John McLemore’s Self-Alienation from his Shit Town and Shit Life
The ultimate, yet unspoken goal in life is to be successful. Success comes in many forms, like gaining money, knowledge, and the ability to form friendships and relationships with other people. However, if people cannot obtain success in these different realms, they are often depicted in literature and in reality as being a failure. In Brian Reed’s podcast, “S-Town”, he is lured into Bibb county, Alabama after hearing rumors of police corruption and a murder cover-up. However, after his first visit to Bibb county had concluded, Brian’s motivation for carrying on this project was the person who had initially alerted him of the suspected murder, John B. McLemore. From the start, …show more content…
John McLemore was a man with a complex mind living in an “area that just hasn't advanced”, filled to the brim with religious beliefs, police corruption and poor education (Chapter 1). When first meeting John, Brian picks up on how his social skills are subpar. He takes note of how “there's no ‘nice to meet you’ back, no ‘how you doing,’ no handshake. John just takes off around the side of the house with a pack of dogs following him” (Chapter 1). Brian is taken aback by how informal and antisocial John’s mannerisms are, especially because of how talkative he is on the phone and through email. Quickly, Brian comes to the realization that John’s awkward social interactions stem from the lack of support around him. Being in his mid-forties, John reflects on how he wished that he had gotten out of his unsupportive environment, but that everything he valued was in Bibb county. “I should have got out of this goddamned fucking shit town in my 20s. I should have done something useful with my life. I love my home. I don't know why. I've lived here all my life” (Chapter 1) However, in an attempt to find a more supportive environment by striving towards embracing his intelligence, he decides to go college to pursue his love for science and to entertain his strengths in academics that he had never partaken in before. Contrary to his hopes, John again estranges himself from his peers and drops out. As his Chemistry professor, Tom Moore describes, “John didn't make any friends at Birmingham Southern and he didn't live there … John didn't fit in at college, he didn't fit in back home either” (Chapter 4). Feeling different from his peers in Bibb county, and feeling different from other college students in terms of appearance and socioeconomic upbringing, John felt like he was lost and did not fit in anywhere. He decided to drop out of
The ultimate, yet unspoken goal in life is to be successful. Success comes in many forms, like gaining money, knowledge, and the ability to form friendships and relationships with other people. However, if people cannot obtain success in these different realms, they are often depicted in literature and in reality as being a failure. In Brian Reed’s podcast, “S-Town”, he is lured into Bibb county, Alabama after hearing rumors of police corruption and a murder cover-up. However, after his first visit to Bibb county had concluded, Brian’s motivation for carrying on this project was the person who had initially alerted him of the suspected murder, John B. McLemore. From the start, …show more content…
John McLemore was a man with a complex mind living in an “area that just hasn't advanced”, filled to the brim with religious beliefs, police corruption and poor education (Chapter 1). When first meeting John, Brian picks up on how his social skills are subpar. He takes note of how “there's no ‘nice to meet you’ back, no ‘how you doing,’ no handshake. John just takes off around the side of the house with a pack of dogs following him” (Chapter 1). Brian is taken aback by how informal and antisocial John’s mannerisms are, especially because of how talkative he is on the phone and through email. Quickly, Brian comes to the realization that John’s awkward social interactions stem from the lack of support around him. Being in his mid-forties, John reflects on how he wished that he had gotten out of his unsupportive environment, but that everything he valued was in Bibb county. “I should have got out of this goddamned fucking shit town in my 20s. I should have done something useful with my life. I love my home. I don't know why. I've lived here all my life” (Chapter 1) However, in an attempt to find a more supportive environment by striving towards embracing his intelligence, he decides to go college to pursue his love for science and to entertain his strengths in academics that he had never partaken in before. Contrary to his hopes, John again estranges himself from his peers and drops out. As his Chemistry professor, Tom Moore describes, “John didn't make any friends at Birmingham Southern and he didn't live there … John didn't fit in at college, he didn't fit in back home either” (Chapter 4). Feeling different from his peers in Bibb county, and feeling different from other college students in terms of appearance and socioeconomic upbringing, John felt like he was lost and did not fit in anywhere. He decided to drop out of