On Tact

[krislaughs]

It's the Fourth of July, and a farmer calls me out to his farm to go see his calf, informing me that if this was simple, he would've treated it himself, because it's difficult (aka the calf was pretty much in its death throes when I got there) he doesn't think it's worth it to have me out at all, but it's his daughter's animal and she wants the vet out to do what we can.

I give it the old college try (not overly optimistic, but sometimes we get lucky).

ANYWAY, afterwords, I'm cleaning up, standing around with the farmer's buddies, and they're talking about the 'damn environmentalists' who ruin farmland to preserve silly things like endangered species' habitat and water resources. They move on to the damn 'city folk' who use up water etc. that should be better used for crops (nevermind that the crops are only valuable insofar as you have an urban population to purchase them. But I digress.)

It comes up in conversation that I'm from NYC.

The old farmer's reply: "Son, you called the wrong vet out. This girl's from the city; she doesn't know anything about animals."

I mean, really, who says that to someone's face-- someone who's spent the last twelve years working on farms even if I spent the first eighteen in a big city? Someone who has many more years of medical education than he ever will? What does he even know about me? NOTHING EXCEPT I CAN TREAT A CALF HE CAN'T.

They go on to tell me about Skinner's Box and how it "prooved" that you could reproduce all of the Urban Vices such as homosexuality, homelessness, etc. by cramming a bunch of rats into a box where originally just a few rats thrived.

Um.

Actually, Skinner was studying operant conditioning, which is something else entirely.

And aditionally WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK?

He goes on to tell me about those old Jay Walking skits from the Tonight show, wherein the people in NYC couldn't name the president, but they knew the latest American Idol winners and how this proves that people in cities have no idea what's important in life.

I say again. WHAT THE FUCK? It's not like I walked onto his farm, on a holiday, because I wanted to treat a dying calf and then started ranting about the uneducated, unemployed, meth-addict rednecks I come across every day in rural PA. I mean, really.

I had no idea how to respond, so I told him that there's a lot of good about both places. I wouldn't give up my upbringing in the city for anything, and he had lovely berries on the farm. Then I wished him a happy holiday and managed not to hit his Chrysler 300 as I was backing out.

Do these people even realize how profoundly rude and insulting they are? Or were they raised in a barn? (heheee)

Comments

[mercury-marbles.livejournal.com]

Ugh. How rude.

And "urban vices"? Like being gay or homeless is equivalent to drugs or gambling?

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

I know, right? That, literally, those were the two "vices" that came to his mind-- associated with cities-- of anything else, I just... it's like being transported through the fucking looking glass.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, change the topics around a bit and this reads like a transcript from a holiday dinner in my family. *headdesk x a million* I'm amazed you refrained from vehicular homicide. You are a true professional!

I doubt he either knows or cares that he's being an asshole. The only thing that matters to him in that moment is that he is right in every opinion that he ever had in his entire life, and you don't even register as a person in his world.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

:(

The only redeeming moment was that a) I got to charge them for my presence and b) I got to drive away at the end of it. Sadly, neither an option with family.

:/

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

You should be allowed to levy a Personal Discomfort surcharge, and charge extra to clients who are just that unpleasant to be around.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

A PITA fee ;)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Totally justifiable!

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

People assume I'm from the city because I'm gay, anti-racist and "talk posh". Uh, no. Maybe I was in a rural version of their imaginary Skinner's box?

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

hehehee!

Exactly. I feel like the more places I live, the more I realiz people are *people* everywhere, and they come in all flavors, from amazing to tactless and rotten.

Ah well. Sadly, it does no good to argue logic against bigotry. Which is why I'm glad there's someplace like this to share these moments with friends.

[one-2-3-4.livejournal.com]

Raised in a barn. I honestly would've said something passive-aggressive, because while I don't think arguing anything would help, but I'm proud of where I come from and how hard I've worked, not to mention that it is kind of in my blood to defend all that. :-[ You were definitely the bigger person here, and I'm 98% positive someone called him out on his bigotry after you left.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

I started to-- just to explain that wrt carbon-footprint at least, city living is a heck of a lot more easy on the total environment. But again, a discussion best left for rational people at a better time.

And so I resorted to smiling.

I dunno, the thing about bigots is that they surround themselves with people who buy (and own) their bullshit.

ah well.

[amber1960.livejournal.com]

Of course, if you had clipped his vehicle on your way out that would have just reinforced his view that women can't drive and city women are even worse drivers than country hick women because country hick women can at least drive a tractor.

Sorry for butting in here, I was on a wander looking for fic and found this sound bite from country life magazine!! :D

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

Yes it would've (sadly, I AM a bad enough driver that tapping accidentally was a real possibility *g*)

But, yeah, the whole thing is just IDEK.