Saturday, July 28, 2007

NEPA's Trash Can

Okay. My blogs are almost always positive. So, that means I am allowed one blog to talk about something I often try to ignore and shrug off. A former classmate of mine, Miss A often spoke of, and currently blogs of, the trashy people in Northeast PA.

The disclaimer is that I love it here-- there is more beautiful places and people here than not. However, my Friday and Saturday morning was filled with evidence of the local trash and it made me sick.

1) I went out Friday after work with a few co-workers-- I went to a newer bar called Big Ugly's. Nice place- friendly staff, good beer and excellent cheese fries. At any rate, since I was in town and Dave was at home, he asked me to stop at Wal-Mart for something. I HATE Wal-Mart. I hate the Walton family and the company and how they treat their employees.

NEVER go to Wal-Mart on a Friday night around 9:30. It was a freaking zoo. There were the hoochie mommas who get dressed up to go to Wal-Mart and then the dredges of society. I saw a trashy couple making out in the customer service desk line. HELLO? I don't want to get into name calling and stuff, but ugh. It was a sight to see. I avoid Wal-Mart at all costs, and this made me recall why. Enough said. just use your imagination.

(Realted Post About Hoochies: Hospital Hoochies & Vertigo)

2) So, I got home from my Wal-Mart excursion. That sobered me up. I didn't have much to drink at the bar anyway-- just a shot of Jager and four Lagers-- then I had two huge glasses of water with cheese fries before I drove him. Dave was dressed and ready to go out. I thought I was done for the night. So, we decided to go to bar across the street. it was as if said Wal-Mart patrons followed me there. I don't know what it was, but something drew the scum of the Earth out to this already hick bar. It was worse than usual. Some younger dude was so F'ed up he couldn't even talk and and he kept trying to get me to dance with him, despite my fiance sitting right next to me. There was the girl who just turned 21 who kept taking off her shirt to reveal her cami whenever a dude looked at her, and who ended the night hanging on a married dude. There was the two girls who looked like they were flying high on something hard.... so many more incidences. Dave and I looked so normal and were in our own booth for a while that some guy begged us to get up and have fun because we were making him nervous-- he said we looked like we were cops. This is the type of bar where people 'dress' up in either slut-gear or wear Tweety bird shirts, Sponge Bob tanks and the men were short cut-off homemade jean shorts.

So, at the end of the night, Dave and I leave and we are getting ready to go to bed-- there is a yelling match in the parking lot- about 20 people from the bar were all outside watching-- the bartender was yelling at people to get in their cars and just go home. This is what drugs and alcohol do, kids. And what's sadder is that these are the folks that are procreating at a rapid rate. I watched this from the window and went to bed feeling very lucky.


(Related post about this bar: Drink With Me Elmo)

3) This morning, Dave and I stopped at a Turkey Hill on the way to the Lion Brewery for a tour. There was a lady paying for a gallon of ice cream at the counter with her government EBT card-- she tried three times and it wouldn't go through. The chocolate bar I was clutching was melting inside my hand, I was waiting so long. A line was forming behind me. When it finally worked, she pulled out a wad of cash and then bought lottery tickets-- this held up the line even more. You mean to tell me she couldn't have spent $2.99 out of that cash on the freakin' ice cream so the line could just proceed??

I used to feel sorry for people. But people like this-- no, I don't When they spend the government money to help them-- but with any cash they get, they WASTE it at these scum bars and on unnecessary things. You know what, if you earn your money-- have fun with it. Do what you want, waste it. That's what it's all about. You work hard for your money-- I say, do what you want. Life is short and you can't take it with you. But-- when people waste money they DO NOT have or have very little of, I don't feel sorry for them.

It's not just NEPA- it's everywhere. It's just what I saw that made me finally want to address my feelings on this.

I've known people who were in binds and needed help, sure! But when they get back on their feet, they get off any assistance. I believe in the system-- just not the rampant abuse of it. The things I witnessed in these few hours are a testament to this. Get a job! Do something with your life! Improve your self esteem so you don't think you have to go to the bar every night and hook up with a married man. Improve your self image by not wearing a Tweety Bird shirt to the bar.

Ah-- I vented. My next post will be shiny and happy, I promise.

6 comments:

Fish said...

Miss A approves of this blog.

Sometimes, it's just painful to watch these things...

I see so much of it now that I'm living home (only til the end of August, but you know)

Small towns breed fools, and when you've lived in South Kensington in London, it's very APPARENT.

The sad thing is, Donna, I've written more blogs about the idiocy of white trash in NEPA than probably everyone you know combined, and it hasn't done anything to rectify the problem... It just makes the intelligencia of our area AWARE (not that they do anything to help these people.)

Poor whites fascinate me. They aren't poor enough to be noticed (i.e. homeless) and they aren't young or old enough to receive assistance. With their welfare, they just about get by... and most of those really trahy wastes sell drugs. No, seriously. I worked with every one of them (figuratively, of course.)

I always thought if the affulent members of society paid attention to these poor whites, they might straighten up, but... then again, the affluent memebers either don't notice or care.

Our blogs aren't going to do much except provide awareness. Let's hope people just take the next step.

Anonymous said...

When I saw your MySpace bulletin about this blog, I got excited. I am a strong supporter of the anti Wal-Mart movement, and kind of hoped this blog was in support of the cause. Unfortunately, it wasn't, but I can say that I was still very happy with the read. I'm not saying that I am happy that you had such crappy experiences, though.

I do feel your pain about people being so F'ed up at the bar that it's almost embarrassing to be in the same place. I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be that guy when I was younger. When I drank, I drank. LOL. My only saving grace was that I never did anything so bad that the entire bar would have noticed or been kicked out, but there have been more 'nights I don't remember' than I would like to admit. LOL.

Nice blog. You've got yourself a subscriber now.

~Tweak

Query-A-Day said...

Oh Tweak! I've had nights I don't remember, too! But not at these places, dressed like that. hahaha THanks for reading, man!

Anonymous said...

Oh dear Donna.

Now you understand why I go to Wal-Mart only when absolutely necessary, and at midnight or later.

Not everyone that was born and bred in Small Town, NEPA is completely devoid of any class or sense of propriety. Unfortunately, I think short of mandatory sterilization, there isn't much we can do to stop it.

The truly sad part of it all is, that at least one of those people you saw with a Tweety Bird, or Spongebob shirt on, probably had their favorite cartoon character tattooed on their body; more than likely in a prominent place.

I truly am sorry that Billy Bob and Daisy Mae infiltrated your favorite dive bar. I hate when that happens.

Amanda said...

Hey! Found this blog randomly while doing research for work...just wanted to say I TOTALLY HEAR you on the trashy folk thing. Funny, I grew up in an area where they were rampant and was always complaining about their antics--buying live lobsters with their EBT cards, filling their babies' bottles with sprite, etc....
Now I live in a more generally affluent area, and I don't really see them any more. I've become strangely sympathetic and tolerant (awww...they have to use government assistance!). Then I read stuff like this, and I remember, and my sympathy disappears once more. :)
Sorry you're mired in their midst, but thanks for the read!

SuburbanWifeLife.com said...

I'm with you on this. As much as I like Wal-Mart's prices I hate having to go in there. I too am sick of seeing people with no ambition in life other than having people give them hand outs. I see people flipping signs for check to cash companies, little ceasar's pizza joints and new home construction companies so I wonder why these idiots don't do the same thing and get an actual paycheck for it. Now you got me thinking about blogging on this topic... good post.