R_P wrote:

Yeah, it's terrifying. Also there are snakes and wolverines. and pits of boiling mud. Everybody should definitely avoid the countryside.

People in rural areas may come in contact with wildlife while hunting, hiking, or during other outdoor activities, and wildlife may also wander into yards or near homes. In addition to zoonotic diseases, people in rural areas are at risk for tickborne diseases like Lyme disease, and other diseases spread by fleas, mosquitoes, and other vectors.

Yes, and I am having trouble finding where I was speaking for other people.  There is probably a reason for that.

 sirdroseph wrote:
 
Yes, everyone's different, right?  Different appetites, cultural interests, social interactions, needs, activities, etc.  As you have noted  you are "horrified" by urban areas, many people are, and millions of others apparently are not.

I suppose it depends on the person, but I have yet to discover this.

 kurtster wrote:
 
It could be, but it seems unlikely that there is anything other than anecdotal data to back up such claims yet.    The census data has not even been collected and this pandemic has only been here since March.  Certainly wealthy people can go when or wherever they want.  It would largely depend on what sorts of jobs people have - from what I've read, about 55% of the American labor force could now work at least part-time (part-time is a tricky term: I haven't seen that explained further) from home - it was about 40% in 2005. 
"Stampede" - I'm not so sure about that, especially those who discover that the country ain't all it's cracked up to be either.  I think a lot of folks will be looking for that "in-between".  It remains to be seen I guess; fewer things are predictable these days.

 kurtster wrote:
 
It could be, but it seems unlikely that there is anything other than anecdotal data to back up such claims yet.    The census data has not even been collected and this pandemic has only been here since March.  Certainly wealthy people can go when or wherever they want.  It would largely depend on what sorts of jobs people have - from what I've read, about 55% of the American labor force could now work at least part-time (part-time is a tricky term: I haven't seen that explained further) from home - it was about 40% in 2005. 
"Stampede" - I'm not so sure about that, especially those who discover that the country ain't all it's cracked up to be either.  I think a lot of folks will be looking for that "in-between".  It remains to be seen I guess; fewer things are predictable these days.

kurtster wrote:

It's really messing with the real estate market in my neighborhood, which has been overheated for decades as boomers started retiring. We've had some high-profile celebrities relocate for the duration, and the AirB&Bs are all booked.

I suspect this trend will reverse come January, or the first time the Prius won't start and the Range Rover gets stuck in a drift. Jeffrey Epstein's private island ought to be a pretty hot property.

This is a complete rerun of the white flight in the late 60's after all of the riots but with a new twist. It is not just white, it's everyone who can afford to. And it's not to just suburbs, it's wholesale uprooting and relocation to another region or state that is more in control of things and has lower costs of living and taxes. Work from home is the new enabler.
Paradigm shift, major ... and not a slow one. It's a stampede.

kurtster wrote:

It's really messing with the real estate market in my neighborhood, which has been overheated for decades as boomers started retiring. We've had some high-profile celebrities relocate for the duration, and the AirB&Bs are all booked.

I suspect this trend will reverse come January, or the first time the Prius won't start and the Range Rover gets stuck in a drift. Jeffrey Epstein's private island ought to be a pretty hot property.

kurtster wrote:

It's really messing with the real estate market in my neighborhood, which has been overheated for decades as boomers started retiring. We've had some high-profile celebrities relocate for the duration, and the AirB&Bs are all booked.

I suspect this trend will reverse come January, or the first time the Prius won't start and the Range Rover gets stuck in a drift. Jeffrey Epstein's private island ought to be a pretty hot property.

This is a complete rerun of the white flight in the late 60's after all of the riots but with a new twist. It is not just white, it's everyone who can afford to. And it's not to just suburbs, it's wholesale uprooting and relocation to another region or state that is more in control of things and has lower costs of living and taxes. Work from home is the new enabler.

Paradigm shift, major ... and not a slow one. It's a stampede.

Been watching this guns and ammo story last few months. The surge in demand has helped a lot of struggling sporting goods stores, like Academy and Big 5.
Agree or disagree with the political points being made, the writer is correct about the trends. 
Profound societal shifts are underway
The Freeman18 August 2020858 wordsEnglishWAUKFMCopyright 2020 Lakeshore Newspapers, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by NewsBank, inc.

Last week I took a mind to head to the pistol range for some practice. After a quick assessment of my current inventory of ammunition, it was clear that I had let it dwindle to the point of needing replenishment. I headed to the store to stock up only to find the shelves stripped bare. All told, I went to five stores that day for ammunition. One store had five boxes that had just arrived but would only sell two of them to me. The fifth store would sell me more, but it cost me almost twice the normal price. Clearly, something is going on.

Earlier this year, a friend approached me about advice on a weapon to carry concealed. A quick search of the internet will find very strong and contradictory opinions on this topic and I certainly have my own thoughts after carrying a weapon for the majority of my adult life. My friend had used a gun before but did not currently own one. However, with the civil unrest, defunding of law enforcement, and general anarchy roiling our nation, my friend thought it was time strengthen his defensive posture for himself and his family.

My friend is not alone. I also sat in a class for concealed carry holders this month and it was packed. One older lady in the class had taken her first handgun class the week prior. A middle-aged couple had long guns already, but had decided to get their licenses to carry concealed. According to the instructor, he has never been so busy as the past few months. The statistics about the incredible rise in gun ownership have been on display for months and much of it is being driven by people who are buying their first gun for the purpose of defending themselves. They have lost confidence in our government to maintain order.

2020 is proving to be a fulcrum year where events are shifting our society and culture in ways yet unknown. The swiftness with which our government stripped us of our rights in an overreaction to a public health concern at the same time that fascist mobs are given license to maraud by the very same government has shocked the sensibilities of many Americans and undermined some of the principles that have cemented our nation's foundation since its inception. As our society shifts, it will be seen in what people do — not what they say. One thing they are doing is buying a lot of guns.

Another thing that many more people are doing is moving out of cities to more suburban and rural areas. This movement would be a reversal of recent migration patterns. The reasons are myriad. Coronavirus has made some people realize that urban living is a perfect environment for the spread of diseases at the same time that the widespread closures of cultural attractions has diminished the allure of city living. When one combines that with the increase in violence and crime that many cities are suffering, it is easy to see why a young family might choose to look elsewhere to raise their children.

Another enabler of city flight is the move to virtual work. Coronavirus shoved many workers from their offices into their homes. The shock of that movement is over, and many businesses are finding that remote workers are just as productive without the need of providing a large office complex or amenities. Furthermore, virtual workers reduce the potential liability and disruption of a disease outbreak. Right now, many businesses are having to shut down their offices if a single employee tests positive for COVID-19. That is not a risk with virtual employees.

Helpfully for the businesses, many workers found that they enjoyed, or could tolerate, working virtually even if they had not previously thought so. REI has already decided to abandon its eight acre office campus in Washington state in favor of smaller offices and a much larger remote workforce. In Wisconsin, Epic Systems faced an employee revolt when they attempted to force workers back to their desks in Epic's massive office. Northwestern Mutual's brand new office tower in downtown Milwaukee sits almost empty and may never reach capacity. The trend of large office campuses and towers is being supplanted by home offices and virtual backgrounds. This trend also makes it economical for knowledge workers to seek communities with a bit more elbow room and less crime.

Societal shifts take years to unfold. The decision to buy a gun can be done quickly, but moving one's family to a new community may take months or years. As 2020 has shown us, our society can shift very quickly, but America in 2025 looks like it is going to be more suburban, more virtual, and abundantly armed.

(Owen B. Robinson is a conservative Wisconsin political commentator and former West Bend resident. He can be reached at owen@bootsandsabers.com)

As our society shifts, it will be seen in what people do — not what they say. One thing they are doing is buying a lot of guns.