Developing Capitalists

Just read on a psych type blog that young people, regardless of the age, support socialism since it lends itself to the illusion that it is fairer. Well, when I was young, I never went for that nonsense. I think it was because life was never fair and no one in my living area ever said it was. Life was sport. Life was competitive. Living well meant that you had to play the game, show no weakness, be tough, in your face, well - - you get it. And I was the girl and I was the baby so imagine what the older boys were like!!! My Dad was a self employed, hard working, great provider for his family. He had room for everyone in his home and never said a word about his wife’s family ever. My uncles and aunts. . . my mother’s brothers and sisters came to our house for dinner, for weekends, for weeks and months at a time when they needed to. My oldest brother, who always had a hair across his you know where about my Dad, finally said, after my Dad died, that he always admired my Dad’s generosity. He realized how tough it must have been for a young family to take on more people and when quarters were not spacious to include other families. For us, the kids, it was no big deal to shove over and let anyone else in our rooms or beds or space. It just was the way it was. For the adults, it must have been kind of squeaky to have all those other people and only one bathroom. You are the only one working and all the others are home, eating the food you pay for and using all your stuff. Of course, back then, we didn’t have much stuff.

One of my many, many cousins was asked how many were in her family. “Oh I have one sister.” “That’s it?”, the questioner responded in amazement. “You always appear, to me, to have come from a large family.” My cousin then explained how all of us, from whatever age always piled in together, especially in the summer since we had a summer place right near, not on the ocean. “We put boards on the kitchen chairs to provide more seats. The table leaves were in and the table extended as far as it could go. Add water to the soup or the beans and open another can of something or other.” We always laugh about those summers. We agree that that is what made us neat travelers. Never unpack or you lose your stuff. We learned to keep our very few things in small areas and put away. If it could be seen it was up for grabs. That communism stuff is ok when it comes to family and friends who are going through hard times but honestly. Every one of my relatives who bunked in with us found jobs and got their own place and every one of us missed them when they left but honestly, when there’s only one bathroom? Give me a break! That turns out capitalist kids every. single. time.