California, Most Hated State.. Why? (rich, outlets, top)

[trixie09]

Originally Posted by movingawayfromtherain

I thought It would be interesting to get some perspective on this from people who live there. Most of you probably realize california gets a pretty bad wrap across the country. This attitude springs up from many people who probably have never even been to california at all.

So my question is, is this some kind of myth? What causes California to have such a bad reputation; is it the economy-there are worse states--is it the large latino population? is it because it contains Sanfrancisco? Seasonal Fires?

What are your thoughts?

As a California native who has been living in another State... I say it's mostly jealousy and ignorance. I have had so many people up here in Washington State go on and on about how they hate California (Oregonians say it too,) and the vast majority of them, when asked, have never BEEN there.

They have this idea of California. Or they went to one place (usually Riverside or Bakersfield or the area around LAX) and decided that THIS was California.

California is so multi-faceted, that it's pretty disingenuous to say you hate the entire place, because each area is so different. There is also the aspect of the for-profit talking heads on the news who bash California as "everything wrong with America" because California is so diverse and progressive.

I can think of a lot of other places that deserve the disrespect... frankly, living in Washington State, it appears to be the animal abuse capitol of the US.

You have to pity California, not hate it. They are considered a tax "donor" State. only 78 cents of every dollar paid into the Feds by Californians, is actually spent on California. They "donate" 1/3 of their tax dollars to help places like Mississippi and Texas, while California is left holding the bag to pay for the billions in services to illegal immigrants who come over the US border. They're getting a raw deal. But it's STILL a wonderful place in many ways.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by trixie09

As a California native who has been living in another State... I say it's mostly jealousy and ignorance. I have had so many people up here in Washington State go on and on about how they hate California (Oregonians say it too,) and the vast majority of them, when asked, have never BEEN there.

Like you, I am a CA native, came up here in 1993. We were warned when moving here to get our WA plates on the car quickly as people here hate Californians. We soon learned that 80% of our neighbors were also from CA
so it turned out not to be a problem. Those here that hate Californians are the native Washingtonians who found that the people like us moving up from CA in the 80's and 90's drove up home prices, as we had to spend a lot of money on homes to avoid capital gains tax on the sale of our CA home.

Reality is that CA has it's problems but also has some of the most beautiful areas in the US, like Tahoe, Yosemite and Big Sur. As for the people, with their huge population they naturally have the full range from the most extreme liberals to extreme conservatives, hard-working to welfare bums and gang members, and everything in between.

When in California, if you don't like where you are, just drive an hour.

[stan in san diego]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

As an "outsider" who moved to California at age 13 back in 96 I'll give my two cents:
I don't think most people have a problem with California per se. Not even on a cultural or political level. The majority of the United States is considerably east of the Mississippi, and as such they are largely unaffected and indifferent to California. Most people don't have a problem with California, rather they have a problem with California natives.

And by natives I don't mean all natives, I mean as another poster noted, a small but outlandish and vocal minority. The problem here in, rests with the fact that an outlandish and vocal minority mixed in with a silent but humble majority becomes "a few bad apples spoils the bunch". A few bad apples spoils the bunch transcends into "stereotypes exist for a reason".

To explain the prototype of an all around dislikeable Californian I would have to equate it to the girl no one liked in High School. At granite bay high class of 01' we had "K". You all know the type. The fat chick who thought she was hot, because her dad was rich. She would not have been that unlikeable, had it not been for her reprehensible personality. And when she would falter and fluster, everyone would take solace.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that a good amount of californians are a poorly-travelled lot and tend to think because california "has everything", that it has the best of everything. Which simply is not the case.
We have a desert but it is not the most interesting desert. We have the mountains, but they can not measure up to the Rockies. We have the beach, but beaches in places like florida and hilo are much, much better. We have the forest, but there are much nicer forests, where you don't have to worry about wandering off the trails and running into armed weed growers.

We have the central valley, but it is not the most majestic farm country and most would agree it ain't exactly easy on the eyes. Especially when compared to the fresh red barned, family farms, surrounded by greenery in the golden corn belt. San Francisco is urbane, but it is not the pinnacle of urbanity to anyone east of the mississippi, or rockies for that matter.

I think most importantly, some californians lack serious perspective. A good example would be when one poster from California I observed was saying "youre welcome Egypt" because facebook is hq'ed in the bay.

Never mind the fact that this is rude, or the fact that face book was started in the east coast at harvard, or the fact that the company and the person who started the hoopla in egypt had nothing to do with this poster. Simply because facebook was in the bay, he felt owed a "thank you". Now to some this may not be a big deal, and it really is not, but think, for a second, how this looks to other people.

Its very easy to see why people would see this and say "see, just like the stereotype, some californians will stop at nothing in the name of self congratulation". I don't think some people here realize that tooting ones own horn generally does not make you a well regarded folk in the united states.

Most importantly I think a lot of Californians are quite frankly, a hyper-sensitive lot. Its funny because in places like New York or Chicago, and other places back east, it is seen as a badge of honor to be able to negatively critique ones city or state. The more you know about the short comings and the more you speak on it, the higher people hold you in regard. Look at George Carlin, he was the type of person that commented on all sorts of every day New York nonsense and the people of the city loved him for it.

Considering the 20 or 30 years of left coast bashing of the "bible belt" and "midwest" you would think Californians would be able to handle a little California bashing, but quite frankly many here can dish it out but they simpy can not take it. Which was something I realized about Californians when I first moved here in 96.

You mean you were that perceptive when you were 13? We moved here in 1979 and everything you say is BS.

[.highnlite]

We have a desert but it is not the most interesting desert. We have the mountains, but they can not measure up to the Rockies. We have the beach, but beaches in places like florida and hilo are much, much better. We have the forest, but there are much nicer forests, where you don't have to worry about wandering off the trails and running into armed weed growers.

What a nut. Anyone who has wandered California's deserts and mountains, knows this guy is from Mars, since his statements are so vague one wonders what his parameters are, "most interesting" "measure up" what do those mean, and to any of us who have wandered around Death Valley, or been in the Sierra High Country, we know, he is just blowing smoke about something he knows nothing about.

As for Beaches, the surf in Florida sucks, big time, Hilo? there is a beach in Hilo?

The Central Valley doesn't measure up? The economic value of the farms in the Central Valley is greater than any 5 states east of it, combined. 90% of of a number of crops grown in the US come from the Central Valley. A third of America's cotton comes from Kern County.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

We have a desert but it is not the most interesting desert.

Just another plonker who can't see the forest for the trees.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

What a nut. Anyone who has wandered California's deserts

Keyword highlighted. Anyone who refers to the California desert (singular) is showing major ignorance of the desert biomes in this state. Take your pick, we have Sonoran, high, low, nearctic basin and range and sand dune deserts, to name just a few.

[Setsuko]

Norcal Dude is a troll. Ignore him. 100% of his post are negative. I visit the SF forum from time to time and all he does is trash that place and he's from Sacramento so he claims.

[Fontucky]

Even those types need their comeuppance on occasion.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Keyword highlighted. Anyone who refers to the California desert (singular) is showing major ignorance of the desert biomes in this state. Take your pick, we have Sonoran, high, low, nearctic basin and range and sand dune deserts, to name just a few.

You're exactly right. Three of the four desert ecosystems in North America occur in California.

[.highnlite]

Now that sounds interesting to most of us. J-Tree has two deserts, you can walk along and see the boundary, now that is cool.

I am partial to the Basin and Range, having spent the last 40 years in it, and exploring it.