stalks and NOT celery!

[RoamerRV428]

many don't have any respect for life of any kind, as in a dog is an accessory to make ya look good or a toy to play with when you want. Not the concerns of a live animal. Just a fluff piece in your life. Sad but it goes down like that a lot. Being a super animal person with farming livestock and my horses and more, I have learned life, as in, things 'are alive' and have needs in their own right. They are not toys or anything else people put onto them for their own needs. Hopefully more will become aware of true life out there, can only hope.

 

[travelaround]

I guess I'm the only person around here who has watched Carolyn's video and enjoyed them.

I just watched her newest video, about her budget, and found that helpful. I was testing the helpfulness theory! Anyhow, it showed me where I need to cut corners in my thinking about money.

I have noticed a tendency for people here to criticize YouTubers and call them narcissistic. That bothers me for two reasons:

First, I'm a YouTuber and hope people don't think I'm narcissistic... I started this to challenge myself because I had a very hard time speaking, and wanted to learn to do that better, plus just everything about putting a video on YouTube was very challenging in the beginning. It is still a great challenge to try to make my videos better. Creative improvement, you know? And as for wanting people to see my face - I really would rather hide it. It isn't easy to be an old lady on YouTube when most of the others are young and many are absolutely beautiful. I consider my willingness to publish a video of myself as an act of bravery.

The other reason I'm sad that YouTubers are perceived as narcissistic is that I used to live with a person who really had Narcissistic Personality Disorder and he put me through hell. There's simply no comparison between a YouTube content creator, and a person with this terrible personality disorder.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I find those who are nomadic and are more into privacy and opting kinda out of the rat race of it all kinda fall more into the category of hating things like social media, well, this is me HAHA, not sure if everyone is like me but I feel like there are more not wanting to play on youtube with their lifestyle then those that want that attention and that need to either help others on their experience, make money from it while on the road, have very high needs for some attention and celebrity or of course other reasons.


I shy from all that crap point blank. So my opinion on this social media junk and youtubers is jaded to say the least LOL, I can't pretend it ain't!

 

[travelaround]

those that want that attention and that need to either help others on their experience, make money from it while on the road, have very high needs for some attention and celebrity or of course other reasons.

1. Learn to be a better speaker
2. A creative challenge to learn something new
3. Leave an archive for descendants
4. Community of friends with similar interests
5. Keep your mind active in your old age

Those are some of my reasons. I'm certainly not earning a cent from this hobby but I've made some great friends through Booktube videos.

My son is also a YouTube content creator and it gives us something to compare ideas about since he calls me almost every day when he's driving his semi... he's a social person and the isolation of semi driving is very hard for him.

 

[RoamerRV428]

oh yea I get those other reasons for sure for others. I require none of the 5 you listed tho LOL again, this is just me gotta say to each his own on this social media junk and I can find outlets way above social media to keep me in good form thru this lifetime. Again, just me on this one! Not saying it is not suited very well for others. There sure is tons out there for everyone to float their own boat and what works for them.

 

[travelaround]

Yes, it isn't for everyone. This is to say, it is a way of life for me that I can't really see stopping until I'm too old to type, in case that ever happens.

I've been online since the early days of the internet, and even before then, as a FidoNet BBS owner for a few years. When the web came around in the early 1990's, I took it as a personal challenge to learn to create websites. Ended up as a professional web designer for a while... then realized I didn't love webdesign so much when I had the stress of doing it for clients.

I've been blogging since 2000, long before most of the bloggers online now... and I guess, whenever something comes along it becomes my challenge, to learn to do it. Naturally, there are lots of things on the web that I still think are beyond my capabilities, like doing a podcast (since I'm not much of a speaker) or learning PHP. I tried DHTML and Javascript but never got good at either of them. I was good at HTML 4, XHTML and CSS ... simple stuff in the world of webdesign, really. Anyhow, for a long time YouTube was in that category of things I couldn't do, and I definitely wanted to climb that mountain. I'm not especially good at video creating but I accept the challenge of trying to get better at it. Not expecting to go viral any time soon.

So, all that to say, (Roamer) ... our lives have been very different ... I think I remember you saying you have a ranch? To me, social media has been necessary as an adjunct to my online writing career, webdesign, etc . . . and though I've distanced myself from some of that career now, I keep the social media as a great way to contact friends and relatives.

Not saying it is good for everyone! I have fantasized about deleting my Facebook account ... so I can be happy for anyone who doesn't want one. Now that I've worked online so long, I wish for a nice real life job possibly selling clothing at fairs and festivals. It would be a nice change. I'll be taking my sewing machine with me on the road, so I can make things to sell.

 

[Dingfelder]

What's even worse is that, practically every dog in the neighborhood here is a "rescue" dog, and they are alone most of the day when their owners are at work. 

The poor dog downstairs is afraid of everything, and her owner being a 20-something young girl is out 16 or more hours of every day, and the poor dog is totally nuts. Some smart people are just not very bright. There should be a course in "remedial human".

Absolutely.  How do we know how to teach anybody else when we don't even know what in ourselves is untutored and unsuspectedly lacking?  It's almost impossible.  I don't believe most people should have dogs because I believe having a dog is hard.

And many people are on easy mode.  

Pets (like children) are for grown-ups.  True grown-ups, who don't have to "step up" to caring about others, but can do it naturally and without resentment.  But kids have them all the time.

And kids are ... you know ... kind of ... punks?  Self-centered?  Or simply ignorant and ill-considered.  It's not necessarily or entirely a fault, it just ... is.

 

[AMGS3]

^^^ I respectfully disagree.

Halfway.

Yes, theres so much wrong with irresponsible kids who are gifted a pet by unthinking people who think it's just cute to pretend that a toddler is responsible enough to take care of a living thing.

But, the other side of that is kids who are like I was. When I was 10 we got a puppy. We'd had lots of dogs before that, but this was the first puppy. She was a Chesapeake/Yellow Lab. I was with her pretty much all the time. I taught her hand signals and voice commands. By the time she was 2 she was trained with both and responded to a dozen commands in both verbal and signs. Sit, lay, stay, hard stay, come here, go back, go further, stop, house (we could be ANYWHERE and she'd go to her doghouse), wait, run (useful with a harness), shhhh!, leave it, drop it.

My siblings and I spent most of our free time outside. She was an outside dog (never allowed in the house) and was never far from us. I know a lot of people who as kids were responsible for the pets their families owned, and took good care of them too.

Now, do I think that all kids can handle the responsibility of a pet? No. Probably not most. Probably not even half. But certainly there are a lot of kids who can and do take great care of their dogs. And there are plenty of adults that could use a lesson in taking care of their dogs too. Sounds like that's something a lot of people on this thread agree on.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Dingfelder]

I'm not sure how that's a disagreement.

Probably not even half people can handle a pet? We are agreed. At least if you truly want the best for a pet ... or believe that that is even a thing.

Some approach the idea from the angle that the happiness or normal mental stof the pet isn't actually a factor. The pet is a "thing," and the happiness of the owner is the only factor. Owner happy = win. Even if the pup/dog is eventually borderline bizarre/dangerous/half-crazy. The pet itself simply doesn't factor in.

 

[AMGS3]

Pets (like children) are for grown-ups.

Maybe I was just triggered by that statement.

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[AMGS3]

The pet is a "thing," and the happiness of the owner is the only factor.

Definitely, too many people give about as much thought into getting a pet as they do buying a blender, not considering the animal's quality of life. It's depressing.

The main point I disagreed with in the previous statement was the solid "pets are for adults" which I interpreted as "no kid should have a pet". When really there's lots of kids and grown ups who defy that statement by either being more or less responsible than their age would let on.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Dingfelder]

It was more metaphoric than anything. I don't even think most adults are adults, sometimes including myself. It's a high bar to set for others or yourself.

Or at least it is now.

It's a nice hope that all adults would meet the bar of simply thinking and acting like adults with something approaching universal aplomb. Personally I don't think we're there yet. And that perhaps we are slipping backwards. I used to feel that grown-ups were grown-ups, terrifically flawed as they were. I'm not so sure anymore. I tend to think now that any discussion is bargaining with children, who have themselves been raised by generations of children.

As regards pets ... I believe children can be enormously empathetic(or not at all). I can only praise children who assume adult sympathies early, but I don't expect it or fancy it the norm. After all, are their primary role models, their parents, anything close to adult yet?

But, wouldn't that be wonderful?

 

[RoamerRV428]

TA I sure get where you are coming from. different backgrounds in our lives require different use of what is out there. I so get that. Yes, being a true farmer my life is outside, never inside on a 'puter. I shy from all that social media stuff. I like little small forums like this and that is all I do. I don't do facebook, twitter or anything else I have no idea about any of it but yes, social media is key for many to do their biz and make their life easier and more complete. My kid says I am ancient and a dino but I call it survival of the smartest staying off crazy social media crap LOL

 

[WanderingRose]

As regards pets ... I believe children can be enormously empathetic(or not at all). I can only praise children who assume adult sympathies early, but I don't expect it or fancy it the norm. After all, are their primary role models, their parents, anything close to adult yet?

Children are taught compassion and empathy for other living things, or not, and having and caring properly for pets are one way to teach this.

It’s about the parents, primarily, in my opinion and experience.

I have watched some children grow up, who neglected their pets, as did their mother, and they became very self centered, me-first, take-but-not-give adults.

 

[RoamerRV428]

It is about the nature and natural course of life.
We are SO far removed. It will end us I think.
A pig is a pet yet never to be eaten now as it is a 'life' that has meaning and now no one can eat it as 'food'. vegan thoughts here LOL Tell a tiger pouncing on an impala that it can't eat that for ethical reasons!
'OMG' As an entire planet we are SO far removed from nature and its course it is horrible.
A dog was a pet but it 'served' other use on property. Protector, alarm, companion, it had a job.
A horse was a pet but it 'served' other use to survive'. Same as above.
and more......yet now, we only understand a dog is a toy or a cat is not a mouser but a play thing to be put into kids clothes and put in online for funny cute reasons, the entire planet is working so far away from the nature course of a living life planet as one can get and it will be a downfall. we see it every single day

 

[rvwandering]

Please stay on topic. I'd like to move the posts about owning a dog but it would be difficult to do and preserve the continuity of the thread. If you'll like to discuss this topic more please start another thread. Thanks!

 

[QinReno]

1. Learn to be a better speaker
2. A creative challenge to learn something new
3. Leave an archive for descendants
4. Community of friends with similar interests
5. Keep your mind active in your old age

You definitely have different motivation from the usual RV-youtubers. As I see it, their lives become totally entangled with making videos every day or two, and they spend hours and hours doing their editing. It's their choice, and fine with me that they are doing what they want to do. It's a full time job for a lot of them. I got the van because I like to go to the mountains and deserts just to get away from all the usual crap.

In general I like Carolyn's approach because of her being a brave solo woman doing her own thing. And I also like some of the other youtubers because of all the places they go, so I get to learn about those places beforehand. I tend to bypass the personal life stuff to a large extent, but that's part of who they are.

 

[travelaround]

You definitely have different motivation from the usual RV-youtubers. As I see it, their lives become totally entangled with making videos every day or two, and they spend hours and hours doing their editing.

That AdSense advertising money gets addictive, especially for people who depend on it for living expenses. They can't stop being current and relevant or their bills won't get paid.

The editing is pretty easy once you get used to your software. Most of these YouTube videos are not major artistic or documentary productions and don't require much editing. Just cut off the front and back, add pre-produced intro and outro if you have them, and maybe a little music, and you're done.

 

[crofter]

Wow this is an interesting conversation, and I'm glad for all who appreciate the bravery of the youtube creators. I always enjoy and am informed by the content shared, even if I don't agree with it always.  

As for a stalker in our midst or the possibility on one, how do you deal with this unsettling possibility?

As for me, my gift of fear brings me back to real defenses and awareness that I have at my disposal.  I consider my skill and vulnerabilities in my daily rounds, how to be less vulnerable, more aware, more practiced and fit in the defenses that I have. 

I visualize being the victor in any confrontation with such a one.

I keep my wheels in good order, and I lock my doors. I keep some basic defensive tools available to me.
When I am out walking, I am carrying bear spray - as a non lethal deterrent for many predators. I actually carry it in my hand and not in a pack, due to there's predators here. I am willing to trust in my ability with a can of bear spray and not give up walking.

Each of us have different strengths, different skills.  What are yours?
Is your defense a physical skill, or something ephemeral like creating more distance, or having more stealth?     ~crofter

 

[QinReno]

This doesn't work for everybody, but the "buddy system" is a big saving grace. Even if you like to camp alone, it's not a bad idea to camp somewhat nearby where others are located. 100 yards off gives both privacy and some security.

And as Spiff keeps saying .... get an air horn too.

I should also add that the women youtubers seem to be hassled all the time by trolls and some by stalkers, and they particularly seem to have a circle of friends they travel with.