Sunday, September 17, 2006
Fly Over Vegas
Guys and gals, I'm sorry for the large lacuna between this posting and the prior one. Last week I took a "vacation" to Branson, MO, courtesy of dear ones. Even though I was quite dubious of this Las Vegas for middle America, I did have a relaxing time. (The obvious target demographic is an older, stereotypical red-state voter.) As I walked the Strip, I found an eatery/store that had the 10 Commandments with water cascading down, a church with gospel music wafting to the errant ear, and three crosses with less commercial crassness; a convenience store that asked for God's blessing on America (or her soldiers) and offered cheap cigarettes and the lotto; and an Amish store that sported a neon sign, sold sparkling wines, and accepted credit cards. When I encountered the service industry, its providers seemed to be largely from other areas with an attitude quite contrary to their customer base. Whereas Vegas appeals to the naughty nature of America with its allure of gambling, drink, and sex, Branson attracts its nice spirit with its invocation towards God, country, and family. An interesting dichotomy! I'm reminded of BET's juxtapositon of uncensored vids vis-a-vis an apparent Simeon-like televangelist.
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2 comments:
Sounds like Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg to me. I worked there, summer of my junior year at Belhaven, and stayed with my uncle. It's a nice, family oriented place. You'll have to come and stay at my aunt's house and we'll travel around and show you the town. My aunt is very near a Cracker Barrel; a necessity for us family types.
I'd love to, J. Ironically, after reading your comment, I ran across the following story about Gatlinburg. Its mayor, Don Wright, allowed a film crew to use his office for two hours. Although he was apparently assured that it was a family-friendly flic, it turned out to be Thong Girl 3. I'm sure that he's getting his fill of ribbing.
Cf. http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-09-15T234807Z_01_N1579747_RTRUKOC_0_US-LEISURE-MAYOR.xml&src=rss&rpc=22.
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