Pegggy Noonan - WSJ -
A small sign of the times: USA Today this week ran an article about a Michigan family that, under financial pressure, decided to give up credit cards, satellite television, high-tech toys and restaurant dining, to live on a 40-acre farm and become more self-sufficient. The Wojtowicz family—36-year-old Patrick, his wife Melissa, 37, and their 15-year-old daughter Gabrielle—have become, in the words of reporter Judy Keen, "21st century homesteaders," raising pigs and chickens, planning a garden and installing a wood furnace.
Mr. Wojtowicz was a truck driver frustrated by long hauls that kept him away from his family, and worried about a shrinking salary. His wife was self-employed and worked at home. They worked hard and had things but, Mr. Wojtowicz said, there was a "void." "We started analyzing what it was that we were really missing. We were missing being around each other." So he gave up his job and now works the land his father left him near Alma, Mich. His economic plan was pretty simple: "As long as we can keep decreasing our bills we can keep making less money."
The paper weirdly headlined them "economic survivalists," which perhaps reflected an assumption that anyone who leaves a conventional, material-driven life for something more physically rigorous but emotionally coherent is by definition making a political statement. But it didn't look political from the story they told. They didn't look like people trying to figure out how to survive as much as people trying to figure out how to live. The picture that accompanied the article showed a happy family playing Scrabble with a friend.
Their story hit a nerve. There was a lively comment thread on the paper's Web site, with more than 300 people writing in. "They look pretty happy to me," said a commenter. "My husband and I are making some of the same decisions." Another: "I don't know if this is so much survivalism as a return to common sense." Another: "The more stuff you own the harder you have to work to maintain it."
Well, dude that's ZEN. Want nothing, and be free.
Excuse me while I let my tattered and ancient freak flag fly
7 comments:
"21st century homesteaders???"
More like 18th century.
BTW: why are they driving a pollution generating old bus?
Weird. On the one hand, Geithner tells us that once he gets through transforming the economy "we will be less concerned with how much we make and more concerned with what we are doing", but when a family actually does exactly that (more concerned about spending time with each other than making a lot of money), they are cast as "survivalists."
And we know it is just a teeny hop from that to "right wing extremist / dangerous radical."
And then you have the government telling us that if "consumers won't spend, the government will have to." After being lectured from the left over how evil consumerism is. . .
Just do what we tell you when we tell you. Make no decisions for yourself. If we want your opinion, we'll give it to you.
This is going to get worse. They want us to just shut up and do their bidding.
I am filing protests with my senators, rep and state reps again.
It is the only thing I can actually do. Contra to what the left says, there is not one organization that is out in front proclaiming how evil and anti-American this attempt to intimidate the right is.
First, they demonize and de-humanize the opposition. So then no one objects to criminalizing the behavior (voicing support for the Bill of Rights, for example) that "threatens" the government.
Next, start a fire somewhere and blame it on those criminals.
You all know what happens next.
Waaaaay OT. --
Epa -- Started One Second After last night. Got about a third through it so far.
While most of the results of an EMP didn't surprise me the one that did was the thought of several thousand passenger jets suddenly falling from the sky.
For anyone who somehow doesn't know about the EMP threat, or if you think the effects will be just an extended camping trip, you need to read this book.
Anyone else you'll enjoy it to, though you may have some trouble getting to sleep.
Thanks for the suggestion, Epa.
Why WC, that's me in the white t shirt on the hood.
OFF THE PIGS, man
;)
Anon... if everyone did this, China would collapse, India would starve, Maylasia would be laid waste, and best of all, OPEC nations would be farming in the desert to survive, except for the present leaders who would be in Zermatt wearing polarized goggles.
Think of it as a new fabian strategy to dominate the world.
OK EPA - I have to confess. I was a hippie - in fact an Abbie Hoffman Yippie!
A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game, took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.
"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one !", the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear.
"The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with DSL, BPS, light-speed processing .... and..."
...pausing to take another drink of beer.... The Senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said, "You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young, so we invented them. Now, you - arrogant little shit - what are you doing for the next generation?"
Oh Yes! WC! Love that story!
Post a Comment