Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, March 12, 2023

The New England WASP Ethos of Fierce Independence

One of the strongest attributes to the Salt Water New England culture is independence.  Fierce independence.  

Some examples:

  • We want to work with companies where we can talk to the owner.  
  • We want to own what we build.  We will take hardship over putting our livelihood in the hands of some corporate middle-manager. We want to work hard for passion and control, not praise and promotions.
  • If we are somewhere that is overly crowded, we think we are in the wrong place.  "Best-selling" is a warning, not an enticement.
  • We want our lives and work to flow together.  Having to commute seems wrong, even if sometimes necessary. 
  • Going to resorts is a last resort.  Boring foods are better than eating out.  Embracing a simple life to which we can always retreat is insurance against being pressured to do the wrong thing.  
  •  We use "we" to refer to our community and family, not our company or political party.
  • We prefer eccentrics to bullies. We neither want to finger wag, nor be finger wagged.
  • "Work-for-hire" contracts and "non-competes" make us nervous.
  • When our club becomes too popular, we move on. 
  • We seldom dress for others.  We wear what we like to wear.  We, far too often, will avoid going to an event rather than dress-up for it.
  • We don't tug our forelocks.
  • We don't want our lives or actions to be (mis)interpreted by people from away.  
  • We distrust charismatic or charming people.  We hate to be over-praised or love-bombed. Pandering to audiences may be the smart move, but we still don't do it.
  • We want to make the world a better place, build for our family, and be left alone.  Not always in that order. 

27 comments:

  1. I love this Muffy!

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  2. "Boring foods are better than eating out" - respectfully disagree. There are some things best left to professionals - lol. I live to eat, not eat to live.

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    1. Perhaps "Cooking at home is preferable to eating out" would be a better way to put it? Nothing boring about what many of us create in our own kitchens, plus better control over nutrition, food safety, and budget.

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  3. "I grow old ... I grow old ...
    I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled."

    - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot

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  4. We want to own what we build - You will own nothing and you will be happy.

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  5. We take pride in our houses' authentic histories - instead of the latest show-offy trendiness.

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  6. "We don't tug our forelocks." Well, when we still had forelocks.

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  7. Origin of this list?

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    1. As with all of the writing here, it is based on my own firsthand experience.

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  8. It seems it in regards to most aspects of life most humans strive to be in the middle of the bell curve. What an uncomfortable way to live. To be true to one’s self and not try to alter to fit in is such an great quality.

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  9. A very solid ethos. Best wishes to all.

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  10. I've noticed that so many of these odes to Trad are really paean to the wealthy. Or a vision of wealth gleaned from magazines and films. I'd venture that 75% of the images Muffy posts are of items that were widely available in most dry goods establishments when I was growing up in the early 60s. I live in one of the Maine towns designated on this forum as a Trad fortress, but almost no one dresses in this manner. They wear jeans, fleece and Keens.

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    1. “no one dresses in this manner. They wear jeans, fleece and Keens.”

      Local vs global LLBean

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  11. Regarding boring food, well, here's a rank heresy: I have no interest whatever in new flavors, textures, or the like. I know what I like and that's sufficient for the rest of my life.

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  12. One that we also adhere to in our home which contains a US Veteran: beware of "military grade" items. Like above, we take this as a warning that it was produced by the lowest bidder. 😂 - hrplo

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  13. I'm not sure about the distrust of charisma and charm, unless its perceived as being fake and used to disguise ulterior motives. I suppose one has to judge on an individual basis.

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    1. A charming person is often trying to sell something, or a charming person's personality at home is sometimes very different from their persona when out in public.

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  14. I rarely go out to eat but when I do I enjoy a quiet, weekday in my small coastal town supporting a nearby eatery especially one that is on the water with a beautiful view. I'll check the wharf for screaming children/crowds and if it's too "much" I'll go buy some lobster and make my own lobster rolls.
    I DO know this: you'll never see me waiting in line at Red's Eats or Moody's Diner, OH the crowds---tourist traps are to be avoided here in Maine.

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  15. There is something great about this list—it embodies the modern version of Castiglione's spezzatura, almost a studied nonchalance, and embraces a view of the good life that ought to be lived more often. It is an ethos befitting a liberal man in the original sense of that word—a free man.

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  16. Particularly liked the ideas on “best selling” and “resorts”.

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  17. Yes, I especially want to own what I build. These days we are told that owning is passé, and we shouldn’t.

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  18. We are territorial as crows about our property.
    We google our new tattoo idea to make sure no one in the world has it yet.
    And WASP = We Always Say Please

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