Maine: Is this really America?

[dgs49]

Just back from a wonderful vacation in Maine. I hit several cities and towns along the coast, starting with Portland and going, actually, to Campobello, NB.

I saw only a token few blacks or Hispanics.

No litter. No graffiti. Nothing but courteous, friendly, helpful, White People.

No homeless people begging for change. No obnoxious store clerks speaking broken English. No rude waitresses with a chip on their shoulders.

No rude or aggressive drivers (except one with New York license plates). Walking around in the towns (esp. Bar Harbor), any time a pedestrian even hinted that s/he might want to cross the street, cars on both sides would stop and wave them across - whether they were at a marked pedestrian crossing or not.

I noticed similar conditions a few years ago when I visited Vermont, but not to the same pleasant extent.

Maybe I caught the locals during an off-week, but they were certainly pretending to be a fantastic population. Maybe it's the long, cold winters that make them this way.

[Guinevere]

Dave, where did you go, specifically? Love that run up to Campobello, glad you decided to venture that far.

Yes, it is heaven, paradise on earth, and very special. Vermont too. When I get back to Boston after extended time in either place, it is like culture shock. I think its probably because both places are really quite rural, despite being part of the crowded Northeast. I expect there are plenty of places in American where you have similar experiences.

They are lovely places to visit, but I also wouldn't want to live there (I've had plenty of opportunities to live in either state). Both places have tough winters, few resources, and not much diversity except in small pockets. I prefer a larger city and proximity, without living there full time.

[Long Run]

Most tourist places are sick of tourists by now, so good on them for keeping in good spirits.

[BoSoxGal]

I lived full-time in Maine for a little over a decade. The locals do complain about the folks 'from away', but they are just too polite (for the most part) to do so to their guests' faces. And the long, hard winters do foster a certain camaraderie.

Rural Montana, where I live now, is very much the same as rural Maine.

However, having worked in social services and public interest law in both places, I can attest that there IS homelessness and grinding poverty in both, and in abundance. Washington County, Maine - you drove through on your way to Campobello - is the 4th poorest county in the entire nation. It's just not so readily visible to a short-term tourist, because no, there generally aren't homeless people begging for change in the streets (though you might have seen one or two in Portland - I did when I clerked there one summer of law school).

So, just because both states are predominately white, doesn't mean there is any correlation to a lower incidence of social ills or poverty.

As for litter; try visiting in early spring, after the snow's melted and before the roadside vegetation has grown up enough to hide it all.

[BoSoxGal]

PS - I'm glad you enjoyed your visit - it IS a beautiful place to vacation. I loved living there, too - but the career opportunities in my field were limited, and the cost of living is very high relative to salary potential - which is one of the reasons Maine suffers a great deal from 'brain drain'.

[quaddriver]

yeah but in maine the storm sewers make funny noises, some towns are ill advised to visit at night, departed pets always seem to come back and this one town has all sorts of shit that runs only on small batteries.

and there is this big damn dog....

[dales]

No litter. No graffiti. Nothing but courteous, friendly, helpful, White People.

I have been around a few white people who were anything but curteous, friendly or helpful.

[loCAtek]

No litter. No graffiti. Nothing but courteous, friendly, helpful, White People.

Who else would be fool enough to live there? I recall Editec saying that folks spent most winters scurrying from one warm shelter to the next.

[Jarlaxle]

Winter in Maine starts around October, lasts until about mid-April...and is REALLY FUCKING COLD. Summer is nice...it lasts about 3 weeks!

Spent Labor Day weekend up there once, it was about 40 degrees in the morning. I woke up with Liz cocooned in the blankets and with a 28lb cat having actually crawled IN my shirt!

[dgs49]

We spent a couple days in Portland, a couple in Camden, four on Mt Desert Island, and the day trip to Campobello.

I definitely wouldn't want to live there on a 12-month basis - I'm not really a Winter person - but having been to a lot of resort/touristy areas, Maine is one of the most pleasant as far as the friendliness of the natives.

I have no doubt that there is poverty, homelessness, prostitution, and drug abuse in the state, but I'm certain that it is much lower there than it is where you have large minority populations. I'd wager that the lousy winter weather actually helps the situation significantly. I can't imagine many illegal Mexicans are hot-footing it up to Maine.

[dales]

How 'bout the illegal Irish?

[BoSoxGal]

You know what they say about making assumptions . . .

When I was working at legal aid in Maine, I worked part-time on the farmworker project. We have our share of illegals who came to Maine to work in the north woods, harvest blueberries and other crops, and to toil in other kinds of crappy jobs that white people didn't want. Like working for DeCoster's egg farms. He was successfully sued, in fact, for warehousing his illegal workers like slaves and refusing them to make contact with people off the farm.

Oh, and here's a headline from just this year you might find interesting:

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/01/03/n ... rug-abuse/

Maine is beautiful, and I miss it very much at times. But it has many social ills. To think it doesn't because the population is predominately white is racist.

[Sean]

So what's Castle Rock really like?

[dales]

No litter. No graffiti. Nothing but courteous, friendly, helpful, White People.

Who else would be fool enough to live there? I recall Editec saying that folks spent most winters scurrying from one warm shelter to the next.

No, I did NOT write that.

[loCAtek]

Oops, you're quote within quote was nearest, and uncredited.

[Guinevere]

Loca and others -- please use the "quote" function carefully, so as to not miscredit, or misquote others here. We care about what we say (and what we didn't)!

[quaddriver]

Loca and others -- please use the "quote" function carefully, so as to not miscredit, or misquote others here. We care about what we say (and what we didn't)!

that wont stop people from knowingly correctly quoting half of your post in order to knowingly change the meaning, and it wont stop the admins from editing the original post(s) in order to change the meaning. Both of which happen with apparent regularity. dishonesty, will find a way.

[Guinevere]

Seriously quaddy, you're one of the worst offenders of the "change the quote" group, so careful about those stones you've thrown before they whip around and smash into your face.

As for the allegation that admins "edit" original post(s) -- never seen it done, never seen anyone complain about it, so stop making up shit.

[quaddriver]

Seriously quaddy, you're one of the worst offenders of the "change the quote" group, so careful about those stones you've thrown before they whip around and smash into your face.

As for the allegation that admins "edit" original post(s) -- never seen it done, never seen anyone complain about it, so stop making up shit.

show me one post where I quoted it incorrectly. But you are aware that there is a thread HERE, not that long ago, where gob made a denial, I claimed he did it, he said prove it, I did and he edited my post to remove the proof. that is not making shit up. that is reality

edited to add: I even moved the post to the other site since I suspected he would remove his original claim as well. now cmon, you, as an atty, should be a little more precise with your statements of accusation no?

edited to further add: and this one is bad, you KNOWINGLY responded to AndrewD when he compained of having a NUMBER of his posts edited by the admins. A grievance so bad he left the board and although back, is not really back. you can do better. i know it.

[Guinevere]

Seriously quaddy, you're one of the worst offenders of the "change the quote" group, so careful about those stones you've thrown before they whip around and smash into your face.

As for the allegation that admins "edit" original post(s) -- never seen it done, never seen anyone complain about it, so stop making up shit.

show me one post where I quoted it incorrectly. But you are aware that there is a thread HERE, not that long ago, where gob made a denial, I claimed he did it, he said prove it, I did and he edited my post to remove the proof. that is not making shit up. that is reality

edited to add: I even moved the post to the other site since I suspected he would remove his original claim as well. now cmon, you, as an atty, should be a little more precise with your statements of accusation no?

edited to further add: and this one is bad, you KNOWINGLY responded to AndrewD when he compained of having a NUMBER of his posts edited by the admins. A grievance so bad he left the board and although back, is not really back. you can do better. i know it.

You go find those posts, especially the one where I KNOWINGLY replied to Andrew after his complaints of editing by admins, and you show them to us.