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Old 08-09-2015, 04:58 PM
 
18 posts, read 28,300 times
Reputation: 55

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Californian culture consists of three distinct sub-regions, each with its own unique culture.

Southern California
Southern California is uniquely Southern California. It's outgoing, rude, friendly, fake, and exciting. This region has a much wider diversity of opinions, attitudes, and people than any other part of California. It is highly competitive but good-natured, at least in theory. However, a lot of posers run wild throughout the area and they lower the trust level significantly. Both feminism and chauvinism can be found, with many strong personalities. Men have a slight edge in society, and they can often be extremely deceitful and disloyal, but female expectations are also very high. A great many people will think nothing of petty theft or other bad behavior, if they think your relationship is at a closing point where they can't get anything more from you. There are also a lot of genuine wonderful people. The traffic and highly competitive housing market, compounded by the growing influx of Mexican nationals, has turned Southern California into a pressure cooker of a society. It's one of the few areas in the country where a couple can have two six-figure incomes and still struggle to make ends meet, which is why many people are leaving the area. Although there's a lot of positives to the area the negatives make it very prohibitive unless you have family in the area.

As long as you are not shy and not negative, you will make friends in Socal. Even if you are shy, you can open up and be rewarded with positive feedback. Individuality and personality, within a reasonable range, are valued traits. You will encounter bad people but you will also encounter a lot of good ones. Everyone thinks the city they happen to live in is the best city in the best state in the best country in the world. Traffic, crime, and costs are seen as the price you pay if you want the best.

Southern Californians typically have no opinion of Northern California, or a slight negative view. They aren't stuck up, they just generally don't care what happens outside the area.

There's a lot more to say about Socal, but the diversity of the area makes it a lot harder to generalize than the other two regions.

Northern California
Northern Californians have a strong tendency to be dull, authoritarian, lifeless, bland, unenthusiastic, and standoffish (even when introduced by mutual acquaintances). They see themselves as servants of The State, and are grateful the state allows them to exist in The Best Place On Earth, Northern California.

There is a strong feminist thread running through, which makes the women loud, rude, overconfident, inappropriate, and aggressive, while the men are spacey and passive. Women see men as untrustworthy and lazy, so they end up choosing men that are easily controllable. It's sort of a "vote of no confidence" based on their own broken home lives and the childishness and wishy-washiness of northern California men. White women typically see themselves as the primary breadwinner / head of household and choose men who do not challenge that status. Thus, any academic girl usually chooses a blue-collar lovable doofus who is easily controlled. They aren't looking for a "bad boy", just someone that can reassure their status as the replacement of the father figure their own dad failed to be. Almost everyone's parents are divorced. The men typically "check out" of relationships and families, leaving the women frustrated by the man's lack of leadership but unwilling to give up the control they need after witnessing the dissolution of their parents' marriage. A bulldog-faced woman with short dyed hair followed by a dopey man-child in cargo shorts pushing a shopping cart is a common sight.

In general, education is regarded as a "feminine" endeavor. Successful men are looked down on and ignored, since they are a threat, and are prolonging the dominance of the white male oligarchy. Self-degradation is noble. Grow a long beard, get covered in tattoos, and for god's sake don't have an education level higher than a typical state worker, the chosen profession of strong empowered females. Bringing down a white male is a thrill they love. The successful men almost universally end up dating Asian women, as these women see their hard work a benefit rather than a threat.

Physically, the men tend to look like the cast of "Pawn Stars". They are overweight but muscular, stocky, with wide flat faces to compliment their flat-billed black baseball caps. The women are the ugliest in the state, perhaps in the country, with a million variations of English-derived hideousness. There are many attractive women, but their percentage of the female population is about one in 20. The man are extremely cynical about women, and many have completely given up or are dating down significantly. Unfortunately they hold the liberal ideals that are killing them very close to their hearts and can't admit they've been duped.

Northern Californians value positiveness and conformity. They HATE Southern Californians. This hate is rooted in female jealousy. Northern California women know the Southerners are more attractive. I can prove this: What is the most common derogatory statement Northerners make? They call Socal people "plastic", implying that their beauty is not genuine. This is pure female jealousy at work. As always, the men go along with it.

The best feature of Northern California is some of the best outdoors activities and scenery in the country.

The Central Valley
The Central Valley is a region that starts just north of Grapevine and extends up along I5 to Stockton, and east to the Sierras. The cultural region does not include Sacramento and Davis, which are more similar to Berkeley than Fresno. The Central Valley is more similar to Socal than Norcal, as many Southern Californians move in to take advantage of the low cost of living and quieter pace of life. This is the agricultural powerhouse of the state and one of the most productive growing regions in the world. It's also devoid of jobs and is ground zero for illegal immigration into the country. Summers are hot and dry, reaching into the mid hundreds. A few small state universities and one UC campus give it more universities than most states have, but most residents opt to attend college in the coastal cities. Demographics are almost 100% white or Mexican, with a steadily increasing Hispanic population.

Central California is similar to the Midwest, infused with Socal and Mexican cultures. Teenage pregancy is sky-high, among all racial demographics. I used to see this as an embarrassment, but after witnessing the dysfunction and prudishness of Northern California I see it more as a sign of a normal functioning society. Heterosexual sex requires a lot of social support, and when that society breaks down the sex stops.

The people are religious, with many churches dotting the landscape. Socialization mostly revolves around peoples' houses, since there isn't much of a central walkable city anywhere. Cars are a big part of the culture, and many times teenagers will just drive around aimlessly listening to music for fun, sometimes while drinking or smoking pot. The population is strongly divided into the "haves" and the "have nots". There's a lot of trash that does drugs and gets into trouble with the law. Then there's the people who moved in from Socal and have decent jobs, well-maintained houses, and are generally enjoying the good life of low housing costs with a middle class salary. The middle class are the "Christians" and the lower class, at least the bad ones, and the "non-Christians". There's not really a lot outside that paradigm; either you love Jesus or you smoke meth. Money tends to separate the "good" from the "bad" and is taken as a sign of virtue, but the economic expectations are pretty tame, with a cost of living similar to that of rural Texas. Some liberals are found throughout the area but they are tolerated. People tend to have somewhat low self-esteem for not being able to make it in the big cities, but they highly value the people they know in the area and have extensive intermixed social networks.

The Central Valley is the one region of California unscathed by feminism. The women of the central valley are probably the most attractive in California. They tend to marry young. They expect their men to be men, but are pretty easy to please. Even the so-called "gold diggers" have pretty modest expectations of a $300,000 house and a good social and family life. You can have a smoking hot wife and a nice house in Clovis, CA, make regular weekend trips to the beach with your three children, all on a single salary of $60,000, although you will be professionally limited. So you really have to decide what's important to you.

Boredom is a problem but is mitigated by frequent trips to a variety of nearby destinations, many of which are off the typical beaten path. Yosemite, Hearst Castle, Pismo, and Palm Springs are common weekend road trips. Social life revolves around school and church. People are generally friendly and cautiously eager to get to know new people. There's a real sense of "ownership" of society and communicaty that is lacking in the rest of California. A stranger is regarded as a potential new and interesting acquaintance, and could have either a positive or negative impact on the community. Gossip is common and reputations are important. However, I suppose this is probably better than the total anonymity that characterizes most of California.

Male bravado and machismo is strong here, with lifted trucks, complete with faux metallic testicles. A Ford Mustang is a rich person's car.

The best and brightest of the Central Valley tend to leave for college and work, migrating all over the west coast. They tend to be quite successful as their trustworthiness and general good upbringing are appreciated, which is the one redeeming quality of an area that is otherwise regarded as a hellhole.

And that is the three cultures of California. All three cultures are extremely strong. If you live in one area and don't understand what to expect, you will have a rude awakening, but once you understand the culture it becomes quite predictable.
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Old 08-09-2015, 09:39 PM
 
Location: Sierra Nevada Land, CA
9,455 posts, read 12,476,082 times
Reputation: 16449
Quote:
Originally Posted by InTransit2 View Post
.


And that is the three cultures of California.
If you are going to Troll and pontificate at least have your grammar ducks in a row. "And these are the three cultures of CA".

With that said I think and know that your three stereotypes will be called as wrong. Many eyes will roll by folk who actually live in said areas. I assume you are a college kid with a sociology major and this is part of your paper to get a BA. Am I wrong? If no, I apologize.

With that said there are more than three Californias. I live in one. Eastern CA. Sierras. Land of small town folk, who value the person above the image. Polite to a fault. Up to date on all matters modern. Socially conservative, but strangely tolerant of their neighbor's lifestyle. No one shuns me because I am a church goer. No one shuns the nonbeliever. Being gay is a big "so what", unless you make it an in your face issue. Both ways. Go away!

Please do some research. In person and not just online.
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Old 08-09-2015, 10:10 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
702 posts, read 948,769 times
Reputation: 1498
Translation:

Quote:
Originally Posted by InTransit2 View Post
Wah wah, smart, confident women don't like me so I need to justify my mediocre life in Fresno with this massive post! Wahhhhh!
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Old 08-09-2015, 10:29 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
2,985 posts, read 4,859,369 times
Reputation: 3419
Someone set OP up on a blind date. She/he sounds quite upset at something.
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Old 08-09-2015, 11:31 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,284 times
Reputation: 11
This is a good start.. You hit many of the points. Here's a couple more;

Coastal California is rapidly becoming it's own culture and perhaps ministate as the middle and poor cannot afford to reside within it's climate zone.

Californians are embracing and accepting of the poverty to which they must endure. Getting rid of cars, shopping at discount outlets, dressing down, these are not stigmatized, but seen as normal. Moving out of state is something most Californians have thought about and/or has had happen within their family. In contrast, where I am from, virtually all the people I know have built a life and do well having no need to move. Not so in CA.

The economy of the entire state is in the San Francisco area. One area. L.A. and San Diego hardly contribute, beyond a few select niche's. And the Central part of the state is probably in the worst shape anyone has ever seen.
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Old 08-10-2015, 11:21 AM
 
18 posts, read 28,300 times
Reputation: 55
Sorry guys, I have a girlfriend and I'm pretty satisfied with her.

I've traveled around a lot recently, and I have to say, the central valley has the worst scenery and economy, but after being on the coast so long the people are amazing. It seems like the nicer the area you live in, the meaner the people are; Newport Beach and Marin County, for example, are home to the absolute worst people I have ever met (there are some great smart and nice people as well, but they are the exception).
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Old 08-10-2015, 11:26 AM
 
18 posts, read 28,300 times
Reputation: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150 View Post
If you are going to Troll and pontificate at least have your grammar ducks in a row. "And these are the three cultures of CA".
Your tagline contains incorrect grammar. "Gonna" is not a word. Even if you replaced it with "going to" your tagline is not a complete sentence.
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Old 08-10-2015, 11:47 AM
 
816 posts, read 960,629 times
Reputation: 539
Pretty heavy stereotyping.
I think California is fairly diverse, and I think you are trying to paint millions of people in very broad strokes. I don't get it.
The depiction of family life and gender roles as you put it is just downright offensive and bizarre.
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Old 08-10-2015, 12:32 PM
 
Location: Pluto's Home Town
9,982 posts, read 13,706,153 times
Reputation: 5689
I actually like the three region model, as the three regions seem to have somewhat distinctive cultures. However, I don't care for the delivery. Obviously, each region has vast internal diversity, and the stereotypes are pretty sophomoric.
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Old 08-10-2015, 01:28 PM
 
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
6,957 posts, read 22,231,403 times
Reputation: 6469
In point of fact, most of us in Eastern CA don't give a rat's azz about the rest of CA and I'll assume the same is true of the "other 3". Works for us.
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