Yesterday I ended up driving some distance through rural Germany. To quote a co worker everything is so beautiful I just want to take pictures of it all. Anyway more importantly I want to talk about how they live. Rural Germans live in little villages.
Village is a term I will use in the future because it is to me more descriptive than the ubiquitous phrase "town". There is a church, a couple little bars, a Gasthaus or two, a small market, maybe a couple random shops and then a few dozen houses. Between a village and the next it might be as little as 5k or more like 10+ in any given direction. In the middle are fields of all types and woodlots.
People pretty much everywhere have traditionally clustered together for collective security. In wild and crazy days that are generally past an isolated family farm was easy pickings for some brigands or bandits. However 5-30 families clustered together could put up a defense and make the juice not worth the squeeze. In Germany the local villages control who can and can't build outside of the village area. Not saying it is right or wrong but well, German. Seeing a farmer driving a tractor with a trailer from his house in town to his fields a couple kilometers away is common place. Basically they live in town and go out to work their fields.
Rural Americans have for a variety of reasons (lower population densities, high gun ownership, sense of community, etc) gotten a pass from the violence that strikes elsewhere. Rural farmers in Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe and South Africa have had a horrible time. Most of them lived in large family compounds, were quite well armed and often had combat veterans in the family. These folks were driven from the land their ancestors farmed because they were killed or legitimately feared being killed. A steady nerve and an FN-FAL did nothing to protect them. There was a rather unique situation in both South Africa and Zimbabwe where what essentially amounted to gangs of armed thugs got a get out of jail free card for anything they did to rich white people who somewhat justifiably (though short sight idly since they fed everybody) fell out of political favor. This is a stark reminder that how much law enforcement helps or hinders you is at least loosely related to the political favor of whatever group (s) you are identified with. It isn't nice to say and I hope it never gets that bad in America but it is something to consider.
One could say this situation is somewhat like that in the American Southwest near the Mexican border. I really wouldn't want to be a rancher within 2 gas tanks drive of the Mexican border. In Argentina living rurally is a bad idea, a very bad idea. Will America every get like this? I certainly hope not. If our economy gets much worse and folks who believe violent criminals are innocent disadvantaged youths get/ stay in power things could get worse.
The idea of a reinforced family compound out in the hinder boonies is nice. However realistically in any place isolated enough to be a good family compound candidate jobs are a real issue. If Pa can figure out how to earn a living that is great. However the odds that sons John and Tim and sister Jills husband can find jobs at livable wages which they can commute to are not good. The idea that everybody will just show up if S hits TF is great for a couple of very limited and unlikely scenarios. The odds that 6 armed like minded individuals will be hanging around your house on a random Wednesday when 6 meth heads decide to pull a home invasion on the couple with the nice house and all the guns/ stuff who live alone way outside of town are slim. You are going to be alone watching TV with the Mrs and there will be 6 guys coming to your house.
We have talked about living rurally vs in a small town before 1, 2. There are potential advantages to both. However just maybe a modest house in a small town on a big lot and a field with a shed/ barn a little bit out of town is an option to consider. I just think it is worthwhile to consider history and how peoples who actually lived through centuries of very rough times live. Furthermore it is naive to think that all villages/ small towns will turn into tyrannical little fiefdoms but rural people will be entirely unaffected by said fiefdoms AND not see a major increase in crime of things go truly crazy. The real answer is that rural people could well have most of the same problems as those in town AND face a real security problem.
Thoughts?
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6 comments:
Those villages, some of them, used to have walls. Walled towns went away after the cannon entered the battlefield. I forget which city in Germany still possess its Middle Ages flair, but it still has its wall surrounding it. The place was untouched by bombing in WWII.
Germans, during WW2, would oftentimes place a sniper in the town's church steeple (which was usually the highest point in the vicinity). At first, it was an effective deterrent for Americans to stay out of the place because they couldn't figure out where the shots were coming from. Once the Americans/ Allies figured out what was up with the steeple situation it was game over for the Germans.
Sam, yep....still in the trailer park
The town in Germany is Rothenburg on the Tauber River. Classic tourist town. Bought some etchings there, the little gate (Plonlien IIRC) is the classic scene for german artists. Whatever.
I will take my chances in the boonies. Trust my neighbors,all of whom own guns and dogs, to help each other defend the area. Everyone has an ATV, that gives mobility in the local AO invading city folks will not have, and many have lived here for generations.
Most of those small towns gave up to protect their farms and surrendered without a fight, invading armies needed the farms to supply them with food and fodder and let them be. The cities were attacked. and often besieged if they resisted.
Without specifics, I think it's a mistake to say either way the family "compound" out in the country is / is not a good idea. Depends on the facility layout, terrain, local population density, experience of those keeping the place, and materials available. Once I finally get out of the city, I don't think I can settle for town living, even rural. I want to be able to shoot from the back (or front) porch!
I lived in a couple German villages in the 90s. Good times for a then jr. enlisted with not too many worries.
I agree, most of the people who live beyond the sidewalks commute to a nearby (or not so nearby) town or city to make a living. One person I know is semi-retired, and works 3 days a week, the remainder he spends at his small ranch. Just enough to pay his bills and keep his mind occupied. He has grown children who support themselves completely, and his debts are payed off, so he has this luxury.
Thats what I call retirement, the best of both worlds. He says he wishes he could have done this in the past.
Not a lot of options for job opportunities in the country, you basically often have to bring your job with you.
I lived in a small German village. Plus I grew up in a town with 250-300 people. I think the biggest thing is being open and accepting of the way of life. I was the "pet" American. I drank at the local bar, I went to the cafes and resteruants, I bought at the local stores. I tried speaking German. I did my best to fit in and ask for help when needed. I didn't complain the Germans needed a 7-11 or they should stay open 24/7 for shopping. I didn't try to change them I tried to live their lifestyle. I think many folks moving into a small town have a hard time of shifting attitudes to a slower or less frantic pace of a small town.
I see this in Idaho with the many of the transplants we have here now. They move to a small town and start changing it into the place they have left/fled. Always with the best of intentions and never realize the costs not just in money but attitude. Funny how some folks can never figure out "Cause and Effect".
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