Steve, you are right. It's not easy to live here.
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12/16/2020
I have lived 12 miles outside of Goldendale for 20 years. I bought my 20 acres because the oak trees reminded me of California. At the time, I thought that I would have no difficulty tolerating the unsophisticated culture of the town and its environs, but it hasn’t been easy. The people of the Goldendale area are overwhelmingly ignorant Fox-News-fascists. I have been deeply shocked by the opinions that have been expressed on the local radio call-in show. Steve cited the two Confederate flags in the parade. He did not mention an even more shocking incident following the arrival of the new pastor of the Methodist Church in town, a black woman. Shortly after she arrived, someone spat on her in the local grocery store. She quit her job immediately and left town.
A large percentage of the population of Goldendale and environs are poor people. The State of Washington heavily subsidizes Goldendale by providing funds for public services (Counseling for drug/alcohol addiction and other social problems is a cottage industry in Goldendale; most of the parking places on Main Street are usually occupied by people attending counseling.) Goldendale is the County Seat, and like all county seats, it attracts poor people because this is where the public services are (and because the rents are cheap). Like all poor people through the centuries, they look for inexpensive luxuries, including drugs. (In the 19th century, gin was “the fastest way out of Manchester”, England.) Due to the de-industrialization of America, the poor are demoralized and in despair. Regrettably, they typically (though not always) do not build their self-esteem by keeping their homes tidy (which, it seems to me, is a very inexpensive luxury and I do not understand why the poor do not take advantage of this inexpensive luxury). Sad but true.
The rich takes trips to Europe. The poor take drugs. The people in Goldendale who are financially a notch above the poor build their own self-esteem by despising the poor. It’s an old, old story.
I had hoped that outsiders moving in would create a more enlightened culture here. The west side of Klickitat County is indeed becoming more “blue” and more highly educated every day. Goldendale, however, seems to be becoming more and more fascist; fascists are buying ranchettes in the countryside around Goldendale. The county has always voted majority “red”, but, luckily, the increase in the population on the west side i
Sas | Goldendale, WA