Taking Off – The Weird Side of the Internet

Taking Off – The Weird Side of the Internet – by Liam Sweeny.

I heard a cool line once, which is to have someone “go until they don’t speak the language.” Just take off. This is a dream for most of us, and a sad reality for people escaping abuse. But what if you just full on disappear and become someone else?

A woman in Wisconsin was recently found after being a missing person for sixty years. They talked to her, and she just tore rubber back in the day and she was nice and said “I’m happy and life has been sweet tea.” She probably didn’t use those words.

So you’re just home, darning a pile of socks for winter and a deputy comes to your door, which you open, and he holds out a milk carton from sixty years ago with your name on it. And he probably didn’t do that, but just the same, you’re found. My question being: can you just say “I’m good, leave me alone?” and keep ignoring the world? Assuming you have no legal baggage or illegitimate children? I’m thinking sure, definitely if you’re not breaking laws. But I’m thinking it’s tough to tell the deputy to leave you alone. Like does he think it’s his job to blow up your spot?

Again and again, not talking about people doing illegal things. Just people who walked away for good and switched out their dice.

In the case of the Wisconsin woman, the Sheriff’s Department was cool. They left it private and said that she had her reasons, and there was no foul play.

I do wonder what it must’ve been like for her driving, getting tickets. Was it scary, or actually did the local cops know about it and kept it quiet?

Sixty years. And she was only like one state over. Kind of flips the meaning on ‘small world.

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