Before I get too involved with this new topic at RJsCorner, I have put out there what annoys me the most about all the advertisements related to RetComs. Every time I see a picture from a RetCom it always has EVERY resident smiling 🤮.   

Here are just a few examples

I think smiling faces is a subliminal way of trying to convince you that there is never a reason to frown once you join their RetCom. I am now in my 6th year of living in my RetCom and I can attest that there are plenty of people around me daily who don’t smile. There are two people in particular here that I have NEVER seen smile.  I don’t know what their story is, but even just making a friendly wave to them results in nothing resembling a smile, or even recognition of my presence for that matter.

Speaking statistically you can take almost any topic and/or any  group of people and they will spread the spectrum of just about every human characteristic. Two-thirds of them will huddle in what is commonly called “mainstream” or “herd” in that they will follow trends that are dictated by the group they are part of. 

Then there are the two extremes that make up the remaining third part of the overall spectrum. 

A small percentage on the left side of the mainstream will be people who are called, in modern day terms, neurodiverse (I am one of those). They think differently than most others, so joining the herd is just not where they are. Others on the left side might be called eccentric, quirky, unconventional, or any of dozens of other names, but for the most part they are loners who think for themselves.

Then there are people on the right side who for one reason or another have a chip on their shoulder. That is, they believe that life has treated them very unfairly in one matter or many others. They simply don’t see anything in their lives that warrant a smile.

Ok, enough of these group ramblings. Just because you join a RetCom doesn’t mean that your life is dramatically different than before. You still have all your opinions and prejudices that you had before you became an official RetCom resident.

I will have more to say about the social aspects of RetComs in some near future posts.