Opinionated

Opinionated

By Jessica Austin
Westford School, Grade 8

Vermonters are opinionated.
Go take a walk on Church Street and you will find people who love something with a passion. Whether it's organic cotton vintage tees, or new-age music that no one has ever even heard before, or the new banana-lima-bean smoothie that is "all the rage", Vermonters are opinionated.
Try telling one of the banana-lima-bean smoothie guys that you tried it and didn't really like the texture of it. They will most likely go into a story about how the texture is better for you because it allows the fibers to be broken down in your stomach which releases antioxidants that prevent cancer, and can sometimes raise your IQ level because of some other free-radical destroying micro nutrient that only works in people that drink it at precisely 5:47 PM and have eaten an oyster 12 minutes before hand. You'll walk away with a whole new frame of mind, and a free smoothie.
Vermonters are opinionated.
Tell one of the new-age musicians that you didn't like their music. Well, in this situation there are two logical outcomes: a) They smash their guitar/maraca/French horn ensemble over your head, or b) They will tell you that music is in the ear of the beholder. The less-than-traditional instruments that they use create a sound that you can't hear anywhere else. Besides, they're just trying to make their way in an industry that you have to be cutting-edge, new-age, and unconventional just to get recorded. They'll go on to list all the people that tried new things just to make it in the world. Then once they persuade you to listen to 'just the chorus' of their best song, [when really you listen to the full length of all twelve of their songs], you'll begin to like the way the French horn compliments the guitar and maraca parts. You'll walk away with a new frame of mind, a free smoothie, and a free CD.
Vermonters are opinionated.
Walk up to the organic cotton vintage tee guys and tell them that the material they use is itchy and unnecessary. Why don't they just use polyester? It's more comfortable anyways. "Well," they'll say, in a voice that is clearly offended, "Polyester and acrylic fabrics can give off toxic vapors - especially when they are brand new. Do you want to be wearing all polyester on a day when you are sick and your immune system is damaged anyways, then suddenly drop dead because of all those toxic vapors? Besides, organic cotton is hypoallergenic and therefore good for everyone.
"And regular cotton, well don't even get me started on that. It is the most heavily sprayed crop in the world! Mankind uses it for all sorts of things: flavoring snacks, drying you when you get out of the shower, and almost everything else that we use. But pesticides and insecticides can contaminate this natural alternative to polyester. That is why organic cotton is best." You'll walk away with a whole new frame of mind, a free smoothie, a free CD, and a free T-shirt.
Vermonters are opinionated.