Okay, I know this is very off-topic being here, but this is really the only forum where I feel I can say things like this and not get flamed by a bunch of immature idiots. And to keep this music related: (you can skip this whole post and just answer this if you want) what strings would you recommend for an acoustic? I've been using ernie balls so far, and actually put some slinkys on it. Regretted that, gonna go back to acoustic strings.

To the rant-

First of all, I want to make it clear right now that I have nothing against anyone from a city, in fact I never hold anything against anyone I don't know. But I have to let off some steam.

Now, I'm wondering how many of you hold the opinion that country people are stupid. Because this is simply not the case. I live in the country, though I don't really fit the description of a hick. (Though I couldn't stand living anywhere else) People generally think hicks or rednecks are dumb pretty much because that's what they see on TV. As if where someone lives determines their intelligence.

I live in southern IL, and down here we're constantly annoyed by Chicago. (nothing against Chicago mind you) But considering IL is such a long state vertically, it's completely different here than it is up there. We are constantly affected by a city that most people here have never seen. Chicago sucks up the state's money, leaving nothing to spend on us insignificant hicks down south (like we need driveable roads anyway, right?) and of course people in other states don't understand why we would love for Illinois to be split into two. because God forbid we have 51 states instead of 50. We'd have to redo the flag and everything.... though I'm sure things are the same in states like New York and California.

But back to my previous point, we country people aren't stupid. When people say we are 'simple' that's partly true. Simple-minded? No. But some people just enjoy the simple life. Farmers are dumb because they don't go to college? Well, if a family owned a farm for generations, and that's all they want to do then so be it. They'll be happy with what they have. Sure they'll never have a nice sports car or a mansion, but really, who needs a lot of expensive things. (clearly, I'm being over the top, but you get my meaning) I went to school with this kid who was really good at math, better than most, but he failed because he just didn't care. He could also take an engine apart, every little part down to the last screw, and put it all back together without a manual or diagram of any kind. In just hours. He was smart, but all he wanted to do was grow crops and live his life. Ha, what an idiot

Another thing that ticks me off is the city mentality that's affecting our lives here. For example, when people like members of PETA complain because they think the beef, pork, or poultry industry is cruel, when in fact they've never seen a cow in their life. There's actually a bill currently being passed (I think it's only in Illinois) that is re-opening horse slaughterhouses for human consumption.

Some of your faces--->

but let me explain a little bit. For one thing, horses that can no longer be ridden or are injured to the point where they are no longer useful just suck away resources and money. It is also illegal to bury a dead horse on private property. So what do you do with them? Well, pretty much nothing. Let em rot in your back yard. Or, you could sell them to a slaughterhouse. And since the slaughterhouses closed, there have been hundreds more cases of horses that had been starved to death because the owner could no longer take care of them. Of course, that is horrible, but it's better for the animal to have a quick, humane death than one like that. As for the human consumption thing, it seems unheard of, but in reality there are a lot more countries than you would think that eat horse. I've heard it's actually one of the most nutritious meats you could eat.

But to end my little rant, (which I know is random and not structured very well, I just wrote what came to mind) I'll say it's funny how the people that call hicks dumb are unbelievable naive. It seems to me, (correct me if I'm wrong) that the majority of city people just don't get it; they laugh at our accents (which has nothing to do with intelligence) and call us stupid because we prefer to raise animals and be outside rather than sit in a cubicle all day. (it's a stereotype, I know) But people will think what they will, the world keeps on turnin', we all live our lives and have our opinions...

Whew, I feel better. Just typing that out was a relief. And I apologize for the rant but hey, I typed it, might as well post it. Would just like some opinions, rebuttal, whatever you got. Thanks for anyone who read the whole thing.

-Jake

_________________
"I don't care how good you are, how fast you are. You ain't good enough no lessin' you got the soul." -Hubert Sumlin

The people you are refering to have a different set of values. They tend to believe that if you don't think like they do there must be something wrong with you. They typically have years of higher education but are not well versed in the common sense dept. They believe that by virtue of their birth that they are entitled to the riches and resources of this great country without necessarily working for it. They tend to take credit for the accomplishments of others and spin their argument in such a convoluted fashion that you appear stupid if you don't make sense of it. They are selfish, arrogant, and don't believe in God unless thinking collectively they are god counts. They tend to reside in major metropolitan areas because they depend on people like you to provide for them.

Don't worry though when the world economy collapses they'll be the first to starve to death. Feel better?

I prefer the simplicity and quiet of small town living. I enjoy going to a mom & pop store and finding a parking spot within 30 feet of the door and not waiting for 15 minutes in line at the checkout. I'm a small town kid at heart. That's why I live where I do. I am within a 45 minute drive of the city so I have access when I need it or want it but I don't have to live in it. I don't hear sirens at night. There has not been a murder in my little town since I moved out of the city 9 years ago. I have no desire to move back into the city. I hear you 100% on that point.

It pains me to see the wooded areas becoming more and more restricted to public access for horses or quads but that's all part of population growth. Nothing we can do about it except maybe stop procreating. There has to be some conservation of the woods and that conservation becomes increasingly intrusive as the population expands. It's only natural. One thing I'm actually glad about is that when they kicked me off the crown land on my dirt bike they also stopped allowing ranchers to graze their livestock on crown land as well. Farmers and ranchers can disagree if they want to but the truth is livestock is about a billion times more damaging to the woods than a few dirt bikes or quads.

As far as city people thinking I'm dumb or stupid because I live "out in the sticks" ... I do not experience that. I can't relate to that aspect of your post at all. Maybe it's because I don't have a discernable accent compared to city folks or that I don't drive a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins 4X4 with "Yee-Haw" for a personalized license plate. There ARE folks who are called hicks around here but they are hicks by choice and more importantly they take measures to make sure folks recognize them as such by the way they speak, they way they dress, etc.

I don't know if this applies to you or not but if a hick goes out of his way to identify himself as a hick, well ....

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Jake, I posted a book that I was reading on the "What Ya Reading..." thread titled "Captive City" by Ovid Demaris. This book chronicles the takeover of Chicago the state of Illinois the USA and the World by organized crime through the manipulation of unions and governments using currency and violence. In it you will see the first instance of the use of horsemeat as fake beef that was prosecuted by Illinois corrupt judicial system in the last century. I would like to thank you for being a person in the countryside rather than a puppet in the city. You are correct in most of your observations but until you read that book will not understand really how awful it is to be a city dweller (talk about naive) that can't save themself from their own inequities. I'm a country boy at heart but that's as far as it goes. Rock on little Brother.

_________________
you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I grew up in suburbia so I guess that's in between. I know what you mean though. I live in PA but commute to NYC... why? because i couldn't effing stand living in NYC. As soon as i arrive here I'm reminded of the the all too many people who should just be phased out. Folks walking with their heads down, eyes glued to their iPhone. Our roads suck because Philly sucks all our tax dollars. Its a more relaxed pace out in my area and that's pretty refreshing. The first time I went to a NYC deli and ordered a sandwich after i moved up from Florida i was in shock at how fast i was expected to bark my order at the guy LOL. Settle down Carlos...

_________________
YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

Always been a city boy, lived in several cities and have always enjoyed the countryside wherever I've been. I'm 66 years old and can tell you, people are people, and the vast majority are good people.

Try living in Mississippi. The entire state is stereotyped as racist inbred idiots. I travel across the U.S. with work and have been given a good amount of hell when people find out I'm from Mississippi. Dirt roads, trailor parks, poorest state in the nation, and racism is about the only thing people hear about, so it's always brought up. First off, there are less dirt roads in Mississippi than in Vermont and New Hampshire. I don't drive on dirt roads often at all here. A large majority of people live in houses here. The cost of living is very low here so the standard of living is actually higher than in most places. I live in a 2500 sq. ft. home, with 7 acres, a large barn, and a large inground swimming pool. I paid less than $100,000 for the place. If that's stupid, then I don't want to be smart and live in a 900 sq. ft home with no yard and pay $300,000.

Racism. I want you to listen really closely. This is not television. Although racism exists here like it does everywhere else in the world, it is NOT like you see on television. I've never met anyone in the KKK. If anything, there's alot more tolerance and people of different races getting along here than most places. There is much less "grouping" of races here. Less white sections and black sections of towns etc. We live side by side, go to church together, and treat each other as human beings just like any other person. Did things like "Burning Mississippi" happen back in the 60's? Yes, but we don't live like that now. If anything happens (isolated incedents) concerning race here, it makes national news because the media wants to keep this state and the south in general with that persona.....plus that kind of news sells.
It amazes me how most people that move here from other states tend not to leave because they love it so much. Rant over.

Although I live in a small town of 1,600 with no sidewalks and several unpaved roads -including ours-I am not a hick. I don't own a gun,I don't hunt and fish,I don't drink,I still have my wife and dog,I read obsessively and listen to classical music. In spite of all that I still get ribbed for being a "bayman" which is a derogatory term-one might say it's our equivalent of "hick,hillbilly etc." -and it's applied to anyone outside one of one of our 3 more cosmopolitan towns/cities which are: St. John's,Mt. Pearl and Corner Brook-and some may include Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor.

I live at the end of an unpaved dirt lane 1 mile from the main road,that combined with our health issues and our gardening needs makes a 4X4 pickup truck pretty well a necessity,we went a few years without one but never again,but I digress.The pickup truck and my living on a dirt lane are the only parts of the "hick" conotation that fit me.

To add insult to injury the town I live in is called Witless Bay-You can look it up yourself on Google Maps-and consequently I'm called a Witless Bayman.Witless Bay got its name in a witty manner.The town was always connected to the fishery and was started by a man named Whittle,a powerful fish merchantfrom England.Being so powerful,the man was both feared and hated because he basically "owned"the town because he owned the only store and people had to but their provisions there and God help anyone who went to another store up or down the coast.

Eventually Whittle left-or was forced to leave and eventually the town became known as Whittleless Bay.Needless to say with Newfoundlanders legendary humor,the townspeople in jest and as a final insult to Whittle,named it Witless Bay.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

there are definitely some misconceptions about the "Hick" IQ..... I am from a really small Texas town and lived there my whole life until college and when I graduated I moved back there. during college I was never taken seriously due to my heavy accent and even as a working engineer it still happens. there are morons everywhere but it seems that most people believed that there is a higher concentration of dumb Country folk.
but all them can shove it!

_________________

Well it's good to see a lot of people with some common sense here. Thought I would get insulted at least once

As for me being a "hick", not really but I don't really like to have a label. I'm walking a fine line between hick, hippie, and modern day city person. I live way out in the boonies, being about 10 miles from any town, we own a few guns, and I've hunted but never shot anything save a few soda cans and a couple of dangerous snakes. We do have some chickens, a few rabbits, and dogs. I like the way I live and I'm proud of it. I don't drive a truck though my mom does because she's a landscaper.

I also don't have a thick country accent but every now and then I notice a word with a little country drawl escape my mouth. All I can say about this post and anyone else that reads it, people are just people. Don't judge them until you've met 'em.

-Jake

_________________
"I don't care how good you are, how fast you are. You ain't good enough no lessin' you got the soul." -Hubert Sumlin

You ain' jes' a-whistlin' Dixie there, pard!



Arjay (also a permanent resident of "flyover country")

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

"People generally think hicks or rednecks are dumb pretty much because that's what they see on TV."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBGeQ0zSifc

A little Dan Hicks makes every thread brighter!

_________________
'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
'10 JA-90 Thinline Telecaster
'15 Music Man JP-15 Blueberry Burst
'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
'14 Carvin ST300
'12 Carvin CS424S
'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue

right on...

_________________
In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.

i'm in the south and live in the "sticks". i might be considered a hick, i don't know. i have a college degree and have been at the same career for 20 years and i do ok. i like living in the rural area because i can turn up my amps and no one cares. the louder the better. and i can shoot deer from my back door. beats living in the city any day and twice on sunday.