Woodstock has been populated by hippies for forty years or so, before that it was populated by beatniks and even earlier by bohemians and folks in the Arts & Crafts movement. As a result Woodstock has a unique character rather than being just another Anytown, USA ... with subdivisions full of generic architecture and strip malls filled with Bed, Bath & Beyond, The GAP, et al. The nasty idiot hippies and their forefathers & foremothers managed, with their asinine liberal, eco-conscious ways, to keep the natural attributes of the woods and mountains intact rather than bulldozing them all in the name of progress. For these reasons ST can travel to NYC or wherever to service his clients and return to woods on the mountain with the snow drifts and rehearse his band at full volume without getting a cease & desist order from the middle management dude living in the McMansion next door. The town is apparently a great place to live and attracts tourists because it ISN'T Anytown (from whence the tourists come.) And all those foolish potters, cabinetmakers, "fiber artists" and the like keep alive the arts and crafts that MB (for example) so loves from the pre-modernist era.

So the question is, why does ST appear to so loath the very folks who created the town he seems to love?

In other threads ST has wondered why today's men don't return to the values and lessons they learned from their fathers. My father was one of those young men who went off to WW II out of a sense of duty and patriotism. He had medical issues severe enough that not even the Army would take him, so he got himself into the Seabees and served in the Pacific. After the war he went to college on the G.I. Bill and became a teacher. He taught American History & Civics. He earned a few extra bucks teaching immigrants who were on the path to citizenship. Among the lessons he taught me, back in the Fifties, was, whenever possible, to buy local. He insisted we support local businesses even if things cost a few bucks more ... and, believe me, we hadn't any cash to spare, not on a public school teacher's salary. Maybe ST's dad taught him to f**# caring about the local storeowner, it's better to buy from the discounter a few towns away because every nickel saved is a nickel earned; look out for #1. Different set of traditonal values I guess.

As for ricpic's comments, it seems to me he must not know many real artists or "hippies" ... most of them are (for want a better way of putting it) hard working entrepreneurs. They aren't looking for something for nothing. They might bitch a bit about why some other artist gets a sale when they don't or want some recognition for their talent that they feel they aren't getting, but isn't that true of the office drone as well? Don't we all have a need for validation? Most of them not only create their art, but then need to deal with all the business side of the equation as well. If they're criminals, then Sam Walton, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates should be in the top ten of Public Enemies.

rant over.

Posted by: Chris White on March 21, 2008 5:06 PM

It's probably too late for Chris to read my comments. I've been very busy, so I haven't read this thread.

Where, in any of my statements do I say "fuck" local businesses, or that I loathe hippies, or that I hate Woodstock?

I don't feel any obligation to shop at local businesses, I don't share hippie values, and I don't hate Woodstock. These are much more neutral, less volatile emotions and motivations that Chris has attributed to me.

Where did you get this stuff, Chris? You are an extreme leftist. This is one of the dishonest, hysterical tactics of extreme leftists.

What you might better ask is: How is it that I came to live in Woodstock? It's an interesting story.

Posted by: Shouting Thomas on March 23, 2008 10:59 AM






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