For the last two years I have traveled our country in the Mobile Base Camp RV. I’ve logged 125,000 miles of driving, 48 States, 2 borders, 2 coasts and a myriad of encounters and lessons. In many of my TV interviews I am asked, “Tell us about the coolest place you’ve been, Brian” and my response is always the same. “It’s not the places I’ve been, it’s the people I’ve met along the way. The people I’ve connected with have given me the coolest memories of my adventure. Hands-down, no question.”
In all my journeys of late, I have learned how driven, welcoming, passionate and compassionate most Americans are. Sure, there have been some lowlifes along the way, but they are a drastic minority and scarcely worth mentioning.
It’s my good fortune and great honor to hang with folks from all paths in life, different ages, varying tastes and disparate views. Wealthy or not-quite-there-yet, republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals, the athletic and the obese, northerners and southerners, you name it, Five-Star-white tableclothers and Roadside Diner types, dependents and independents. Though there are many common threads, the one that jumps out at me the most is what I call the ReBl’s mindset. A blend of red state/ blue state mentalities whose political ideas encompass a variety of opinions, a salad-bar-blend of philosophies yet they share one thing in common. The cynicism we hear so much about of late stems from that commonality; an attack on a ReBl’s Sovereignty.
Americans love our sense of self-determination, our freedoms of thought, word and deed. Thriving with independence and loathing the influence of bias and spin, we will give you the shirt off our back yet are tired of the government’s hands in our pockets; we will pay our fair share of taxes but won’t be taken advantage of forever. We want to be free to thrive, not challenged to survive by an ever increasing list of codes, laws and levy. Disgusted with the parlance of politics and media preachers; we want a sermon, you’ll find us at church. We don’t mind helping others but we do it because we can, not because we should. We may be inclined to stick close to our family and friends but the light is most times on and the welcome mat ready. We realize that fear mongers are the truly afraid and we don’t much care for cowards.
Is it any wonder why major media outlets, both print and broadcast, and politicians of all levels are having such a difficult time of late? Look at the explosion of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the host of “social media” outlets that rule the day. If reporters and politicians want to do all the talking (and taking) and little, if any listening at all, they are in for a very rude awakening.
ReBl’s are the wave of the future and they have nearly reached their tipping point.
Comments
Amen to that Brother Brian!!
I recently moved from suburban CA to rural ND, and I mean RURAL – nearest town has 150 people and I’m 10 miles out! My ‘neighbors’ have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. At times I don’t even have to ask for help, they just show up and git ‘r done – like plowing 2ft of snow from my 1/4mile driveway!
Looking forward to more travels – it’s about the people as much as the places…..Keep up the good work BB —- DD in ND
Since the Mumbai shootings I’ve learned to turn to Twitter for updates on just about anything. Between Twitter, Facebook, and the blogs I follow on Google Reader (including yours Brian) I find that TV and radio news is less important and usually 2 or 3 days behind all but the most dramatic events.
Roxanne Darling and Bare Feet Studios has a great post on Twitter and the Hawaii Tsunami that wasn’t:
http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2010/02/27/hawaii-tsunami-proves-social-media-power-again-information-is-a-tonic/