[blurb I wrote for Lovingnative.com…back then]
by Longbow on December 12, 2010
Anyone trying to define social / cultural influences and affiliations in this town would be hard pressed to trace those topologically (topographical/meteorological), let alone show the streams of thought flow. Maybe a strong feeling of connection comes from these tensions indicated by welcome concern for the town, augmented with the desire to do more than just pay our bills. There are many versions of “fun” here. I mean like, there is even a Casino in town. Oddly that seems to be a growingly common feature in counties up here… Is it latent “White Guilt” to “legislate fairness”? ( I don’t understand this gambling stuff, or any other thing that is supposed to be fair to Indians) (hey what about the Mexicans?”) One of its (Willits) histories is along several environmental action fronts, such as seeking to prevent some disasters to forest and streams. Another is the desire to preserve the local food security, ie assured supply. (Hmm, sufficient for 30 days? What about getting through a whole season like a full scale agricultural community does? Well maybe one step in the right direction is local Grange Grains. (There, a feeling restoring a Spirituality to farming, a Pearl S Buck moment) How about when times get that financial “low’ feeling or jobs are twenty or more miles away. That being said, the town seems basically “happy”, by and large pulling things together (by the strings) despite State and local service/funding cuts. Been a number of changes in shops closing and opening, some making good ops in change of location. The post office parking is the worst experience in this town for me personally and for many I am sure. I’m thrilled they at least now have one drive-up curbside drop-box well outside of the carnage of that lot.
As far as that goes, I don’t see how any large metropolis does it. So many groups, influences and money. How hard times do torture and warp mens souls. Yet I read that in a real disaster, studies have shown people act better and are more involved in emergency response than they thought them selves able.
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