Originally Posted by Mack184
(Post 585516)
Actually it's much truer that either of you think, or want to think.
Why do you ask? OK..you didn't ask but I'll tell you anyway. I've spent decades in the radio business and over the years I have become very skilled at reading monthly & quarterly radio ratings reports. Radio & TV ratings and other polling services use the same method to obtain their results. They sample a small cross-section of a particular universe and then project the responses against the whole of that particular universe. (city, state, nation)For example in our recent election..Most polling companies said that the race would be very close. (It was.) They also said that Pres. Obama would get a 2nd term. (He did.) There were a couple polls that were way out in either direction but they were ultimately discounted and found to be incorrect. Like most things, the answer is found somewhere in the middle.
I came to TOTV quite by accident. I was doing a Google search about something I wanted to know about TV and up popped TOTV. While it did not answer my question, I thought that it would be an interesting place to learn about things & people here. I have mentioned before, but in the interest of full disclosure I will mention it again. We did not come here to retire, (we are still working) but so that my wife could assist her parents as they got older.
While I thought it might be interesting to live in TV my wife hates it. So we would be looking at other communities as well. I came to TOTV as somebody who was somewhat disposed to living here, and was hoping to maybe find some items that might sway my wife's thinking about things. I was NOT a Kool-Aid drinker, so in many ways I needed to be convinced.
Since I have discovered TOTV I had read every single comment on every single thread. There are some who I'm sure think I comment too much, but in truth, I comment very little. After reading all of these threads for a number of months I have used the same method as radio ratings and polling companies do to reach my results.
While it is true that the majority of the 90,000 Villages residents do not actively comment on TOTV, there is indeed a workable cross-section of residents participating here. After doing the reading here is what I have learned from this...
Residing in TV are a majority of smug, self-important people who think that their sewage is scentless because THEY live in TV and YOU do not. There is a very definate pecking order in TV..Those whom you call "Frogs" who live here year-round and the only time they are ever leaving is when the big black station wagon hauls you to the junkyard. Their attitude is that they are FAR superior to everyone else who lives in TV. Then come the "Snowbirds". People who own homes here, but only come during the winter or for vacation periods. As judged by the first group they are OK, but they are definately NOT one of "them". And finally comes those who dare to show up in the winter and pay rent. You despise them. Anything that happens between December & April that disturbs your nirvana can be blamed on them.
Overall the majority of TV residents are a collection of whining, grumbling, kvetching old people who despite having 1800 clubs & activities and 36 or more golf courses, their biggest activity is to complain about virtually everything. You whine about your neighbors who who walk their dogs to the post office boxes because the poor pooch might inconveniently relieve himself along the way. You whine about your neighbors who put some sort of decorative pot or trinket on THEIR garden or front steps. You whine about the possibility of the various unwashed hordes who just might invade your nirvana in Brownwood or other places. Never mind that these are open public places & private businesses. You carefully veil your racism in language which any person with a brain can figure out in seconds. I could write on and on about what I have learned. I have also learned that you have been building lots of churches. Either you're just interested in building buildings or you become deaf once you enter the building.
While TOTV is a place for residents to communicate, it is also a place where people come to LEARN about TV. If you are not already convinced that TV is nirvana or God's Little Green Acre then taking the time to really read this forum will very much likely convince you that it is not.
I came here looking for information and to be convinced. I have come away with the impression that the majority of people (but not all) here are snide, two-faced and whiny.
I have a great deal of admiration for the Morse family. I don't know them, but admire their vision and their hard work to put such a place together. I don't know if they got tired of playing with their Department-56 village under the Christmas tree and decided to build a real one for themselves or what, but they are geniuses. I know that they are very, very careful in their marketing. With that in mind, I'm surprised that they allow TOTV. It does a wonderful job of talking people OUT of coming to TV.
Again..this is what TOTV has taught ME. And speaking only for ME..What I have learned is that TV is a city. Just like any other city. It is not nirvana. While it's a nice place, many cities are nice places and many people like where they live. Heck..even Toldeo was loved by Max Klinger. But the hype of TV being "Florida's Friendliest Hometown" is a lie. When you look at it from a distance it seems unbelieveable, almost fantastic, but up close, the reality is a lot more gritty & not all that pretty.
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