introductions thread

[wrdnrd]

There seemed to be some interest in getting to know each other a little, which i think is sensible and potentially really fun -- and potentially also really nerve-wracking for the shy and anxious among us. Like me. :) I feel really awkward when i'm put on the spot to make an introductory post all on my own, so let's try an introductory thread and see how that works.

The downside is that it will get old and slip down the main page so that as a group we might not see a new introduction if it happens weeks from now. Using Dreamwidth's tracking feature to keep an eye on the post is always a good option. And if i see an uptick in the number of members, i'll try throwing open a new post for introductions and general conversation.

And if it doesn't work at all, we can always ditch the idea later!

I'll kick off introductions with one of my own. Because i started the community, i'm going to blather a bit at length so people can get an idea of who i am and where i'm coming from, but please feel free to say as much or as little as you feel comfortable sharing!

Comments

(deep breath)

[maladroit]

Hi! I’m Brenda (but you can call me Mal), I live in the southern part of the state of Georgia with my husband, youngest daughter, a dog, a cat and a turtle.

The only experience I have with class is what I have lived, when folks were always telling me I was so strong to make it through the single-mother years, where I don’t remember it being that hard. Or maybe I’m just forgetful like that. I have no education to tell me whether I am working class or lower-middle class or living barely above the poverty level. I also have ties to education (both of my parents taught at some point, my dad at vo-tech schools and my mom taught the kids younger than her after she finished 8th grade in Newfoundland; I have always worked as some form of support staff for an institution of higher education) that are difficult to unravel from my images of myself and my family.

I have always lived in Georgia. I lived my first two years in a house, then spent six years living in a singlewide trailer in a trailer park, then spent two more years in a house, then a trailer with my mom and brother when my parents divorced, then…so mobile homes (or manufactured homes, as a friend of mine insisted on calling them when she moved into one) and I have a long history and a hate/hate relationship. I used to not sleep at night if thunderstorms threatened because of the whole tornado/trailer park association.

My interest in class discussion is mainly for my own understanding, especially after a posting by wrdnrd that made me re-evaluate my reaction to an e-mail circulating last year about outfit choices of people frequenting a certain buy-everything-here chain store.

I am a white, 41 year old hetero female, not a redneck but love and am related to several, can’t decide if I’m a country girl or a city girl, and will probably unintentionally put my foot in my mouth at least once a month in these discussions. Please feel free to tell me when I am talking with my mouth full.

Re: (deep breath)

[wrdnrd]

Interesting: We always called them "modular homes" (i grew up in a double-wide, tho' it did have a real basement under it). I wonder if that's a regional difference. And a "trailer" is always the one with the wheels on it -- that's never a "modular home."

(Sorry! Can't turn off the linguistics geek. ;)

Re: (deep breath)

[liseuse]

They are generally called static caravans on this side of the pond. Mobile home has been coming into usage more frequently over the past few years, but most people would still refer to them as static caravans I think.

trailer, mobile home, static caravan...

[maladroit]

The only other cultural reference I can recall is from a Jimmy Buffett song...I assume I call them trailers because I spent 6 years living in a trailer park? (so now I'm thinking "internalized classism, much?" at myself. hmmm)