the great divide

I never wanted to be rich or famous. Maybe a little recognition for poetry I wrote, or for photos. Play guitar in my back yard. Enough money to pay the rent, help out my kids, and comfortably travel now and again. Running with the in crowd was off my radar - never crossed my mind. Running with the quirky folks - the arty and the somewhat wild-minded - the park rangers and songsters and state employees - was more in my comfort range.

I never wanted to be poor or forgotten. Middle class security was a good match for me. The people I most admired had worked for the railroad or played weekly at local dance halls or nurtured high school bands or taught people about birds and nature on weekend trips. They shared vegetables from their flourishing backyard gardens, and paid your kids in the summer to feed the pets while the owners were on vacation.

The United States for a long time seemed defined by its strong middle class. There's more of a great divide now - the very wealthy and the poor to lower middle class. Now, the rich can be very generous, supporting local museums, schools, and services. The unexpected consequence of having very very wealthy people about is how they can gain control of a community. They can buy out schools, property, and local businesses. Obtaining jobs and places to live becomes less a matter of luck and effort and more a matter of who you know and the master plans of the big players, especially those with controlling natures. And if like me you're kind of quirky and blind to social expectations and who's who, and you stumble around, unsure of how to flow with the status quo, or unwilling to flow with a troubling status quo, life can pinch you hard.