Who’s that grump on the sofa?
Why am I still here? Timing is everything.
My four grandparents were 19th Century Europeans, born between 1869 and 1877. Their families paid their own way to steamer to pre- Ellis Island New York City around 1890.
They met in New England and started 19th Century Families. One grandfather was a velvet cutter in a textile mill; the other (who died in 1920) made wheels for horse-drawn carriages. They were working-class heroes of the Industrial Revolution; and they all died way before I was born.
My parents were born in 1919, each the youngest of large 19th Century Families. They were working-class heroes of the World War II Generation; and they passed years ago.
Yet I’m a Gen Xer. Talk about ‘late to the party.’
I identify as a 19th Century Refugee. My pronouns are we/were.
I Am A 19th Century Refugee - Part 1
About six months ago (yes, it has taken me this long), Martin Geddes triggered my inner 19th Century Refugee with this observation: “I have had the opportunity to visit a fair number of towns and cities in England this last year. At one level it has been a process of acceptance of the decline of a nation and its people…As has been noted by so many, moder…
I was raised by 19th Century People to be an upstanding 19th Century American. Baptized, Eucharized and Confirmed Christian. Former professional church chorister. Tax donkey.
Problem was, the world I was being prepared for no longer existed by the time I came along…it just appeared the same to my parents, credulous1 19th Century People who couldn’t smell the big-picture cultural rot right under their little noses.
Sometimes I wish I had gone off to live with the Amish after high school…
Anyway, being a 19th Century Refugee trapped in the 21st century urban-dominated United States has been most frustrating. Over the past 20 years or so I have developed a coping strategy for the clownshow I am forced to live within:
Witness everything, believe nothing, and eventually PATTERNS EMERGE
The “believe nothing” part IS meant literally. Read my Sk.D ‘dissertation’ here:
What Exactly Is Skepticism?
Welcome to the premier post of Cheap Thoughts, grumpy sofa-based observations by a 19th Century Refugee duck-taped to a front-row seat for The Apocalypse.
I will be using this platform to express my often-unique 19th Century perspective on the patterns I observe regarding the dumpster fire that I am witnessing.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy My 2¢.
Disclaimer:
The information and opinions published here are intended for education and / or entertainment purposes only. No advice is implied, so don’t blame me for anything, ever.
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Merriam-Webster lists skeptical as an antonym! No wonder!
