Sunday, May 31, 2015

Teach me about the connotations of Orange County, California in the 1980s

When I was in elementary school (between 1985 and 1991),  this story-teller sort of guy came to our school and told us some stories.  When it came time to tell us the last story, he said we could choose between two: one was about a boy and his pond, and the other was about a big-city thief.  His tone and delivery suggested that the boy and his pond story was idyllic (and, by extension, boring) and the big-city thief story was exciting. My schoolmates overwhelmingly voted for the story about the thief, so he told us that story.

Afterwards, there was Q&A session, and someone asked him if anyone actually asked to hear the story of the boy and his pond, and he replied that it had happened once, in Orange County, California. His tone and delivery suggested that if you knew anything about Orange County, California, you'd understand why this was and perhaps find it humorous.

Of course, as an elementary school student in southern Ontario, I didn't know anything about Orange County, California.  In fact, I still don't.  This memory came back to me in the shower this morning so I've been doing some googling, and I still can't figure out any characteristics of Orange County that would make it clear why students there in the 1980s would prefer to hear a story about a boy and his pond. 

Anyone have any insight?

3 comments:

laura k said...

That storyteller must have been so accustomed to that inside joke that he was completely unaware of his audience!

Orange County was to Ronald Reagan what Calgary has been to Stephen Harper. Not just his home district or riding, but his spiritual base. Wealthy, white, suburban, neo-conservative, and the leading edge of a conservative movement about to steamroll the country.

I hope that helps.

impudent strumpet said...

I wasn't even aware enough of politics to have been able to understand that description at the time!

And I'm still not entirely clear on the implications. So apparently children of neocon parents dislike stories about thieves, or like stories about ponds? I don't exactly see the route from Point A to Point B.

Of course, I didn't understand why my own peers wanted to hear about the thief either. The thief story sounded scary to me, and the pond story sounded boring.

(Whatever the actual thief story was, it was non-memorable. I don't think I retained it after the assembly ended.)

laura k said...

I have no idea how it relates to stories about thieves or ponds! There are undoubtedly cultural implications that only Californians - or maybe only Southern Californians? - know.

Maybe watch a few episodes of The OC? :)

In any case, what a ridiculous reference for the audience at the time.