You know, Hermit, this point really reminds me I should be even clearer.
My father's friends up north in New Hampshire were rednecks. True rednecks. Northern, but very working class garage guys, very much low-brow but not at all in a bad way. They did fit many of the NASCAR stereotypes (though they preferred mall track racing realy, one of the guys among them was a racecar driver, btw). But they were really hot on education and believed that it was very important to go to college.
People of similar backgrounds down South TENDED (but very much so I'll say) to be disdainful. However, I do want to add, this has nothing at all to do with the intelligence of the individuals in question. I saw no significant variation in intelligence per se; I think Southerners tend to be more pragmatic while Northerners tend to be more analytical in approach, but I'm not sure I'm even wedded to that notion. Anyway, I did find very much the same levels of intellect.
Now, all that being said, I should qualify my above marks in that really middle class values regarding education were indeed much more similar than I gave credit for. I exaggerated, upon retrospect, the degree to which the disdain for formal eucation is present among all classes, it is more class-constrained. Again, this is all IN MY EXPERIENCE and while I believe what I saw, so to speak, I'm not suggesting I can "prove" this as a general truth.
I'm not so sure I'm liking this Reputation, thing. On the one hand, it feels good to see your rep go up steadilly every day. But then again, it sort of hurts to see it sit stagnant for a while. In the end, it shouldn't bother me one way or the other, as I'm not posting for rep, but because I like to. It's a touch of insecurity that makes rep matter, so it shouldn't. But still, I wish the opt-out feature were available.
Another thing that does get me, though, something I'm not sorry that it does...
When on a thread, I reply to something or make a statement of some sort and someone later down the thread says more-or-less the same thing. So guess which person gets quoted when responding to the topic? I'll give you a hint - it ain't me. That gets to me, because it makes me feel like that people consider the message to be less important than the messenger. Excuse me, but if a good point is a good point, it shouldn't matter WHO brought the point up in the first place. Still, one should give credit where credit is due.
I guess this combined with with the whole stupid reputation aspect has been making me feel a tad marginilized as of late - in spite of the fact some people have indicated that "I'm cool" or "I have good ideas" and the like. It sure doesn't feel like it when I am so ignored I may as well be keeping my mouth shut.
Then again.. maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself because I'm still out of work and have nothing better to do with my time then read the boards in between job searches, and being home alone all day with nothing usefull to do and just leaves you alone with your thoughts... and when you're prone to Depression, those thoughts often take dark turns.
Eh, don't mind me. I just hope this is "random" enough for the thread...
