Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 8 months ago by
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Why is it that in rural America, if you have a satellite dish you usually have a junky house? I would think it would cost too much for them to afford satellite TV. Or I guess TV takes precedence over fixing their house. Does anyone have any answers to this?
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Name : John29211, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 22, City : Hays, State : KS, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,It could be coincidence, or the juxtaposition of something ‘high-tech’ or expensive-looking out of context. I have friends living out in the country, and at first glance, their yard is cluttered – swingsets, bikes, kids toys, etc. Not living in a subdivision or other development, the bikes on the lawn take on a cluttered look. But go to what most would consider a back yard, where they entertain, and it’s entirely different – landscaped and manicured.
Another factor of ‘city living’ – at least in this part of the country – is that most subdivisions or developments have deed restrictions and owners associations that have strict rules as to the placement of satellite dishes and other installations, as well as requirements to keep your lawn mowed and even restricted on-street parking.
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Name : Michael C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 38, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Intranet Manager, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I used to be one of those people in the rural areas with a porrly maintained house and a satellite dish. There were lots of people in a similar situation. First, our area of Virginia was full of mountains, so there was no such thing as free TV. It is cable or a dish. Since cable is pretty much a monopoly down there (as it is in many places), the rates were quite high. A satellite dish was usually cheaper or equal to the cable rates.
As far as the houses go, we rented. So we could only make cosmetic changes to the house, most of which were inside. Some people did own houses, but the cost of repair can be high in areas with few contractors, painters, etc. Again, they charge a high rate because they are the only game in town.
Finally, a satellite dish is a one-time installation. Fixing a house takes a lot longer and may cost much more than a family can afford.
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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ, Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I heard a joke once that Southerners must be more affluent than their Northern neighbors because, after all, we have so many appliances that we can’t fit them all in the house! We’ve got extra refrigerators on the porch, washing machines out back, etc.
John, it’s a matter of priorities. You usually can’t get cable run to you in rural areas, so a satellite is your only option if you want TV. These folks may have just enough to choose one or the other – a nice house or a TV. Obviously, many choose the TV. You’ll also notice there’s a damn nice bass boat out back, too. You spend your money on what’s important to you, not what’s important to your neighbors.
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Name : Kat26794, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 29, City : Birmingham, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Webmaster, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Well, I grew up in an area that although rural, was neither trashy nor as rural as you described. I was about 10 mins away from the nearest grocery store, shopping center, town, etc… However, we had no way to get cable unless we either payed a fortune for it to be put in, or if we petitioned the neighborhood so that everybody would contribute. My parents didn’t believe TV was healthy, and we got really bad reception with an antenna, so we got ABC, NBC, and sometimes PBS. That was ALL. And the picture quality was terrible. Many Americans these days care alot about watching TV and watch it a few hours every day. To most people, ABC, NBC, and PBS aren’t satisfying, so nearly everybody else on my street had a dish. It was the only other option. What would you do, live with three channels that didn’t come in well?
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Name : P19834, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 19, City : -, State : PA, Country : United States, Occupation : engineering student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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