Sick of non-Californians bashing Californians (college, military, move)

[RobE]

I'm a native Californian and don't like Wal-Mart or Target (never been in either), but I love Costco.

Since I have moved up to Washington, I have heard grumbling from the natives about Californians clogging the freeways and helping to boost home prices.

The main thing I hate, though, about non-Californians in their view of those of us born in the Golden State is that we are "fake." Of course, most of those folks who say that have never met anyone from California. Rather, they are merely parroting the bs they have heard on the radio or they just want to feel superior. Hollywood is really fakey because it is predicated on marketing images, but Hollywood is a tiny part of the state.

And to be frank, the most fake people I have met are from the deep south. There is a real viciousness underlying those so-called "southern manners" that I don't see in the average Californian. On the other hand, southerners are much more social with their neighbors (well, at least if my relatives from Arkansas are any indication) while Californians generally prefer to cocoon inside their homes.

As for "quien es mas macho," to take a page out of an old tv comedy skit, I have a nephew in the Marines, but the whole debate as to who is better between cops, fireman, members of the military, etc, is just guys wanting to dominate others by denigrating them. Totally non-productive exercise. Everyone has his/her role to play and should be respected for it. A lot of the jokes are admittedly funny, though.

[Twinkle Toes]

Sick of non-Californians bashing Californians

Get used to it - that's what they do. I just thank my lucky stars I don't have to be them!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

Sick of non-Californians bashing Californians

Get used to it - that's what they do. I just thank my lucky stars I don't have to be them!

Anymore.

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

I live in the Coachella Valley and I must say that while it is pretty nice, we too are being overrun with illegal immigrants and crime.

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

we are NOT trying to make Texas like California - in fact we are (I am anyway) trying to get the heck as far away from CA as possible!!! ...then I'll be a Texan too!!! Yeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaa!!!

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

our whole lives we've been "brainwashed" by California housing prices. Now that we've ventured to a far away land reality is setting in. "You mean we don't have to be ripped off anymore?????"

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

I know a bunch of #$%@*&^'s from California - that's why I'm trying to get away!!!

But we see a transition coming:

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

I am NOT digging this!!! I can't believe I left beautiful, warm, sunny Palm Desert, California for this!!!

I've been there too sister, you can dig up the same rhetoric on me. I too made the move from CA in 2006 and am now glad to be back.

[.highnlite]

You folks have confused bravery with physical conditioning.
My point was simple, and I thought, extremely clear.
The military, whether Marines or anyone else, do not work as hard for as long as Forest Service hotshot crews, it has nothing to do with "experiencing incoming" or comparing an experienced fire crew with an inexperienced crew, it has to do with the nature of the work, my point was physical toughness. What sent the marines into shock was not the hard work, but that the longhaired bearded hotshots worked them into the ground. The marines had a tough time with what they saw as "hippies" out working them.
When faced with a fire making a run uphill toward you with 200 foot flame heights, there isn't much difference between that and "incoming"

[Boompa]

As someone who used to live in California I couldn't agree with the OP more. I grew up on the East Coast and now live in Arizona, California is a different mindset and if you aren't willing to accept that you might as well not move there. I would gladly live there but when I retired the money just wasn't there, even my bloated public employee pension couldn't afford Real Estate in the Bay Area

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Boompa

As someone who used to live in California I couldn't agree with the OP more. I grew up on the East Coast and now live in Arizona, California is a different mindset and if you aren't willing to accept that you might as well not move there. I would gladly live there but when I retired the money just wasn't there, even my bloated public employee pension couldn't afford Real Estate in the Bay Area

But as a retiree, couldn't you have found something away from the high cost areas of the bay area - the places where jobs are which drive housing prices up?

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Dang you're tough. Tell ya what. Instead of playing with toy soldiers, consider joining the real Army and then experiment. If you can't hack that then the Coast Guard is no place for you. They have a real mission with or without wars.

By the way and just for balance, Californians, before the housing crash, were known to move to other states and drive up their housing prices.

PS. I'm a native Californian and I don't think the way you do.

Texans, especially in Austin, are forever complaining about Californians driving up home prices in Texas because they have so much cash from selling their homes before moving here. At least until the last two or three years.....

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

You folks have confused bravery with physical conditioning.
My point was simple, and I thought, extremely clear.
The military, whether Marines or anyone else, do not work as hard for as long as Forest Service hotshot crews, it has nothing to do with "experiencing incoming" or comparing an experienced fire crew with an inexperienced crew, it has to do with the nature of the work, my point was physical toughness. What sent the marines into shock was not the hard work, but that the longhaired bearded hotshots worked them into the ground. The marines had a tough time with what they saw as "hippies" out working them.
When faced with a fire making a run uphill toward you with 200 foot flame heights, there isn't much difference between that and "incoming"

Oh but there is. Fire is an equal opportunity potential killer that can cut a wide, impersonal swath and quite frasnkly, the thoughtn of burning to death scares the hell out of me. Incoming, especially small arms, automatic fire and grenades is real personal. You're being purposely and individually targeted and aimed at. I think that's the major difference but doesn't make one less "manly" or dangerous than the other.

But isn't it interesting that most of us vets can acknowledge the hard work of the fire crews without disparaging or minimizing them in the slightest while you have to try to laud them over the sacrifices of our ground troops, more of whom have been killed than firefighters from all over. Both jobs are fraught with danger and risk and both are necessary but that doesn't make one subset "tougher" than the other, just different.

But if that's the only way you can "elevate" yourself above the fray, have at it.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by ExperimentalArmy

I am sick of other people from other states bashing us so, I will tell you why we think the way we think.

...

4. We hate your huge pickup trucks with V8 diesel engines that sound like a big rig. They take up the highway and can't fit in the parking slots.


...

-A pissed off California born resident.

Speak for your own hateful self.




Yes, it takes up the whole road. No it doesn't fit in parking spots. Yes it sounds like a semi (those are twin 6" stacks). Sorry, it's not a V-8, but it'll trounce them when I want.

Just for the sheer pursuit of happiness I often drive in it all by my lonesome just to run errands.

For the record, I am a second generation native born Californian, and largely disagree with all of your points.

Now, why don't you tell me what a wonderful, tolerant and open-minded individual you are?

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

Sick of non-Californians bashing Californians

Get used to it - that's what they do. I just thank my lucky stars I don't have to be them!

As a Californian myself, I have not heard of this really happening. I've never heard anybody out-of-state complain about CA except with regards to the high COL relative to most other areas, which is not a matter of opinion. The only time I ever see anti-CA sentiment (at least on this board) is when people from CA move to other states and [allegedly] ruffle the feathers of the locals.

And I didn't really understand the original post either...what does having Wal-Mart in CA (as someone else said -- CA has the 3rd highest number of Wal-Marts in the US) have to do with people bashing it? For having too many Wal-Marts? That's not what it sounded like to me. LOL. Maybe I missed something.