Interesting post regarding the Christian Appalachian Project and how a culture of dependency has apparently developed. I do wonder though if the "things have to get worse in order to change" really works in these fatalistic situations. Is there a "fatalism unto death" that means things can't get bad enough in order to have the drive for self-sufficiency kick in? In Africa things are often much worse than rural Kentucky but it's as if once the welfare virust has set in there's just nothing one can do. I suppose when things get bad enough those not completely fatalistic move away, which is already probably happening on a minor scale and makes the situation worse for those who remain. Heck, Ohio's already experiencing a "brain drain" in which the best and brightest flock to more economically vital states.
On the other hand I, like Josue of Katolik Shinja, appreciate some lack of ambition although I part company with him on seeing starting a company as a negative thing:
Writing for LewRockwell.com, resident Fred Reed answers ‘What’s Mexico Really Like, Fred?’ Short answer: "it isn’t nearly as bad as many Americans think."...One part Mr. Reed's article in particular of caught my interest. In response to the question of "why is Mexico a comparatively poor country?" Mr. Reed gives the following as part of his answer: "Lack of ambition…perhaps. Mexicans (yes, I’m generalizing) seem to want enough, and to stop there. The focus is on family, friends, and a quiet life. Thus an intelligent and competent mechanic, say, will make a comfortable living from his garage, but will not try to start a chain of garages. Americans are much more driven, and much more materialistic. These qualities pay off economically." That sounds like me. I've never wanted much more than "family, friends, and a quiet life." The idea of starting a business seems almost offensive to me. During a year in Chile, I found that the word ambicioso has negative connotations in Spanish. Not so in English. I prefer the Spanish meaning.
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