The strangers

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"She glanced at me, and we both did that quick smile strangers do."

Estep, Jennifer. Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade Book 1) (Kindle Location 1685). Kensington. Kindle Edition.

"a white upper middle class that has isolated itself from the rest of American society"[1]

"what Michael Sandel calls the "unencumbered self," the individual without context."[2]

The strangers do not see themselves as "a people apart," but as modeling a new global civilization based, in some part, on the environmental ideals of Maurice and Hanne Strong and the traditional spiritual institutions invited by them to establish centers in the Crestone area. Thus, they feel justified in demanding not only respect, but conformity. In their view the right of the strangers to dominate the community is not negotiable.

General characteristics

  • Strangers are in a hurry. You are in their way.
  • A stranger is on their way to an appointment, with a "friend."
  • Strangers don't brook contradiction, of anything they believe. It's a package deal...
  • Strangers have two assholes: The one in their butt crack is a lot cleaner and polite than the one under their nose.
  • Strangers never turn off their idling vehicles.
  • Strangers smoke organic tobacco.

Rubes

Rubes, otherwise known as sheep, are strangers, both local and transitory, that are the prey of the shysters who peddle such goods and services as dope, quack medicine, 30 minutes with the channeled spirit of Jesus or photographs of flying saucers.

Shysters

Shysters are strangers who offer goods and services such as 30 minutes with the channeled spirit of Jesus or photographs of flying saucers. Various alternative medicine therapies and bogus modes of spiritual enlightenment such as "yoga" and "meditation" are favorite scams.

Working for shysters

Shysters don't believe in paying wages, benefits, or taxes. If you work for a shyster they may attempt to define you as a volunteer, a Wwoofer, or independent contractor. They may attempt to compensate you by providing dope to smoke or beer to drink. They may not have workman's compensation insurance, may not pay into unemployment insurance, may not pay into Social Security, and may not withhold income taxes.

Trust fund babies

Trust fund babies are young people, often from New England, with inherited money who arrive with enough money to purchase property and other resources and offer yuppie goods and services at inflated prices.

Progressives

Progressives are the knee jerk progressive activists, including a few red diaper babies,[3] who dominate Crestone's "progressive" politics. The most extreme examples may fairly be characterized as feminazies and econazies due to their use of aggressive tactics.[4]

Respect

"Human societies provide us with various more elaborate devices. One of the most effective is respect. You don’t like the stranger, but your carefully respectful behavior to him elicits the same from him, thus avoiding the sterile expense of time and blood on aggression and defense."

Le Guin, Ursula K.. No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters (Kindle Locations 248-250). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

Inspiration

  • We Are in This Together

Images from Tu Casa, the San Luis Valley's resource for sexual and child abuse:

  • Owning our story
  • Courage
  • Choose
  • Resist
  • Love
  • Be careful
  • Resist
  • Your fault?
  • Power and control
  • People need fixing?
  • Respect others
  • Taking a stand
  • Paying attention
  • Chasing after
  • Sparkle
  • Real

Notes and references

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ "This election isn't about right vs. left. It's about "we" vs. "I."
  3. ↑ Successful socialization of a child by parents who have and practice humanist values is to be celebrated.
  4. ↑ Neither feminism nor environmentalism is being criticized here.

Further reading

  • "The Case for Talking to Strangers"
    • When Strangers Meet: How People You Don’t Know Can Transform You
  • The Challenge of Making Friends as an Adult