In today's local daily newspaper, the local editorial column takes on a very intriguing topic with regard to Nebraskans:
"Rural Pessimism; Poll indicates many of us ambivalent about welcoming newcomers."
Hmmmmm.... Seems I may have mentioned
something EXACTLY like that here at "Vivid Surreality" a short while back (and, no, it isn't easy for me to restrain myself at this moment). Let me just say, in all humility: See? I wasn't making it up.
The editorial goes on to say, in part:
...A new Rural Poll reveals ambivalence about newcomers, according to the Associated Press report. Only one out of three Nebraskans believe newcomers to their rural communities improve the quality of life.
Wow, talk about prejudice!
Here, the writer naturally tries to spin things as best he/she can:
"Generally, rural Nebraskans are as friendly as it gets. We attend church with our neighbors [MW asks: Why is that always a default statement, as if church-going is all it takes to make people good, kind and courteous?] and school events with fellow parents. We volunteer for civic organizations [MW interrupts: Yeah right, only the humblest of saints volunteer for these organizations.] and get along with the folks in our neighborhoods, newcomers or not [MW interrupts again: They don't get along with them in this neck of the prairie.].
The writer continues to make excuses for why Nebraskans aren't as welcoming as the common propaganda has always stated. Things like jobs, kids and, "yes, TV" keep Nebraskans preoccupied with their own lives; therefore...
It may be that we just don't have time to pay attention to the newcomers in our lives.
How incredibly humorous. That's worse than any excuse any little kid ever gave for being rude to the children of his/her parents' house guests. I guess people in the old days in other rural states, who worked far more hours than most of us ever will, were able to make friends more easily because... Why?
But the face we present to visitors and newcomers is important if we expect them to come back or stick around.
Ya think?
To give some credit to the writer, he/she does go on to say that Nebraskans had better straighten up their act (that's my interpretation of what he/she says) and start welcoming newcomers because we are losing more and more of our young people -- i.e. customers and taxable citizens -- every year, and we need to be replacing them, post haste, with new permanent customers and taxable citizens; otherwise, Nebraska will be in a world of hurt.
Awwwwwww, how sad.
No offense to
Trinamick. She and the people in her neck of the Nebraska prairie are a great credit to this state --- that is, if we can fairly use her as an example of what her neighbors must be like (not counting the Wonky-Eyed Beast, of course ;-).
