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[Criptfeind]

I think the point that people might be trying to make isn't that the countryside has nothing in it, but rather it has a lot of space between the things that are in it. And that often means things aren't in walking distance. There's plenty of places in the countryside* hours from anything, and at that point it's hardly casual walking distance, technically you could walk that far, but it's not something you'll do a lot and it's sure not convenient. Unless you define "everything you want" as just the stuff nearby, which, is fair, but not the case for a lot of people.

*In the US at least.

[pisskop]

Suburia < Rural < City Edge

[Maximum Spin]

People naturally filter out to the places that are right for them.

Conveniently, this concentrates all the city people together into easy targets for when the countryside people strike!

[scriver]

To bad the onset agoraphobia will keep the rurals from being able to do anything

[Levi]

When I retire I'm going to live in a forest.

[Yoink]

Living in the countryside would only be good if one was, like, a serial killer or poppy farmer or something.
Half of y'all just make a drastic leap in my headcanon.


Now, of course, if you were actually living in the wilderness, completely cut off from society, that would be different. Pretty cool, actually. Hermit cave FTW. But if you're going to be a part of civilization, even way out on its fringes, why the hell would you choose to live in bumfuck nowhere with poor/nonexistent PT and nothing in walking distance unless you feel like hiking for an entire day?! Lots of drunk-driving tends to happen in such situations, too.   
Also, it sounds like a lot of people's complaints about cities stem from simply giving way too many shits about what your asshole neighbours think of you. Noise complaints are pretty much the only thing one has to worry about, apart from paying your bills (and keeping your home intact if you're renting, obviously).

Sincerely, a city boy.



Edit:

To bad the onset agoraphobia will keep the rurals from being able to do anything

The fear of inescapable social situations? ...Yeah, probably. Knowing most everyone in town and running a high risk of meeting people whenever you leave the house is a nightmare.

[pisskop]

Quiet, no traffic noises, animals, hunting, hiking, nobody to tel you to turn your music down, nobody to call the cops on your bonfire, space to work on hobbies, you have enough money to do so, because land is power, because humans operate in a dominance hierarchy, and city humans find space is at a premium, because your money can go further in the country than in the city,  because people get more aggressive the more confined they are, because you can control what you expose yourself to, because piece of mind is also lack of artifical stimuli.


Ask yourself why the rich and affluent prefer lonely mansions to other people.  Why people go on vacations to quiet islands, why hermits still exist, why monks are typecast as seclusive, why meditation is so popular.

[EnigmaticHat]

I think the point that people might be trying to make isn't that the countryside has nothing in it, but rather it has a lot of space between the things that are in it. And that often means things aren't in walking distance. There's plenty of places in the countryside* hours from anything, and at that point it's hardly casual walking distance, technically you could walk that far, but it's not something you'll do a lot and it's sure not convenient. Unless you define "everything you want" as just the stuff nearby, which, is fair, but not the case for a lot of people.

*In the US at least.

This.  Also there are places in America that are at least an hour from anything driving. Including other residences.  Remember, we have one state basically the size of all Europe.

[Yoink]

If you live in a decent neighbourhood there won't be much in the way of noise complaints anyway.
"Quiet" isn't a pro. Hiking paradise is just a train ride away, a train ride whose starting station is probably just a short walk from your house. Apart from like, blacksmithing I can't think of many hobbies that can't easily be performed in a garage or backyard. "Money can go further in the country"? You mean like how everything is more expensive than in cities/suburbs?

Also I'm not sure how "land is power", in my experience as long as you're paying rates to the government it basically still belongs to them anyway - but then, I live in Australia, probably one of the most subjugated first-world countries around. No idea what it's like in Freedomland, perhaps several of your points apply better over there.

This.  Also there are places in America that are at least an hour from anything driving.. Including other residences.  Remember, we have one state basically the size of all Europe.

It's crazy how our country isn't that much smaller, but the US just seems so insanely massive because, well, half of it is actually inhabited.



Edit: also... "quiet"? Quiet?! Have you ever heard a friggin' cicada?!
I would take the noise of construction sites or a multi-lane highway on my doorstep over that torture any day. Honestly, cicada song (or whatever other annoying fukken bugs are more common in other areas) is pretty much the ultimate, indisputable argument against living (or setting foot) in the country, ever.

[Imic]

I’ve lived in a one street Village that’s a two hour walk from the nearest town (20 minutes by train) for most of my life, and I honestly don’t see the appeal of living in a city. I did, briefly, a decent while ago, and I have to say, I don’t know why anyone does it. It’s awful.
We have basically everything covered by around a dozen businesses squished into the middle of the one street, and you have people who you know, and who’ve known you since you were very young, whom you can get for help if something happens, although you may need to wait a while for them to arrive. You never need to converse with anyone other than the Shopkeeper, and if you ever want a chat, you can head down to the pub. We have three, formerly five, pick your favorite.it’s calm and peaceful, with everything you’d need extremely close by, and you have a few for miles of fields and farmland broken only by the occasional farmhouse or forested hilltop. I’ve never had any hassle or difficulty from it, and my commute to work is just a walk down the street to the coffee shop. Overall, 8/10. Too many inexplicably omnipresent Hippies.

[pisskop]

I live in New England, we exterminated our cicadas

[Sirus]

People naturally filter out to the places that are right for them.

Conveniently, this concentrates all the city people together into easy targets for when the countryside people strike!

What, all three dozen of them?

[Hanslanda]

Living in the countryside would only be good if one was, like, a serial killer or poppy farmer or something.
Half of y'all just make a drastic leap in my headcanon.


Now, of course, if you were actually living in the wilderness, completely cut off from society, that would be different. Pretty cool, actually. Hermit cave FTW. But if you're going to be a part of civilization, even way out on its fringes, why the hell would you choose to live in bumfuck nowhere with poor/nonexistent PT and nothing in walking distance unless you feel like hiking for an entire day?! Lots of drunk-driving tends to happen in such situations, too.   
Also, it sounds like a lot of people's complaints about cities stem from simply giving way too many shits about what your asshole neighbours think of you. Noise complaints are pretty much the only thing one has to worry about, apart from paying your bills (and keeping your home intact if you're renting, obviously).

Sincerely, a city boy.



Edit:

To bad the onset agoraphobia will keep the rurals from being able to do anything

The fear of inescapable social situations? ...Yeah, probably. Knowing most everyone in town and running a high risk of meeting people whenever you leave the house is a nightmare.

I'd happily be a serial killer if not for my goddamn conscience and squicky fear of blood/organs.

Also cicadas are downright heavenly compared to humans in my yard. I live a block from neighbors and I can't see their house and that's perfect. I'm on a wooded dead end where I can see deer and touch baby rabbits that get trapped in my garden. To each their own.

[Rolan7]

Pff.  If I had a complete break and lost all compassion for other people, my "spree" would be to sneak around dark, risky places at night and jump out at them, then run giggling.  That's my dark impulse.

I played way too much Thief growing up, my power fantasy is not being seen.

(I'm also very afraid of exactly that scenario in reverse, so...)

[overseer05-15]

Pff.  If I had a complete break and lost all compassion for other people, my "spree" would be to sneak around dark, risky places at night and jump out at them, then run giggling.  That's my dark impulse.

I played way too much Thief growing up, my power fantasy is not being seen.

(I'm also very afraid of exactly that scenario in reverse, so...)

An infinite conga line of people sneaking behind other people, and each person is only aware of the person ditectly in front of them.