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(Wasn't sure where to post this. Economics, Employment, Controversies. feel free to move it)
Slab City, California is an old abandoned military base in the Sonoran Desert by the stagnant Salton Sea where people squat on the concrete slabs left there. They pay no rent or taxes, but also have no electricity, running water, trash or sewer service. Around 200 people live there year round and up to 2000 there for the winter months from everywhere.
Seems like a lot of meth heads and burn outs are there, but also a lot of normal people who just aren’t doing the rat race any more, especially if they can never get paid enough to do anything other than barely get by. A few in their 50’s who have plenty of skills but face age discrimination. Children are there, too. Whole families.
There are a lot of videos and articles about it, and a few about how the state is trying to sell the land because it is supposed to be used for a teachers retirement fund, but there are no buyers because nobody wants to deal with the cleanup of all the trash there from all the squatters, possible hazardous military waste and not to mention having to evict all the hippies and other wayward souls.
This video was made by a girl there with one leg. She’s one of the better YouTubers there.
At what point do other average working class people decide to just buy a van or RV and get on food stamps and what ever else they can get on and just disappear? Just go all ‘Office Space’ and just quit working at all because it just isn’t worth it?
72, 84, 96 month car loans. 40 year interest only mortgages that will soon be ‘generational’ mortgages that you pass down to your children for a decent house. Stagnant wages when you adjust for inflation.
Right now it’s mostly a certain type who would live off grid and not want to really work either way, but there may come a time when that place, and places like it are filled with hundreds of thousands of law abiding citizens who don’t smoke anything at all who are able, but just aren’t willing to work, because they know it doesn’t pay off.
Work has to pay off reasonably for their benefit or a lot of people aren’t willing to do it.
What will happen when that many try to live off the land or bankrupt the foodstamp system?
I have been aware of Slab City for some time, and have seen the video along with others and photos. I would guess at the point that I was drug addicted or severely mentally ill which I suspect I will not become, so never ever.
How anyone that is sane who live there, I have no idea. Well, except for the drug addicted, which tend to not be sane to have become involved with such drugs.
There would be many other ways to leave the rat race. Many are doing it by hitting the road full-time. A lot of people flock to BLM land in the winter out in the desert and then move on to the National Forests during the summer. They can do odd jobs. Some are on disability of some type and others retired.
Most people would say they wanted to live the rat race, but they are probably as addicted to the rat race just like those addicted to an illegal substance. Can't imagine surviving without it.
This is an interesting video about people that have dropped out, some of these people do visit Slab City, it is a long documentary (over 50 minutes), but interesting and thought-provoking:
Our society has bred laziness, pure and simple. All the excuses about the unfair economy don't change the reality that a lot of people do not believe in hard work. I'm happy to see they are choosing locations away from mainstream society. Live your dreams, preferably not near me.
(Wasn't sure where to post this. Economics, Employment, Controversies. feel free to move it)
Slab City, California is an old abandoned military base in the Sonoran Desert by the stagnant Salton Sea where people squat on the concrete slabs left there. They pay no rent or taxes, but also have no electricity, running water, trash or sewer service. Around 200 people live there year round and up to 2000 there for the winter months from everywhere.
If you read Into The Wild or seen the film, Chris McCandless lived in the Slabs on and off (mostly in the winter) in the early 90's before going to Alaska.
If you read Into The Wild or seen the film, Chris McCandless lived in the Slabs on and off (mostly in the winter) in the early 90's before going to Alaska.
There's something like 3 million people in the US who are not "homeless" by the usual definition but just choose to roam around and have no permanent address. They have dropped out of society and are somewhat invisible except at places like Slab City. They do this by choice. They are not "hobos" or penniless -- some have campers or RVs and money for gas or groceries. Chris Chandliss dipped into that culture or was on the fringes part of the time.
tens of thousands have moved to Mexico where they live for about 1/3 the price and escape the rat race. And, yes, it is totally safe - MUCH safer than the USA in the areas we are discussing.
Our society has bred laziness, pure and simple. All the excuses about the unfair economy don't change the reality that a lot of people do not believe in hard work. I'm happy to see they are choosing locations away from mainstream society. Live your dreams, preferably not near me.
This is interesting - so it sounds like you've been somehow convinced and "hardened" that our place on this earth is to do things that one does not enjoy doing or that somehow do harm to mankind or the society as a whole (arms business, banking these days, polluting, marketing, predatory medicine, etc.)???
Do I have it wrong? Is this a form of Calvinism where if we don't suffer we aren't godly?
What is "mainstream society"? IMHO, it differs vastly in Florida, in California and in New England.
Maybe 80% of the people I know inhabit some form of "mainstream society" although most do things that they picked...to help society. The other 20% may be mobile, ex-pats, etc.
Even those who are part of mainstream clearly understand (and tell me) that it is a simply a rat race and has little to do with what their true desires are.
It's as if the last 50 years didn't happen.....we should all get up at 6 in the morning, let the dog out and head off to the salt mines?
Note - personally I worked from when I was 18 (actually before) to now (although am semi-retired at 63). But I was my own boss and could never have worked for anyone short of having been starving...
Interesting thread. My wife and I plan to sell our house in two years after her son finishes H.S. And we plan to get a Road Trek or build us a camper our of a extended van with a tear drop trailer and travel until we can't anymore. Pick up some work on the side LEGAL work of course not touching the money that we have from the sell of the house. We have some really good friends who live though out the U.S we can stay with them when we want a break.
My wife's best friend is headed out to Oregon in five years to retire when we get tired of traveling which isn't likely for a good while we'll stay with her. There are lot ways make money decent money on the road one is to go to some place like Colorado spend a summer there working, camping and hiking and move on to another place and do the same. We're tried of the rat race but we also understand one has to work.
One can work little side jobs and pick up some cash you can house sit for people when you need a break from RVing as well.
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