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| Typical up-to-speed Maine family gathered around the local paper. |
There is a so-called community newspaper printed here in Maine called
The Forecaster. It's filled with the usual Mom and Pop advertisements, listings for church bean suppers and yard sales and blurry black & white photos of older ladies volunteering at the local thrift shop and the local champion lacrosse and tennis players getting their trophies. It is also filled with sad columns by bad writers masquerading as "down home" humor and/or political commentary. Once in a great while there is actually something worth reading, but that's rare, as the Editor would not recognize decent journalism if it came up and bit him on the ass. I was engaged in talks pertaining to writing for him until I came to my senses, fortunately in the nick of time.
Over the past five years I have posted comments to
The Forecaster online responding to articles that contained particularly egregious errors. The last time was many months ago, perhaps a year or more. Today I tried to do so again, but instead I received the notice:"YOU HAVE BEEN BLOCKED BY THE FORECASTER FROM LEAVING COMMENTS."
And there you have Maine in a nutshell: No dissenting opinions allowed in this "community," especially not from snooty former
Washington Post writers who grew up in New York. To them they say, "Just shut up and eat yer lobster!"
This really hit a nerve. NOT that I like The Forecaster, which is well rivaled by The Shopping Notes.
ReplyDeleteBut they must be from Mars! Or is that what they call rural Maine?
Aren't small towns just such a blessing? :)
ReplyDeleteYears ago I received a "Thumbs Down" entry in the newspaper. It's a small column where people can anonymously write in, giving a "Thumbs Up" to someone for doing a nice deed/decorating job/whatever, or of course "Thumbs Down" to someone who needs to be chastised & shamed.
For weeks I had been fighting with the local trash pickup. They stopped picking up my garbage! I had paid my bill, etc. etc., and could get no response to my repeated phone calls. Finally I received a note in the mail telling me that my trash cans were not up to snuff, and I would have to either buy a new, properly sized trash can, or else I could just put bags by the side of the curb.
I put the (now excessive!) garbage out the curb on trash pickup night in bags, as instructed, meaning to get the correct container by the weekend. Of COURSE some neighborhood mutt came and rooted through everything!
What a mess.
To make things worse, a scathing "Thumbs Down" was given to the residents of xxx Walnut Street (me!) for being such slovenly idiots.
I hate small towns.
--Tedinski
That is quite a story about your garbage, Ted! I can totally relate. Thanks for letting me know it is not just my imagination! :)
DeleteP.S. That's why I now live 10 miles out of town in the WOODS! The neighbors are far friendlier, since there are none.
ReplyDelete--Tedinski