I’m going to say something that will possibly make me the most hated Oilfield Wife on Earth, but I feel it should be said: Can we stop hating people who love low gas prices, please?
Look, I get it, BELIEVE ME. Low gas prices are leading to layoffs and that is affecting our ability to care for our families. We are scared, we are angry, we are hurting. I know I’m not alone in praying for our oilfield families.
But if I may play devil’s advocate for a second, I just want to point out that the majority of the folks rejoicing at the pump aren’t thinking about global commodity prices and how they may or may not affect working families. All people are thinking is that they just might get to eat beef this week or go see a movie. Does that make them insensitive? Perhaps. Does that mean that they are directly dancing on our graves? No. They just aren’t thinking, they don’t mean anything by it. Most people don’t even understand cause and effect in economics, heck, I don’t even think economists really understand it.
Another thing I’ve seen on the oilfield interwebs lately that I admit is quite foreign to me is the hate directed toward the oilfield families. I am assuming this social clash is happening in areas where the oil boom has brought an influx of oilfield workers and inflated prices to areas that were previously tight-knit communities that were borderline economically depressed, but that’s purely an assumption. I know that in my town I am the only person I know whose husband has anything to do with oil (well, with the exception of the oil company execs that have second homes here to ski and play golf) so this conflict between the oil workers and the rest of the world is something I don’t have personal knowledge of. I’m sure it is difficult to be in a position where people resent your presence in their town and are verbal about their jealousy toward you for having a good paying job.
I am guessing that it was in response to this hate that the “Spoiled Oilfield Wife” bumper sticker campaign was born? I personally don’t understand the need to broadcast this to people. It almost seems a bit like bragging to me. Don’t get me wrong, I am PROUD to have a man who sacrifices so much to care for our family, but I’m not going to rub it in people’s faces…..unless I want them to rub the low gas prices in mine.
Now, before I’m burned at the stake, let me just say one last thing: Hate breeds hate. It pains me to see that on top of the stress and worry we’re all going through right now, my fellow oilfield families are having to contend with hate as well. I’m not trying to be sanctimonious, as I CERTAINLY have things that set me off and turn me into a raging bitch. I saw a Saab yesterday with a “Ban Fracking” sticker on it and my first urge was to run him off the road and ask him if his car ran on hopes and dreams or granola farts, but I realized the feelings I was having at that moment were only hurting me and raising my blood pressure.
You can call it a Christian thing, or just a karma thing, or just a way to be kind to ourselves, but can we please try to not hate each other so much?
Here’s to hoping this rough patch in our industry is resolved as soon as possible. Cheers!
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