Dropouts and Fugitives of All Stripes

It’s official: the media has run out of “recession victim” angles.

Time Magazine’s half-assed reporting about the Slabs gave us a good laugh today, just in time for happy hour.

Need a good chuckle? Here it is:

Slab City, Here We Come: Living Life Off the Grid in California’s Badlands

One would think that Time could afford to hire a reporter capable of uncovering a different angle, or talking to people who haven’t been interviewed several times over by NPR or CBS.

If you want some laughter therapy, read the full story here. But if your Time is more valuable, here are the hilarious highlights:

“a squatters’ camp deep in the badlands of California’s poorest county, where the road ends”

“dropouts and fugitives of all stripes”

“recession refugees”

“a former drug addict turned born-again Christian”

“tribes have emerged”

“soul-searching Gypsy Kids who arrive by train with little more than the ragged clothes on their back”

“the rowdy bikers who pass through, or the meth-addled loners on the outer edges inclined to greet a trespasser with a gunshot”

“disappearances, mysterious drownings in the mud baths, the man who showed up in camp with his finger apparently bitten off”

“The border patrol keeps a visible presence, searching for illegal immigrants that ply the region.”

Yeah, that pretty much sums up most of us, like Jim and I, or our super friendly, squeaky clean neighbors, the Bayfield Bunch, or the Canadian politician who was here last week.

Can you say “Sensationalism”? Remember kids, The Media Lies.

Which can be a good thing, I guess.

Long live the Slabs!

With thanks to Rhodester, who shared this on my Facebook page today.

9 thoughts on “Dropouts and Fugitives of All Stripes”

  1. We are just preparing to become full time RVers and are finding your blog both interesting and helpful. In the interest of not being a “lurker” I thought I would tell you we are reading every post, even when we don’t comment.

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    • I’m so glad you dropped by Anne, thanks for commenting and following along! Good luck on the fulltiming preparations, if you have any questions at all, we’re here to help!

      Reply
  2. I did like the line “I came to the conclusion that if you’re smart enough to get out of the rat race, well, then, you’re pretty damn bright.” Truth is truth not matter where you find it.

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