I'm prompted to write to you because I have had a similar confrontation by a "local" here in the high desert and I too have never lived in LA. In fact I grew up out near the Salton Sea. But I find that those bitter, screaming souls encountered at the PO or big box grocery store are yelling about their own inner turmoil and ignorance. That woman's tantrum had nothing to do with you but everything to do with her hate and fear. She has created her own boogie man. It's too bad to encounter that sort of darkness but add another bumper sticker (wish you have done) and know there are plenty more who wish you well and have gratitude for your being among us. Thank you, Catherine Ruane
I also don’t get the “Go Back to LA” thing either. Nearly all of us, or our parents or grandparents, came from somewhere else. Being born and raised here, or living here since the 80s as I have, doesn’t automatically make you in tune with or conscious of, your local environment. Most people who come here either learn to love the desert and want to preserve it in all of it’s prickly glory, love it at arm’s length (eg, carefully landscraped yards with only a forlorn joshua tree or two keeping company with an oleander hedge). Or they leave.
I don’t need a bumper sticker to show that I am not a “city” person; the persistent layer of dust on the outside of my car, and the gravel embedded in the carpet, is testament enough. I don’t have a garage to keep it in and drive on dirt roads, but somehow it runs just fine without wasting the water necessary to keep it looking like I belong elsewhere.
My 2¢: it’s better to educate newcomers than castigate them.
Powerful piece of writing carrying many insights and wise suggestions on a way forward. I appreciate it.
I'm prompted to write to you because I have had a similar confrontation by a "local" here in the high desert and I too have never lived in LA. In fact I grew up out near the Salton Sea. But I find that those bitter, screaming souls encountered at the PO or big box grocery store are yelling about their own inner turmoil and ignorance. That woman's tantrum had nothing to do with you but everything to do with her hate and fear. She has created her own boogie man. It's too bad to encounter that sort of darkness but add another bumper sticker (wish you have done) and know there are plenty more who wish you well and have gratitude for your being among us. Thank you, Catherine Ruane
I also don’t get the “Go Back to LA” thing either. Nearly all of us, or our parents or grandparents, came from somewhere else. Being born and raised here, or living here since the 80s as I have, doesn’t automatically make you in tune with or conscious of, your local environment. Most people who come here either learn to love the desert and want to preserve it in all of it’s prickly glory, love it at arm’s length (eg, carefully landscraped yards with only a forlorn joshua tree or two keeping company with an oleander hedge). Or they leave.
I don’t need a bumper sticker to show that I am not a “city” person; the persistent layer of dust on the outside of my car, and the gravel embedded in the carpet, is testament enough. I don’t have a garage to keep it in and drive on dirt roads, but somehow it runs just fine without wasting the water necessary to keep it looking like I belong elsewhere.
My 2¢: it’s better to educate newcomers than castigate them.