Life in Golden Valley felt very familiar. Since I grew up in a small, rural, and isolated town (Presque Isle, Maine) I very much understood the connections between community members and the lack of anonymity. Hunting is a large part of my family and we often spend an entire day without reception just to be out in the woods. The homogeneity and small population create a tight-knit grouping. If something happens, everyone knows about it.

The first thing that came to mind during this reading was conflict theory. I had trouble thinking about the purpose of this community if they are not beneficial or efficient for society and most importantly they tended to be detrimental to themselves. The poverty alleviating strategies were not taken advantage of due to personal pride and the negative social factors which accompany these decisions. The connection to place tied the community members down to this specific town.

The town’s issues all seemed to be rooted in social stigma’s community members were afraid of having placed on them. Men would rather receive federal benefits than work a job which was femininely labeled. Families in this town survived on the hard work of a father figure. Masculinity was measured in the way the man provided for his family. The town suffers from unemployment because of the gender roles the town members continue to hold on to. The expert question I introduced in class involved the idea of social pressures reducing efficiency in Golden Valley. I wonder if there is any way to stimulate the economy with specific gender roles? Should the government be responsible for this even though this town is so isolated? I feel as though tourism could be used here, however, this would take time since the town is off the beaten path. The solution comes down to the importance of happiness or production. Production and efficiency seem to win repeatedly in the United States. If the government were to get involved, they would most likely help these residents relocate to other rural area’s but these areas would have industries for the men or women to work in. Personally, a job fair located in Golden Valley like what happens on a college campus could be beneficial for the community so they could learn about area’s similar in demographics to them and be introduced to new opportunities. Given the small size of Golden Valley, the entire community could relocate to the same area and continue to build their community in a new environment.

Lastly, if the members of Golden Valley moved away to larger areas with more diversity, I believe it could be eye-opening for them because of the new sense of community they would be walking into. In Golden Valley, there are strict social norms due to the homogeneity of the community. They look at life, morals, and value through the same lens because they are so similar to each other. Yet, if they move to another area, this will not be the case. I wonder how they would interact if placed in a new community with much more diversity than they are used to. Would they still form the same bonds? Would parents still be watchdogs for other parents children or would they keep to themselves? This would be a true test of how impactful and environment can be on those inhabiting it.