Subject: External perceptions of a self sufficent lifestyle.

From: [email-masked] (Don Bowen)
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 11:35:55 -0700

The recent discussions about homestead financing has brought several
things to mind.  One problem (or non problem) is how others percieve your
activities.  By defination the self sufficent life style can be little
different from proverty.  In a society that values appearance, driving a car
a few extra years is odd.  Fixing cars, building furniture, growing a
garden, not buying the latest fashions, are all percieved as marks of poverty.

        In many urban areas there are rules, often enforced by law, that
limit such activities.  CC&Rs often have rules against having a garage door
open for anything other than moving a car in and out.  Changing the oil can
get you a nasty letter from the building permit department or the homeowners
association. Rules that limit the type of plantings in the front yard will
also prevent you from growing edible crops there.  This is all done in the
name of preserving property values because all of those activities are seen
as a mark of poverty.

        Today we are seeing a massive movement of people from rural areas to
cities.  The average age of farmers and those in farming communities is
moving upward.  Kids cannot wait to get out of high school and move to the
city.  A few years in college shows them what they think is a better life
and it becomes difficult to return to the rural.  Population collects in
cities and looks to the city for all its needs, turning its back on the
rural areas.  The movement back is to "mini ranchetes".  Living in the
country, being as self sufficient as possible is looked down upon.  Living
in a country home surrounded with "landscaping" is considered good.

  Donald E. Bowen           [email-masked]
  Valley Center CA.         [email-masked]

  Software Engineer, woodworker, historian, beekeeper, farmboy
  model railroader, 1936 Farmall 12, 1966 Corvair CORSA 140 convertible
  1 wife, 3 kids, 2 acres, 2 cats, 2 dogs, ? projects,  no TV, 24 hours

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From: Alan Fryer <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 8:31:26 PDT

>   1 wife, 3 kids, 2 acres, 2 cats, 2 dogs, ? projects,  no TV, 24 hours

Reading Donald's brings up some ancient memories. I used to work for
a high tech company located in the sticks. I was one of the few 
city boys employed there. It seems that management encouraged the
hiring of "plow-boys" (their term, not mine). There was a perception
on managements part that "plow-boys" knew the value of hard work and
would make better employees. I asked the new-hires about it; the
universal response was: "Yeah, I grew up on a farm, it was hard work,
and that's why I went to college and have a soft desk job. I don't
want anything having to do with working that hard again."

Incidentally, both of my parents grew up on either farms or small
farming communities. My father will wax poetically about the charms
of living in the country but I notice that he left the country almost
50 years ago and hasn't been back since. Me, I'd love to get my hands
on my grandfather's ranch. Unfortunately it was sold off 30 years ago
because noone in my parents generation wanted to adopt that particular
style of life.

Alan Fryer
[email-masked]