Small Town USA

[The Hammer]

I certainly live in small town USA now.

We had big summer festival and parade in town today, the parade went down the only main drag through. Me and the wife had a good time though, even though my poor pup freaked out when the horse carriages went by. Pretty sure he really wanted to play with the big puppies.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Glad it seems good for you.
Small Town Indiana is a total ****hole when you aren't cis-stright-white, with great preference given to Christians. You don't fit in there and they will let you know it, and they will do whatever they can to get their way (when I was a kid back in the late 80s and early 90s they would take pictures of people going into the porn shop and plaster the pictures all over town).
They call this "small town" California, but too me over 100,000 people isn't small town, it's too diverse, and too much to do for this to be small town. But it's nice regardless. Their are some nasty Conservative types, and I can't say I like aggressive signage I see (like middle fingers on a flag or a truck trailer hitch cover shaped like a claymore mine and saying "point towards enemy," which is you), but the city itself is cool with neurodiversity and has a program where people can get a special lanyard which enables them to be identified as needing special accommodations at various establishments, along with promoting awareness and acceptance of those with disabilities (the program is mainly aimed at Autism but accepts others).

 

[PureX]

The dude on the log throne with the crazy hat was pretty good.

And the oversized Farmall tractor. Who doesn't love a Farmall tractor?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Who doesn't love a Farmall tractor?

Me, and probably everyone else who doesn't know what that is beyond a tractor.

 

[Subduction Zone]

We used to own a John Deere that was about ten years older than that Farmall. Which of course meant that it was a true johnny popper. The saying "Nothing runs like a Deere" was not originally a compliment.

 

[The Hammer]

Glad it seems good for you.
Small Town Indiana is a total ****hole when you are cis-stright-white, with great preference given to Christians. You don't fit in there and they will let you know it, and they will do whatever they can to get their way (when I was a kid back in the late 80s and early 90s they would take pictures of people going into the porn shop and plaster the pictures all over town).
They call this "small town" California, but too me over 100,000 people isn't small town, it's too diverse, and too much to do for this to be small town. But it's nice regardless. Their are some nasty Conservative types, and I can't say I like aggressive signage I see (like middle fingers on a flag or a truck trailer hitch cover shaped like a claymore mine and saying "point towards enemy," which is you), but the city itself is cool with neurodiversity and has a program where people can get a special lanyard which enables them to be identified as needing special accommodations at various establishments, along with promoting awareness and acceptance of those with disabilities (the program is mainly aimed at Autism but accepts others).

This place is absolutely like that (rural, white, cis, Christian, conservative). And they are boisterous in their signage as well "**** Jay Inslee signs" on cars, and flags that say "trump won, I know it you know it). Even one of the floats today was had trump flags.

But I've decided that I'm just going to retaliate by being equally obnoxious, and loud about my own views. If that leads to me not making many friends that's ok.

Kind of like this on the back of my car:

 

[The Hammer]

We used to own a John Deere that was about ten years older than that Farmall. Which of course meant that it was a true johnny popper. The saying "Nothing runs like a Deere" was not originally a compliment.

There were a couple Deeres that went by too, I just didn't photograph. Had to wrangle my dog.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

This place is absolutely like that (rural, white, cis, Christian, conservative). And they are boisterous in their signage as well "**** Jay Inslee signs" on cars, and flags that say "trump won, I know it you know it). Even one of the floats today was had trump flags.

But I've decided that I'm just going to retaliate by being equally obnoxious, and loud about my own views. If that leads to me not making many friends that's ok.

Kind of like this on the back of my car:
View attachment 64401

I saw a bumper sticker fish thingy the other day. It was a Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish, and I decided I need a Cthulhu fish on my car eating them both.

 

[Subduction Zone]

This place is absolutely like that (rural, white, cis, Christian, conservative). And they are boisterous in their signage as well "**** Jay Inslee signs" on cars, and flags that say "trump won, I know it you know it). Even one of the floats today was had trump flags.

But I've decided that I'm just going to retaliate by being equally obnoxious, and loud about my own views. If that leads to me not making many friends that's ok.

Kind of like this on the back of my car:
View attachment 64401

Yeah, we keep the crazies up there just in case those scheming Canadians try a sneak attack across the border. So far our strategy has been flawless!

 

[The Hammer]

I saw a bumper sticker fish thingy the other day. It was a Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish, and I decided I need a Cthulhu fish on my car eating them both.

Here is the first half

 

[The Hammer]

Yeah, we keep the crazies up there just in case those scheming Canadians try a sneak attack across the border. So far our strategy has been flawless!

Yeah, well, their my neighbors now...

And as a non-straight (although in a hetero relationship, it isn't noticeable), a Pagan Druid, and a rather socially liberal person. I'm a bit out of my comfort depth.

It's an experiment and experience of seeing the other side for a bit.

 

[Subduction Zone]

There were a couple Deeres that went by too, I just didn't photograph. Had to wrangle my dog.

We had a neighbor that had a couple of older models yet. They did not have electric start. They were started by grabbing the flywheel and giving it a very healthy turn.

 

[JustGeorge]

Glad it seems good for you.
Small Town Indiana is a total ****hole when you aren't cis-stright-white, with great preference given to Christians. You don't fit in there and they will let you know it, and they will do whatever they can to get their way

I think its even tougher than that...

My kids' speech therapist lives in rural Iowa(her husband farms). She is Christian, cis-gendered, straight, and even Republican... and her and her family have always been treated poorly. Because she's kind, and understanding, and doesn't seek to put those down who differ from her. (She went out of her way to call me George, when she discovered it was my nick-name, and I told her how much I preferred it, despite having used my legal name for almost 14 years).

The picking that goes on in some of those spaces... its like a high school clique all over again.

This place is absolutely like that (rural, white, cis, Christian, conservative). And they are boisterous in their signage as well "**** Jay Inslee signs" on cars, and flags that say "trump won, I know it you know it). Even one of the floats today was had trump flags.

But I've decided that I'm just going to retaliate by being equally obnoxious, and loud about my own views. If that leads to me not making many friends that's ok.

Kind of like this on the back of my car:
View attachment 64401

I love your style!

 

[Quagmire]

I lived in a small town, population 1050, in the Santa Cruz mountains in California for a few years. There are things I miss about it.

It was kind of nice knowing everybody and being known by everybody, although it took me a while to get out of the habit of flipping people off when they honked their horns at me ( I'm from Chicago )

 

[F1fan]

We used to own a John Deere that was about ten years older than that Farmall. Which of course meant that it was a true johnny popper. The saying "Nothing runs like a Deere" was not originally a compliment.

What is a "Johnny Popper"? My grandfather called me that.

 

[Subduction Zone]

What is a "Johnny Popper"? My grandfather called me that.

A John Deere tractor from the 1950's or earlier. Due to their two cylinder design and fuel, usually about half gasoline and half diesel, they had a unique sound when they ran.

Okay, they sound like this:

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think its even tougher than that...

My kids' speech therapist lives in rural Iowa(her husband farms). She is Christian, cis-gendered, straight, and even Republican... and her and her family have always been treated poorly. Because she's kind, and understanding, and doesn't seek to put those down who differ from her. (She went out of her way to call me George, when she discovered it was my nick-name, and I told her how much I preferred it, despite having used my legal name for almost 14 years).

The picking that goes on in some of those spaces... its like a high school clique all over again.

Yeah. That sort of garbage was very bad where I worked as a case manager. It was one place I actually kept my mouth shut because I was very heavily outnumbered (so I only went to the office when I absolutely had to). I had a couple clients thank me, one for not trying to hide and deny my own anxieties and mental health stuff when he can see it on me (he didn't like the others because they too have their own issues but act like think and talk like they don't), and another thanked me for not trying to change who he is as a person.
And what made it even more pathetic was all the drinking those high horsed pukes admitted to doing.