This ad, which appears in the current issue of Maine North Woods Sporting Journal, is a rich treasure-trove of insight into rural America. In a space 2×3 inches, there’s enough material for at least 2 doctoral dissertations plus a #1 country song.
“Guns. Wedding Gowns. Cold Beer.” Yup…that about covers it. Anything else you can kill, whittle or borrow from a buddy.
While the accompanying photo shows only the first of these 3 essential categories, it takes little imagination to figure out how the other two come into play.
Is the ad’s writer riffing on us? Is he or she in on the joke? If “We ain’t got it, you don’t need it!” showed up in a faux-redneck ad for LL Bean or Carhartt, it would be Gold Pencil material. In a cabin in Maine way off the grid, lit by propane lantern, this ad’s irony-free, defiant pedigree is more apparent.
For a brilliant portrait of the lives this ad reflects, read Joe Bageant’s “Deer Hunting with Jesus.” Propane reading light is optional.
Belly of the Beast 