Mountainpeople vs. Invasiverich Part 1.

Once upon a dystopian future, the unspoken American class struggle finally came to a head. The raging civil war began not in the streets of cities, but in the rural West. Not long before the collapse and mockery of Belief played upon the blazing sky, a holographic portrayal of all hopes and fears reinvented on the largest plasma screen the world had, the wealthiest classes sought solace from the Rat Race by buying up mountain property.

The mountains, once a haven for persons who never fit into the concrete boxes of the cities, slowly morphed from a quiet place full of countrywomen and good ol’ boys to a bustling venue of Prada-ladies and import-SUV owners. The unbalanced and unhappy Elite brought their fast-paced Materialism with them, and with that came hikes in property values and a drop in available jobs outside of the service positions.

The Mountainpeople were those who stuck it out through the winters. They didn’t mind cold temperature extremes. Hunting and skiing, fishing and rock climbing was second nature to them, although many could no longer afford the slopes and resort-towns, which were teeming with Bourgeoisie. The Mountainpeople began to get angry, but like the geographic positions they had chosen, it took a lot to move them to act on emotion. Their anger was like a seething volcano, brewing over coffee in the small town cafes where local ranchers and servicepersons would mingle and discuss the changes they had endured. Most of the time, their communities functioned with flawless precision. They came together when the going was tough, and they endured the hard times like the mighty aspen endure harsh winds. The Invasiverich began to encroach upon their communities. At first, the Mountainpeople accepted them, although warily so. Many of the Mountainpeople had also moved into the hills to avoid the noise and hastiness of the cities, but when they came, they didn’t bring the city with them.

The Invasiverich settled like pestilent insects blown in from a foreign ecotone. Their hearts were as empty as the concrete boxes from whence they came, but their pockets were laden with the wealth of profits gained from stepping on the backs of the many. The Mountainpeople were enticed by this bounty, but it soon became apparent that with the money came inevitable segregation. The Invasiverich brought their lawyers with them, and soon began to mutilate the country laws to fit their interests. Millionaires began to be pushed out by billionaires, and whoever had the greater Lawspeaker* was the greater Goði*. The Invasiverich introduced their social Darwinism to the community ecology of the hills, and the ‘fittest will survive’ became the predominant theme, defiling the mountains’ dynamic and endemic diversity like an animal gene defiles a Monsanto seed.

The Mountainpeople had their land taken from them. Properties were deemed ‘condemned,’ ranches that were struggling were foreclosed. Mountainpeople began having to rent from the Invasiverich, or share homes amongst many kindred; they had to move into tiny cities in order to find the work to play and meditate in the hills they so loved. Persons born in small towns were pushed out of their orgin-community by rising costs. The Invasiverich’s houses were emptied with the coming winter weather, and the local economies suffered. Mountainpeople had grown accustomed to believing that they needed the Invasiverich. They adapted to the trickle down of dollars, and because there were no positions left save servitude, this became their daily grind. Serving those who pushed them out. Serving those who bought their land from underneath them, and not knowing what to do to revolt.