11-17-2011, 05:48 PM
quote:True, but that's only part of it. Yes there is concern that the newbie might not stick around, but there is also:
Then one day we were looking at job applications from the mainland for a job here in Alaska and I noticed I was guilty of the same thing. "Applicant Jones lives in Wyoming where you can buy a huge house on a 100 acre ranch for $30,000. He'll never want to move here where a trailer in a park costs more than that." "Applicant Smith lives in Phoenix. Will never want to deal with 220 inches of rain PLUS 200 inches of snow." I'm sure people in Manhattan do the same thing about a country boy used to living in a barn. I'm sure it happens to some degree in most places. When you see a lot of people come and go due to the challenges of living in your specific environment, community, etc, you get "used" to thinking that most people from the outside won't be able to make it, especially if most of them don't last very long.
Cousin or Aunty or Unka needs a job, never going to give it to malihini.
I met with some old-time resident folks last week, really great people whom I like a lot. Someone mentioned something going on where something had gotten approved and the people supporting it "were not long time residents."
And in unity, everyone was shocked and agreed there would be fallout over that happening. It matters tremendously here how long you and your family have been here.
You can say oh I haven't found that to be the case, but I think the reality is more that no one will talk about it in front of you until you've been around long enough to where people will speak honestly in front of you about how things work.
"And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody, outside of a small circle of friends ~ Phil Ochs