped instead of calling 911. Better yet stopping the situation.

 

[handyman42]

Woah.. wait a minute here.. And why cant Dennis comment and share his opinion? Was this thread started to just gather ONE opinion.. and any others are not wanted nor "allowed"? Was Dennis rude? Was he out of line? I cant find that anywhere..

And frankly, its very rude to tell someone on an open forum to "not post" on a thread just because their opinion differs from yours...
Now lets play nice and be polite to "everyone".. Dennis has valid points too.. thanks!

He is posting comments to pick at people and just rub their hair a little the wrong way. If he wants to do that, be my guest... or should I more frankly say be the guest of a thread somewhere else because I don't want someone posting on my thread just to irritate others who have been offering valid and encouraging posts. This is not a "Let's debate GMO thread" though thanks to dennis that's what it has become. It's a remember the good ol days, share stories from grandpa, talk about lost arts/activities and acknowledge where this country will end up if something doesn't change thread. which thanks to dennis that's what it is not.

I find it interesting that the OP is requesting that this country get a grip on reality and yet the three examples given (Mayberry, Bonanza and LHotP) are all fictional locations.
Reality is messy. Reality means life is unscripted and people disagree. Reality means that we can argue pros and cons of GMOs and it is okay. Happy clappy only happens on TV.

If I wanted America to "get a grip" on anything, it sure wouldn't be what society calls reality anymore... because they seem to have a very firm grip on that as it is which is the problem.

Now as far as "the three examples given... are all fictional" thing. I was born at night but it wasn't last night. I am well aware of the fictional property of them. My point is not the mindset portrayed in said shows.The help your neighbors, raise your own food, be good to folks, stand up for whats right and all-in-all just give a darn.

I don't live under a rock and know full well reality is messy and this stuff you call "happy clappy" does only happen on TV... But that's because we let it. We sit around and think "oh well they're not mugging me so it's not my problem." IT SURE AS HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM!! If you stand by and watch something bad happen to someone you're just as evil as the person doing it to them. I'm tired of seeing videos online of people getting raped, stoned TO DEATH, and beaten up. If you were standing close enough to get it on a cellphone camera then you were close enough to stand up for what's right and give a darn and potentially save a human life.
If more people got a grip on something other than reality, like idk a better society. And had the mindset to give a darn about each other and stood up for justice then this world could be "happy clappy" and people would get along and heck you might actually enjoy waking up in the morning and interacting with others instead of watching over your shoulder for a gun or a knife and being paranoid everywhere you go.

Has anyone ever thought about that?

Again I would like to thank those who are actually providing good wholesome discussion that is on topic. Not posting to irritate others or defending the person doing so. Keep up the good work!!

 

[handyman42]

And to add to my novel, lol. I'm aware times were not "simpler" 100 years ago. In fact they were SO much harder. But the values in that day and age have disappeared and been replaced with sky-high crime rates, abortion rates, teen pregnancy rates, drug operations, human trafficing, and people making light and even going as far to video tape people being brutally murdered. So I think I'll take the backbreaking labor of working the land and the lack of technology if that is all it has to offer.

I am not going to debate female rights. For one because I am very under-knowledged in the facts and because again, it's off topic. I will say this though, female rights are great and wonderful and they should've been changed years before they were. Yet on the other hand I can see where in the early years women in general let it go to their heads and all sorts of problems have stemmed from it. If someone would like to start a female rights thread feel free and I'll post further there. Thanks..

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Look, I'm not disagreeing with you that the world would be a better place if we all took care of each other. Yes, it would be swell if people were kind and helpful and wonderful to each other. An idyllic society, with the lion laying down with the lamb would be perfect. Pretty much what we all want. It is, indeed, what many people consider heaven to be. And indeed, we all should daily be striving to be nicer to each other. My sister teaches her kids "Did your action help the situation or hurt the situation". A good question for us all.

However, Mayberry, LHotP and Bonanza did not ever exist. For sake of argument, let's stick with Mayberry. Sure, there were and are small towns that look like that. And yes, people knew each other and helped each other out. They grew their own food, raised chickens and baked from scratch. Good stuff, all of it. At the same time, women were being beat black and blue by their husbands because dinner wasn't on the table fast enough. Children were abused and neglected. Animals were abused and neglected. The sheriff could and did lock people up purely because of the color of their skin. Men and women could be and were killed because of what we now call lifestyle choices. Sure, the people doing the neglecting and abusing and killing raised their own meat and grew a garden. That didn't make life in the past perfect.

My mom's family raised chickens. Her daddy was a raging alcoholic who beat my grandmother. Then they all went to church on Sunday. My daddy was raised on a farm. They had a huge garden and raised chickens and the occasional pig. He also slept in a bed with a herd of other children so they could stay warm on the days they woke up with snow on the bed. In the house. Fuel was expensive and my great-granddaddy saw no need to keep the whole house warm at night. Both parents grew up in a town very much like Mayberry. Did it mean life was perfect? Absolutely not. Did my parents turn out okay? Sure. They are both amazing people and have had a good life. But Mayberry never, ever has existed. It is a set filled with props and actors saying lines that were fed to them. Again, the real world is messy and disagreeable and not anywhere near perfect. It never has been and never will be.

You say you want people to all get along, but what you mean is that you want everyone to play nice with you and not disagree with you. People can have differing opinions about things and it can still be okay. I hate GMOs and would love it if our laws were such that foods were labeled so I had the choice to pick out non-GMO food at the store and seeds at the co-op. But I appreciate that Dennis and others can have different opinions about GMOs. There are many people on here that I disagree with on certain topics. They have different opinions on how to feed themselves, how to raise their poultry, what our government should be like, what their "lifestyle choices" are going to be, and different religious beliefs. Does that mean that they can't play on my threads? Heavens no. At least in America we have the right to express our views on things. If you start a thread you are opening that thread up to differing opinions. Coming back later and saying "Okay, everyone can play but you" is meanspirited. It is very un-Mayberry like, the very thing that you are hoping for.

 

[member 142084]

Focus on the negative= breeds it

Focus on the positive= encourages it

Those 'past time' cruelty issues are still very much alive today. No one is ignoring they existed.. but they Still exist. Mayberry or not. This point is not to argue.. it is to post the opinion of the "Good' things that we miss. What you quoted about your sister.. is a good example. And though terrible things exist we are not to dwell on it, but overcome.. and make it better no need to argue it.

Reality is realized by all of this. Hoping for and encouraging the good is achievable. And is not fiction.

 

[Avlana]

I'm not big on change, but I think sometimes we do need to embrace the here and now. There is a reason things are changing and a lot of the changes are very exciting. Life was a lot more difficult 100, 50, or heck, even just 10 years ago.

I do think people should be more connected with the natural world though. I like the "romantic" thought of life 100 years ago. But at the same time, 100 years ago I would have had very little rights as a woman and life would not be as simple as we tend to think.

Totally agree with this statement. I believe we have to roll with the changes sometimes and embrace it. But absolutely agree that people should be more connected to the natural world.

I'm 25 years old and grew up with a mother that has always brought mcdonalds and other fast foods home because of her busy work schedule. She never had time to cook dinner, let alone raise our own food. Everything is so fast paced today. It's kind of sad really. My mom's life revolves around her job. I can barely talk to her. I'm very, very fortunate to be able to stay home with my two little ones. I previously worked full time and have an education, but I chose to quit my career for the time being and cut back on cable and all other non essentials to be able to stay home with them. This is were I started realizing a few things. As I had a slower paced lifestyle compared to my previous workplace, which was extremely fast paced and stressful. I had time to think and started making some lifestyle changes. I have a complete heirloom/GMO free garden. Just started my flock of chickens for eggs and meat. I also started canning my food. This makes us feel accomplished and proud of our hard work. I think most people don't think twice about where their food comes from. Most major food industries practice very inhumane care of animals. I hate mass productions of animals. Who knows what condition that chicken was in that you've picked up at the grocery store. Everyone around me takes things for granted. Most are only interested in entertainment tv and following celebrities that they idolize and probably would never meet. It's a big waste to the human mind. We are an innovative species and to waste your life on that, just baffles me. I see it all the time with my generation. I've had people tell me they thought a mule was a cow. Or thought they could pet a wild bear as if were a cute puppy dog. Most Americans have lost touch with the natural world. They can't identify animals or the dangers. They don't know how food is produced. We've become so dependent on big corporations. I guess I'm just ranting at this point. I could go on and on. Obviously these are my opinions and I am very open minded to others. These are just my observations and I want to change how my family and I live. And we're happier and healthier. I very much enjoy teaching my kids on how to garden and raise animals. They especially love the baby animals

. I want to teach them valuable information and how to be independent. But also roll with the changing times. We are happily living in today's world but practice some "old fashion" values that were used back when. We're incorporating both very well. It's very difficult to find someone my age who thinks the same. I'm sure they're out there. I do see homesteading and urban farming becoming more popular today. And that makes me very happy!