I spent some time deep behind enemy lines in Florida, where the heat is like a precognition of the shape of things to come and the variegated foliage is manicured to satisfy the landscaping preferences of the transplanted Long Island and New Jersey homeowners.
What a piece! You capture the unsettling weirdness of FL in such a compact space. You left out only the pythons, but they are still closer to the Everglades—for now.
I also have some relatives whom I care about who support these dangerous racist, sexist, homophobic, would-be dictators. I am having trouble
Our niece's husband is preparing to go on a python hunt in the Everglades wherein the state pays you for each snake you kill. Apparently, you have to catch the snake with your hands before you shoot it. He was gleeful in anticipation. I don't get very far trying in the abstract to adopt an open-hearted attitude. But this visit was so real, despite the Fantasyland quality of the place. I saw them and their everyday suffering. All of a sudden, the litmus test for who was a good person had evaporated.
What a piece! You capture the unsettling weirdness of FL in such a compact space. You left out only the pythons, but they are still closer to the Everglades—for now.
I also have some relatives whom I care about who support these dangerous racist, sexist, homophobic, would-be dictators. I am having trouble
seeing these supporters in a positive light.
Our niece's husband is preparing to go on a python hunt in the Everglades wherein the state pays you for each snake you kill. Apparently, you have to catch the snake with your hands before you shoot it. He was gleeful in anticipation. I don't get very far trying in the abstract to adopt an open-hearted attitude. But this visit was so real, despite the Fantasyland quality of the place. I saw them and their everyday suffering. All of a sudden, the litmus test for who was a good person had evaporated.
That’s very helpful. I have a family reunion in July. I’ll remember this.
Brilliant, Susie...you NAILED Florida. I spent two years there; felt like enemy territory the entire time! zingy guy
Thanks, Larry. Glad you got out alive!