Self-Reliance, Axe Men and the Oregon Storm

I was watching the Disovery Channel show called Axe Men the other day.  It is a reality series that follows 4 different logging outfits in NW Oregon.  The show is very similar to the Deadliest Catch which profiles different crabbing crews on the ocean.  I find these types of shows interesting, but the Ax Men show really hits home for me.  Some of my relatives are loggers, and I frequent many of the areas they feature on the show.  The final episode aired a couple of weeks ago, and it detailed the major storm that took place last December in Oregon. 

The storm was deadly.  At least 13 people died.  Winds were whipping at over 100mph for 3 days.  Entire highways and bridges were washed away.  Thousands of people lost their homes and belongings.  Trees and power lines were down everywhere blocking roads.  Entire small towns were flooded and destroyed.  Some of the towns were cut-off from civilization for weeks because all the roads in and out of town washed away. 

What really struck me though, was the self-reliance of the people.  These small towns were mostly populated with loggers- tough, capable people who don’t ask for much from others.  It was an amazing contrast to the Katrina stories we heard so much about.  I know that Colorado and areas of the Northeast had similar disasters, took care of themselves and received very little national coverage compared to Katrina. 

In the show, you see the men of these 4 different logging outfits helping clear roads, putting together the pieces of their homes and lives, and still having to work to earn enough money to live on.  You didn’t hear any complaints about the Federal Government not helping soon enough.  There was no quibbling about how nobody cares about us working class, small town folks.  The national news actually covered the story, but didn’t rail on about the poor, stranded people taking boats to higher ground.

What’s my point?  Some people are self-reliant and some are not.  I think the media spends too much time profiling the needy attitude of the pathetic and weak, and not enough time displaying the heroism and courage of the strong and capable.  The American spirit is alive and well, you just have to look for it.  It can be found in a small, rural town near you. 

Tags: american spirit, axe men, deadliest catch, discovery channel, documentary, oregon storm, rural america, self-reliance, small town, vernonia