Now, Taran.
Buddy.
I know it was just a little tweet, but I want to clarify something too.
I have two degrees. I use polysyllabic words. I even read The Wall Street Journal every day.
I don't wear bib overalls. I haven't driven around with a dog in the bed of my rusty pick-up, and I've never had Bud Light under a bridge in Daisy Dukes while fishing in the dark.
Or ever actually.
But neither of these sets of characteristics have much to do with being stupid. Just because a person has lots of letters behind his name or an impressive title doesn't mean he's the brightest.
Just because a person has a flashy TV job or a big Twitter following doesn't mean he's the smartest either.
Living in a big city doesn't actually make you a genuis, nor does being progressive or rich or well-traveled.
Plenty of pretty bright people were rural.
Say - oh, I don't know -- George Washington.
Stupidity doesn't come from living in the country. It's a result of failing to engage life or know history, failing to learn from the greats before us or rejecting truth.
Stupidity isn't the result of believing in the Second Amendment, going to church on Sunday and taking walks on gravel roads. Doing loads of my husband's manure-y laundry and owning as many pairs of boots as I do high heels doesn't mean I'm a moron.
Stupidity's a result of thinking small.
And assuming that because a person lives in a small town or rural setting he's automatically stupid is a pretty myopic view.
I'm not offended by your tweet, Taran. (People use that term way too much in my opinion.)
But I do think you'd be wise to pack up your hatchback and head out of town. Start driving toward Kansas or Iowa or Nebraska. Stop at a farmstead with hog sheds. Pull into a dairy and watch the activity. Con a farmer into giving you a ride in a combine if he's finishing up harvest.
Ask questions. Be inquisitive. Allow curiosity to do its work.
If you do, I'll legit bet the farm you'll discover rural folks aren't stupid just because they're different from you.
And you may -- you just may -- find that you're not as smart as you think either.
Turns out . . . we all have a lot of growing we could do.
Now THAT'S something worth tweeting.
This showed up in my Facebook feed :) Hey stranger!
ReplyDeleteAdriane, I so agree with what you've said here. The election results really surprised me, and it was very telling how strongly the "rural vote" showed up yesterday. And it got me thinking about how here in the city, we are more sheltered and oblivious to farm life, rural life, and the grass roots than we ever have been. So different than it was for our grandparents were way back when.
With all the social media, the cities voting blue, and Silicon Valley social media lifestyles...it's troubling. This has been a good reminder to me to teach my kids that out milk doesn't just come from Kroger, bacon doesn't start out looking like stripes in a plastic package, and that we shouldn't just vote to suit the lives of {what we think is} the majority in the "big city." There's so much more to the machinery of the United States than just what we see on the surface. As a city girl, I admit we forget that.
I don't want my kids to be ignorant, and Taran's comment was VERY much just that.
Hi, Heather! Good to hear from you.
DeleteYou're right: There's a growing disconnect between city and rural life. Farmers telling our stories helps, but having moms like you who are intentional about teaching your kids about life outside the grocery store goes a long way too. We are grateful!
I saw this on Facebook too. So glad to make the connection. Thanks for sticking up for us rural people. My dad only went as far as the 8th grade and he was one of the smartest people I knew.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I recall, he ate peanuts floating in Coke, which I always thought the most awesome thing EVER!
DeleteLOL, I think that was his main diet during harvest :-)
DeleteThanks for the article, Adriane. My second "masters' degree" upon leaving Seminary and being placed at a rural congregation has been to figure out how farming works. There's more to it than I probably could have imagined, and the degree is still "in process"...
ReplyDeleteYou and me both . . . and I grew up on a farm. :) Here's to never-ending learning!
DeleteExcellent point well made.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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