Day 7: We Are The Lucky Ones

I was lovingly told that my post yesterday was a dud, so hopefully today’s is better J

There has been a lot of outcry today over a video from The Pete Holmes Show that made fun of Farmers and blamed Farmers for Daylight Saving Time. Most of the comments I have seen have been decidedly angry, but mine won’t be, so don’t worry!

Maybe I shouldn’t be posting this video and commenting on it, maybe that gives this man too much power and attention like he wants. But you can’t fight untruths if you have not witnessed them firsthand and taken the time to truly think them through.

As I watched this video (which is posted at the bottom of the page…you can watch after you have read my commentary!), I wasn’t overwhelmed with rage and didn’t turn purple with speechlessness, I mostly felt sorrow. And pity. I laughed a little. And had an overwhelming desire to hug this guy.

I know what you are thinking…hug this guy? If everybody else’s reaction was mottled anger and raised blood pressure, why was your reaction to give the guy a hug?

Well first off, he got his information about Daylight Saving Time and the origins of the 8 Hour Workday all wrong. I went ahead and looked em both up, you can check out this information: Daylight Saving Time and the 8hour workday. Contrary to what he says, these weren’t adopted for farmers.

Daylight Saving was originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin and then was pushed into modern existence by many heads of industry (such as railroad tycoons, etc). They had good intentions aka using the Daylight we are graced with! And most of the industrialized world actually follows some sort of Daylight Saving Time so the US isn’t alone there.

How bout the 8 hour work day? Apparently during the Industrial Revolution the factory owners wanted the factories going 24/7 and shifts tended to be 10-16 hours. Eventually they realized this was unsustainable and unhealthy and it was recommended that an 8-hour workday be implemented instead. There is some call to adjust that currently but we will see what happens.

As far as harping on wheat and telling farmers to go to bed earlier-well, he is entitled to his opinion. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would gladly have him come work a day with them, which usually start before sunrise and end well after sunset.

The biggest reason I just wanted to hug this guy? Frankly, he sounded a little jealous. And I felt bad for him. A lot of what he said may have been said in a sarcastic, callous way but he was right about farmers having a relatively idyllic life. Yes, it is hard and brutal BUT how many farmers and ranchers watch the sunset over their crops or pastures? How many live in and are an integral part of small communities where everybody knows everybody?

Maybe he didn’t get to grow up in a place where the workers at the Post Office know you by name. Maybe he didn’t grow up in a place where the local deli starts making your “usual” the minute you walk in before you even say what you want. He probably wasn’t blessed with watching the sun rise over the mountains as he helped deliver a calf. Or his mom didn’t bake pies and local kids weren’t always dropped on the door step for some good old-fashioned playing in the dirt.

So after listening to this video a few times, I mostly feel sorry for him. We, those in Ag, are truly the LUCKY ONES.

We are so in tune with Nature. We are so in tune with what is going on in the communities we live in and are always trying to make our lives and the lives of our children better. We get to do something we absolutely could not imagine life without EVERY SINGLE DAY. And we don’t have to make fun of other people to earn a living- especially not the hard-working individuals who feed, clothe, and keep rural communities together.

“Sweet, sweet, heavenly b******…..You breeze enjoying, pitchfork holding, pie cooling, neighbor trusting, salt of the earth, Norman Rockwell *bleep-bleep*”

The famous Norman Rockwell painting doesn’t even remotely illustrate modern farms and ranches. And no, oat bag dresses are not the fashion du jour. But seriously, let’s send this guy some grilled cheeses and ice cream, and quite possibly some hugs, because at the end of the day, WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES.

Watch the video and let me know what you think! Maybe after reading my comments you might agree that hatred is not the answer. A little education, feeding, and maybe some God-filled love would better serve I think.