Cal·i·for·nian-slackerism
| (kāl'ĭ-fôr'nyən, -fôr'nē-ən - [slak-er izm]) Pronunciation Key Abbr. CAism or Cal.ism or Califism. 1. - A state of mind in the western United States near the Pacific Ocean. CA was laggardly admitted as the 31st state in 1850 and has procrastinated ever since. The area was colonized by the Spanish and was then over-run by hippies to informally secede from the United States during the 60's cultural revolution via the Timothy Leary treatise - "Flashbacks". Californian-Slackerism is often simply called "Chill-out or No Worries", depending on the region, and its term differing in Northern California and Southern California but ultimately and unanimously regarded as just; Cal'i·for'nian adj. & n. 2. - An epiphany made clear seconds after a near fatal collision with a tractor-trailer near Golden Gate park... |
Origin:
2008–2009; CA slack1 + -er1 + ism; def. 5 popularized by a little known and "untitled" free-lance writer during a trip to Big Sur and Napa Valley (October 2008)
2008–2009; CA slack1 + -er1 + ism; def. 5 popularized by a little known and "untitled" free-lance writer during a trip to Big Sur and Napa Valley (October 2008)
As a Floridian I have always felt that there is an unspoken interstate rivalry with Californians. For example; both our states are named after the conquering Spanish, both of our States revenue are based on tourism, we have Disney World, they have Disney Land. We both have Orange Counties which happen to export oranges. We both have teams consistently ranked in the top-10 of the college BSC polls, They have the Governator we have Charlie "girly-man" Crist, (no not that one), but I guess the similarities end there.
As far as the interstate rivalries are concerned, I think Florida is winning the infra-structure competition, due in part to Californian Slackerism or CAlifism. Take for instance CA's $3,107,023,275 in publicly held federal debt or the rolling Blackouts and their "No worries" deal with it later policies.
However with all of these "cons" and my acute awareness of my biases prior to flying out there; I have to admit, California, is worthy of its hype...
To be clear this slackerism was an epiphany made seconds after a close call with a tractor-trailer... In my opinion it was completely avoidable. If they had given me some more road to merge I would not have felt the pressing danger of my situation. However due to a quirky slightly under-funded highway system that propels you onto a major highway (CA 101), I was at its "No-Worries" mercy.
I was leaving the Northern Golden Gate conservation area on a Sunday afternoon and the visibility was (<) a hundred feet below the "dense" fog cover. The top of the Golden Gate bridge was hidden in the mist and the sun-light burst through in an unknown but rhythmic dance. I was on my way to Napa Valley and had just traveled a thousand miles of the CA highway system. To my surprise, hitchhiking hippies still span the scenic Californian country side... They where young and fit and could easily get a job if they would tend to their personal hygiene, but that wasn't the point. They had adventure in their eyes and shrugged responsibility. Trust fund kids with lots of time on their hands. Damn, I envy them...
However I was on my own adventure. Having just spent a couple of days driving on the most treacherously beautiful vinculum of asphalt ever: Highway - 1, where you are a tire width away from certain death. The shear cliffs plunging into the frothy ocean which masticates against the oxidized-granite. In this place lies the last stand of the continental United States. There is no more civilization to be seen across that great wide blue immensity. Just the knowledge that if you go far enough and endure ample hardships, you could be on the other side of the world.
Big Sur, the most lonely place on our continent. Standing on its cliffs you could not see the Pacific, only hear her frenzy beneath the mist. Humbling and frightening a local shop-owner commented "He had never been swimming in the Ocean, he was scared of it."
Imagine the land surrounded by a blanket of thick white cotton balls and you would get a sense of the profundity of the cloud cover. Redwoods dangle off the cliffs while ancient grass lands commingle with the salty air. It is a land of unprecedented beauty and austere ruggedness. The inhabitants are surrounded by miles of scenic isolation. If you could afford to live there you would be hard pressed to find a decent patch of land in which to build your home. The Spanish named it el país grande del sur (the Big Country of the South) which was often shortened to el sur grande, because it was a vast, unexplored, and impenetrable terrain...
