Saturday, August 11, 2012

An introduction

I recently (around the 25th of july) moved to a small town on the border between alabama and florida, and spend time in both states. I work at a bar.

I moved from a small city in Maryland, up north, which is much more liberal than this place. I am going to try to post here every time i have a conflict of culture. I swear a lot, and have given up on being nice about some topics: I've absorbed a lot of racism and sexism from this area. I am not excusing my own shittiness, merely warning of it.

here are some things I have noticed so far, and will blog about.

  • Racism, fucking everywhere. And no racist thinks they are racist, and makes excuses for it.
  • Disability scamming. Everywhere, especially pensacola.
  • Military culture. Nearly every male I've talked to has spent at least some time a branch of the US military, usually navy or army.
  • Terrible home life. THe best paying jobs are offshore, leaving little time for relationships.
  • Awful women. With smashed/rotten teeth, a couple kids by age 25, and a strong cultural fascination with "redneck bitches with an attitude"
  • Pride. Regional pride is a strong indicator of a dying or stalled culture. There is a lot of it here.
  • Dehumanization. A lot of guys say "bitches" where you and I might say "girls" or "women". even in front of ladies.
  • Unapologetic alcoholism. Drinking at 8am and not even ashamed.
  • Faux culture members. Drugstore cowboys and sad sack bikers.
  • Knives. Everyone carries at least one knife (sometimes a pistol) when they go out.
  • Family ties. A very strong force, here. I live with my cousin, and I had never met him before he called and invited me to move into his place. I was there a week before he came back. Letting a stranger live in your house for a week is some kind of trust, man.

I also might bitch about my own shitty life. My purpose is to document my time here, any changes to my personality, and get better at writing.

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