I just drove from central NY to central FL via I95. A trip from a still beautiful part of the country along through the ongoing devastation of our coastal areas to the screaming ugliness of Disneyfication. Talk about lipstick on a pig there is nothing quite so ludicrous as miles of strip malls made up to look like wild west frontier towns or Mexican villages, selling over priced crap we really don’t need. And talk about a carbon foot print! Acres of air conditioned buildings connected by intertwining concrete highways. Even if you could tolerate the heat enough to travel by bicycle I don’t think it would be safe to do so.
To soothe my soul I have done some research into Florida agriculture and found that the number of farms(42,500), and acreage (10 million) has remained somewhat stable for the last 10 years, though that acreage is down about 1/3 from 1950 Here is a link to an artists rendition of early Florida. http://www.florida-agriculture.com/butler/timber_shadows.htm. The next time I go down I want to visit the historical museum that has a permanent display of Florida before Disney. And here is a link to the city beautiful (?) now http://www.cliffclover.com/Orlando_FL_Real_Estate/page_2063059.html
The city I was in seems to have no links to it’s historical culture other than the bungalow sized homes built in the 1940’s. The rapid devastation of this area is a fast forward movie of what is happening in the rest of the country. Florida being largely empty until the advent of cars and air conditioning made it a haven first for retirees and vacationers and now for those enticed by modernity.
Funny quote at a women’s meeting they were discussing where members could buy a copy of a book they were going to study. After the usual suspects had been offered Walmart, Borders, Barnes & Noble I suggested and I am sure it’s available at fine Independent bookstores everywhere. Puzzled, the leader looked at me and asked is that an on-line thing?. I buried my face in my hands.
I am sure the folks who live there are wonderful people with good intentions and great hearts. They are, whether they know it or not, living a life cut off from the culture of the generations, and instead absorbing the culture of the corporation, which builds confinement systems for humans so that we made be force fed product, to grow corporate profit.
Herd About It?
By Ana Grarian
I just drove from central NY to central FL via I95. A trip from a still beautiful part of the country along through the ongoing devastation of our coastal areas to the screaming ugliness of Disneyfication. Talk about lipstick on a pig there is nothing quite so ludicrous as miles of strip malls made up to look like wild west frontier towns or Mexican villages, selling over priced crap we really don’t need. And talk about a carbon foot print! Acres of air conditioned buildings connected by intertwining concrete highways. Even if you could tolerate the heat enough to travel by bicycle I don’t think it would be safe to do so.
To soothe my soul I have done some research into Florida agriculture and found that the number of farms(42,500), and acreage (10 million) has remained somewhat stable for the last 10 years, though that acreage is down about 1/3 from 1950 Here is a link to an artists rendition of early Florida. http://www.florida-agriculture.com/butler/timber_shadows.htm. The next time I go down I want to visit the historical museum that has a permanent display of Florida before Disney. And here is a link to the city beautiful (?) now http://www.cliffclover.com/Orlando_FL_Real_Estate/page_2063059.html
The city I was in seems to have no links to it’s historical culture other than the bungalow sized homes built in the 1940’s. The rapid devastation of this area is a fast forward movie of what is happening in the rest of the country. Florida being largely empty until the advent of cars and air conditioning made it a haven first for retirees and vacationers and now for those enticed by modernity.
Funny quote at a women’s meeting they were discussing where members could buy a copy of a book they were going to study. After the usual suspects had been offered Walmart, Borders, Barnes & Noble I suggested and I am sure it’s available at fine Independent bookstores everywhere. Puzzled, the leader looked at me and asked is that an on-line thing?. I buried my face in my hands.
I am sure the folks who live there are wonderful people with good intentions and great hearts. They are, whether they know it or not, living a life cut off from the culture of the generations, and instead absorbing the culture of the corporation, which builds confinement systems for humans so that we made be force fed product, to grow corporate profit.
Herd About It?
By Ana Grarian
I just drove from central NY to central FL via I95. A trip from a still beautiful part of the country along through the ongoing devastation of our coastal areas to the screaming ugliness of Disneyfication. Talk about lipstick on a pig there is nothing quite so ludicrous as miles of strip malls made up to look like wild west frontier towns or Mexican villages, selling over priced crap we really don’t need. And talk about a carbon foot print! Acres of air conditioned buildings connected by intertwining concrete highways and parking lots. Even if you could tolerate the heat enough to travel by bicycle I don’t think it would be safe to do so.
To soothe my soul I have done some research into Florida agriculture and found that the number of farms(42,500), and acreage (10 million) has remained somewhat stable for the last 10 years, though that acreage is down about 1/3 from 1950
Here is a link to artist Robert Butler’s renditions of early Florida.
The next time I go down I want to visit the historical museum that has a permanent display of Florida before Disney.
The city I was in seems to have no links to it’s historical culture other than the bungalow sized homes built in the 1940’s. The rapid devastation of this area is a fast forward movie of what is happening in the rest of the country. Florida being largely empty until the advent of cars and air conditioning made it a haven first for retirees and vacationers and now for those enticed by modernity.
Funny quote at a women’s meeting they were discussing where members could buy a copy of a book they were going to study. After the usual suspects had been offered Walmart, Borders, Barnes & Noble I suggested and I am sure it’s available at fine Independent bookstores everywhere. Puzzled, the leader looked at me and asked is that an on-line thing?. I buried my face in my hands.
I am sure the folks who live there are wonderful people with good intentions and great hearts. They are, whether they know it or not, living a life cut off from the culture of the generations, and instead absorbing the culture of the corporation, which builds confinement systems for humans so that we made be force fed product, to grow corporate profit.
And while I am at it – here is a link to a project dedicated to saving local businesses from the onslaught of big box
It’s sad to watch this happen, and it seems to have all come about in the last 35-40 years. In the Midwest, everywhere I go, even out in rural areas, we now have cookie-cutter ‘Generica’ instead of local towns and villages with their own personalities. Strip malls, fast-food joints, ‘family’ restaurant chains, gas stations, malls and big box stores now line stretches of highway that used to have general stores, small shops, and diners, roadhouses, truck stops, drive-ins or coffee shops. Much of Illinois looks exactly the same as Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. There are hardly any roadside landmarks anymore to help guide you on long distance drives, and the food is all the same. I’m glad I remember what America looked like pre-Walmart — I’m sorry my grandson never will. This isn’t progress, it’s an abomination — all in the name of corporate profit.
It’s sad to watch this happen, and it seems to have all come about in the last 35-40 years. In the Midwest, everywhere I go, even out in rural areas, we now have cookie-cutter ‘Generica’ instead of local towns and villages with their own personalities. Strip malls, fast-food joints, ‘family’ restaurant chains, gas stations, malls and big box stores now line stretches of highway that used to have general stores, small shops, and diners, roadhouses, truck stops, drive-ins or coffee shops. Much of Illinois looks exactly the same as Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. There are hardly any roadside landmarks anymore to help guide you on long distance drives, and the food is all the same. I’m glad I remember what America looked like pre-Walmart — I’m sorry my grandson never will. This isn’t progress, it’s an abomination — all in the name of corporate profit.
Another great article, Ana.