Valley Views

valley views Like, what do you mean?

Picture this, you are like sitting with a group of like your friends and you start to pick up on like this pattern of saying like. But like why do we say like so much?

Starting in the 1850s, the word “like” made its appearance more frequently in literature - a trend that continued steadily until the 1950s. That’s when “like” was picked up by the young and rebellious Beat Generation. Members of this Silent Generation counterculture movement introduced the word into their speech repetitively to symbolize their affiliation to the broader group. Using “like” became rather ubiquitous and subsequently aspired as shorthand or a stereotype in popular culture for the disdained group. Movies and early animated films in the 1950s frequently implemented this trope. Such slang spread around the country before the trend of injecting extra “likes” went mostly dormant.

Fast forward to the 1970s when a new phenomenon transpired on the west coast. A new group, Valley Girls, adopted the “like” habit. Valley Girls were a socioeconomic subculture that emerged in the upper-middle-class teenage and 20-something girls of San Fernando Valley of Southern California. Members of this subculture were characterized by congregating in malls and sporting a very definite sense of style, catered to by emerging consumerism. However, Valley Girls’ way of speaking was their defining trait. “Valley Speak” emerged-a sociolect or collection of slang and alternate pronunciation used by a specific class of people. Valley Speak included many phrases that have become widespread since like “Totally,” “Take a chill pill,” and “Psych!” The Valley Speak sociolect remained largely a regional phenomenon until a musician named Frank Zappa released a song mocking the trend - aptly named “Valley Girl.” The song hit the charts, and was adopted as an anthem by the very girls Zappa meant to poke fun at. “Valley Girl” was even nominated for a Grammy! After the break-out success of the song, the California-based entertainment industry jumped on the bandwagon. Valley Girl tropes began popping up in movies and TV shows targeted at younger demographics. The modern teenager was birthed into the cultural consciousness. Thus “like” was seeping into North American English.

Unlike its first major debut in the ‘50s, “like” continued its longevity as a fixture of speech. At first, the English word “like” presented with only two meanings: to feel attracted towards and secondly, similar to. But, over the last 150 years, “like” has expanded to four new distinct meanings, each one highly functional when speaking. The first…happened “like a month ago.” Or the quotative usage, “And he was like hello.” Thirdly, “like” serves as a filler word similar to “um.” Lastly the word can apply stress or emphasis to something “like a lot.” All of this utility makes “like” a helpful tool in numerous conversational situations.

The extensive use of “like” is often portrayed as an example of how younger generations are “ruining” the English language. While I do agree that English is changing, I believe the term “ruin” is being needlessly dramatic. Languages naturally evolve over time. Early English is borderline unintelligible to us today because of this process. If you don’t believe me, just look up a book called “The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye” by William Caxton published in 1473. Some people will bemoan and grumble about the continued evolution of English linguistics, but I prefer to look at it through the lens of fascination. We are witnessing something unusual as new ways to verbally articulate and express ourselves are being uncovered. Like, how incredible is that!

ben there

DONE that Ben Stone Media Production, Valley Journal

Scraping the paint

I’ve taken up a new hobby: painting. I don’t paint walls or houses. I keep it smaller - to canvases, coasters and such. It’s not painting like you might think. My new leisure pursuit involves no brushes or rollers.

What it lacks in brushes, this technique makes up for in paint. I literally pour it onto the canvas and let it flow. I might spin it. I might blow on it with a blow dryer or a straw, but what it comes down to is paint consistency and letting it all just flow where it may. It’s called acrylic pour painting and it’s rather addictive. It allows you to create art without the control that art typically encompasses - although the more involved and knowledgeable I become in the process, the more I realize the lack of control is but an illusion. It is control without control, which is the epitome of art, not to mention cool.

It’s been a real learning curve. Continues to be, for that matter.

One thing I’ve come to understand is that not every piece is a masterpiece. Welcome to the world of Rembrandt and Da Vinci, not that I’d know for sure, but I suspect most artists – even the great ones – had their share of

Slices of Life Jill Pertler Syndicated columnist

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LETTER POLICY

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learning curves.

This happens a lot in acrylic pour painting - at least if you are me.

It was hard, at first to acknowledge that I’d painted a failure. None of us wants to create a failure. But, I could tell that I’d pushed the paint too far. Maybe the colors got muddy. Maybe they flowed where they weren’t supposed to flow. Maybe they just looked plain old meh.

Whatever the outcome, many of mine didn’t measure up to expectations.

At first, I left them to dry, hoping maybe they’d somehow improve themselves during the process. Naivety is often a gift. It keeps us going when others might look our way and roll their eyes.

After a few dried failures and my own eye rolls, I realized I was only wasting canvases and paint n- and those things aren’t free. My naivety flew out the window and was replaced by pragmatism. Creating beauty is one thing, wasting money is another.

It was then that I learned the art - and the practicality - of the scrape.

If I didn’t want to waste a canvas, I realized had to kill my own darlings (to coin a phrase from Stephen King). As much as I wanted to love my canvas creations, I knew they weren’t going to hang on anyone’s wall - not even my own. So, I had to scrape them.

I had to pull the paint off and start anew.

It’s like everything in life. Some days it’s all good and other days it’s a scrape. But even on the most scrapiest of days, I’ve learned we shouldn’t give up. Even a scrape teaches us something new.

It teaches us that even though we may need a do-over, there is still something worth saving. We are still worthy of a second or third (or fourth) try. Scraping means salvaging what we can and moving forward with it. Pour your scraped paint into a cup and use it on another try on another day. Who knows, your next pour might be a keeper. It may ever be your most beautiful one yet.

Keep pouring.

letters

Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.

Montanans spend too much on rent

Editor,

Montana has become a prime destination for out-of-state residents looking for homes in a state that has close access to pristine rivers, stunning hiking trails, and abundant wildlife. Between 2010 and 2020, Montana’s population grew 10%. Housing availability has not caught up to this rapid increase in population. According to Greg Hertz, over that same time span the number of housing units has only increased by 7%. Because of this, prices have soared exponentially. In 2010, the average monthly rent for a studio apartment in Montana was $444. By 2020, that number skyrocketed to $588, which RentData. org states was a 30% increase.

Montanans simply spend too much on rent. Although it is recommended that no one spend over 30% of their monthly income on housing, almost 70% of renters surveyed in 2021 by MontPIRG exceed this mark.

This problem is perpetuated by inadequate renters rights legislation. As long as landlords issue a notice “at least 15 days before the expiration of the month, (they may) change the terms of the lease to take effect at the expiration of the month” (Montana Code 70-26109). This means that as long as landlords notify renters of a price increase, they may increase rent to any amount whatsoever.

Montanans saw a boom in population as out-of-state residents are drawn to our world class fishing, biking, and hiking areas. This, paired with a lack in housing development, caused a massive increase in rent prices. It is time for the Montana legislature to pass sensible legislation that protects renters from unreasonable price increase.

By filling out a renter survey with MontPIRG, you can help us to compile data that demonstrates how severe this problem is.

Wyatt Balius Missoula

Maybe it could be simple

Editor,

I was happy to read all the contributions to last week’s paper in regards to building community (An Evolution in Community) and other generally quality contributions from community members. These last few decades, we have seen a massive erosion in social capital in our country. That means people aren’t in nearly as many clubs, social interactions have declined and relationships that are built on trust and reciprocation rather than purely monetary have lessened. This means more people are unhappy, disconnected, and alone.

Many of the articles and views last week built a positive theme in my mind that I’ve been thinking on for some time. As a society, we are concerned about losing our connection with one another, but we’re unsure of how to move forward. I especially enjoyed Judy Preston and Anais Starr’s “Censorship in Speech” letter. It rings a central theme to all of this disconnection in my mind: technology and pharmaceuticals. As a former Political Science major, a moderate millennial, and a social media quitter, I rarely read the news anymore, because as Judy and Anais said, “In this freedom of speech country of ours, we have had an expectation of diversity of opinion in media. Instead…we fear reprisal…” How true, especially these last two years. Don’t let the master manipulators and robots win. Go play some pickleball, go to the farmers market, and say hello to your new neighbor. I know it’s not that simple, but maybe it could be.

Shay Farmer St. Ignatius

Protect the ecosystem

Editor,

The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act is a piece of legislation that needs immediate attention. This legislation

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would help secure the peace of the Blackfoot River by permanently protecting its most crucial tributaries. This bill will not only provide a protection of important ecosystems, but it will please a large diverse group of stakeholders that care about protecting the Blackfoot. The stakeholders that will benefit include fly fishermen, hunter/anglers, backpackers, local business owners, environmentalist, biologists, ranch/ farm owners, and many more. Not often you find a bill that has the potential to please all people from all walks of life regardless of background and this is one of those bills.

This bill will secure the tranquility and protection of the large amount of life that utilize this area. From bears to fish and deer to songbirds this area is an extremely rich ecosystem teeming with life and it needs to be protected from any possible oil/gas development. Specifically, wildlife biologists have discovered that the Bull Trout are especially dependent on this river system being protected. In the shallow undisturbed tributaries is where Bull Trout carry out their reproduction which is critical for the survival of their species. This species is proving to be even more crucial to protect because their survival rate is an important indicator for if the ecosystem as a whole is healthy or not. All in all, The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act will protect some of the most glorious waterways in all of the Western continental United States. Passing this bill will bring Montanans together in rejoice for their beloved lands being protected. To help make an impact you can go to http://blackfootclearwater.org/ to interact with different stakeholder views and you can also go online to comment on the bill.

Sierra Franklin Missoula

Responsibility for feral cats lies with us

Editor,

This is a copy of a letter sent to the City of Polson, Polson City Mayor, personnel overseeing city workers and to the Valley Journal.

I am a Polson city resident and taxpayer. I don’t feed the gulls at the city lake park – I feed the feral cat colony – one of 4 city groups located at a city equipment shed across the street from WBC and adjacent to the local food bank. At present there is no humane program to curb and support these feral victims of man’s negligence. I am working on humane ways to address this problem. I have only been feeding at this site since this fall. Today I noticed these little guys are having to use this covered dirt area as a giant cat box. Law of life – what goes in the body as food filters out as waste. What normal cat would try to use ice and snow for a cat box? We have a humane responsibility for these Polson feral citizens. One doesn’t have to like cats to have compassion for them as an earth-sharing species. One just needs to be a bit evolved as a human being. All to say and inform you that when weather permitting, I will be responsible for removing the “used dirt” and replacing it with “clean” dirt. By then this “Magic 30” colony will be taking to the fields for their cat box.

Joan St. John Polson

Contribute positively

Editor,

These are crazy times. Is there a good answer? Read on and see what you think.

Just look at our own nation. Presently we are experiencing the crises of political upheaval, angry mobs and killings. We humans immediately try to figure out who to blame.

Joe Biden, as president, is of course, the chief recipient of blame. We also blame our GOP legislative branch of characters who are gripped by fear. This involves the great fear of the continuing Trump related attack process.

What creates a well-functioning and peaceful nation? This, in my view, is a most critical question right now for each of us to consider. The answer comes from ‘the bottom up,’ not from ‘the top down.’ This involves me being fully aware of my own thoughts, words, and actions in this time of crisis. Am I contributing positively, or am I part of the problem?

At the same time, it is necessary for our thousands of our state and federal elected leaders to be looking within themselves and getting honest with what is motivating their thoughts, words, and actions. The time is now.

Bob McClellan Missoula

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News from the North Lake County Public Library

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, for staff training. Come in early to get your materials that day. We will re-open for our regular hours on Wednesday, March 9, from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Upgrade Your Cybersecurity on Tuesday, March 15, from 2-3 p.m. Is your online information as secure as you think? Learn the best ways to safeguard your data and protect yourself on the web. This presentation will cover several sides of cybersecurity, including passwords, malware, privacy, data breaches and scams.

On Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m. join us for an interactive movie. We will be showing a popular animated film about a feisty Scottish Princess. Follow along and join in with interactive participation. What a great event for your whole family.

The Friends of the Library will have a used book and media sale on Friday, March 25, and March 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the library’s large meeting room.

Join us in the library for Story Time on Thursdays at 9:15 a.m. This program is geared toward ages 3-5 but all are welcome. We will read a few books followed by a fun craft or activity. Face masks are recommended but not required.

Mondays mean Mother Goose, so join us at 9:15 a.m. at the library. Mother Goose is geared toward ages 0 to 3, but all are welcome. We encourage parents and caregivers to participate with their children for this early learning time. The doors open at 9 a.m. We will practice social distancing. Face masks are recommended but not required.

Conservation Corner

Lake County Conservation District scholarship is taking applications

News from the LCCD

Do you know a Lake County resident high school senior with an interest in conservation, natural resources, and agriculture? Then check out our Future Steward Conservation Scholarship on our website: https://lakecountyconservationdistrict.org/.

Award: $500.00

Application opens: 2/2/2022

Application closes: 4/15/2022

Decision will be made by: 5/15/2022