The controversy around Jason Aldean’s “Try that in a Small Town” got me thinking. What are some things that you wish you could do in a small town that you just can’t?
I was in the mountains, Hendersonville NC I think, trying to find a place to eat after 7 pm on a week day. Was impossible.
Oh man, having grown up in a small town (one stop light, baby!):
Be visibly neurodivergent
Be visibly gender nonconforming
Not have worry about someone at the doctor’s office/hospital who knows your family breaking HIPAA
Be able to just be an anonymous person in public, and not Jody-Anne’s cousin’s kid
To not be reliant on owning a car
It’s bad enough dealing with crippling depression in a small town, where everyone’s going to tell you that A: your condition is a moral failure rather than an illness with physiological underpinnings, B: religion is the answer to your condition, C: (for males, anyway) your condition makes you weak and effeminate, or D: a combination of the above or more likely all of them. Adding those things on top of it is a recipe for suicide.
Don’t forget that if you’re not in the in-group, people will try to drive you out of the area. I’ve lived in small towns most of my life, and while there’s exceptions it’s still common.
And this isn’t even race based. Just not being related to one (or more) of the main 3-4 families in town will get you on the shit list, especially if you’re not from the area. Going to a different church than the one in town will do it too
You’ve heard this right?
https://piped.video/BzoVLDdHwW4
I hate that for you. But you speak to the lack of social services that are typically not available, which is a pro of living in a large city.
Two light town here. It’s not just social services. Hell, with sizes, sometimes (not always) they have it a bit easier in certain regards for the common services due to reduced workload (YMMV: it’s been a while since I’ve been back).
The bigger issue is lack of exposure to anything non-conforming. Not enough people simply being people in slightly different ways. Makes it easy to fall into tribalism, as well as no one wants to shake the boat when someone says something racist (for example).
Damn coming in with that small-town passive-aggression.
Sorry? Can’t tell if joking, sorry if this is woosh. :)
Ahh, I’m used to “I hate/love that for you” being a disingenuous statement. Kinda like “bless your heart” and other south-isms
I can see why you’d think that. For me it’s just a plain spoken expression of empathy, but I know I’m the south we use bless your heart to mock people gently.