Cincinnati's inferiority complex produces Acid Rain (Cleveland, Hamilton: sales, to rent, amusement park)

[enofile]

I am excited to be moving to Cincinnati. Having grown up in New York City, graduated university in Washington D.C., lived decades in Milwaukee, and molted away in Louisville, I think I have a fairly decent perspective of city life. While searching for a place to rent in the Queen City, I have engaged dozens of people in conversation about Cincinnati and where it is going. While I am unabashedly stoked about the city, almost every native of the city questioned my wisdom regarding moving here.
What gives? Where does this lack of self esteem come from? The CBD is being reinvented, with entrepreneurs such as David Falk bringing sophistication and panache to Downtown. OTR is a very hip and happening neighborhood and while The Banks is a bit too sanitized and "frat boy" for my tastes, many folks I know would just love the "beer bong" corridor that exists between the "professional" football stadium and the "professional" baseball stadium. Soon a streetcar will connect the Banks to the Findley Market. The Taft Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum, Blue Wisp Jazz, Jean Robert's, Arnold's, Mt. Adams are all special and iconic, giving Cincinnati a unique identity that can rival most cities. No, it isn't New York, San Francisco, or Miami, but few cities are. Hey folks, love Cincinnati and let people know you do! If you want this city to reach all its potential, the folks living here must shed the cloak of negativity and become ambassadors of Cincinnati's vibrant and exciting future. Stop the acid rain!

[natininja]

I hear you, buddy. I have two theories as to why this exists:

1) People think it makes them worldly and sophisticated to hate on the city. It shows they are aware there's a world outside the borders. Ironically, to me it makes people sound insular, because living in other, recognized world-class places is when I learned to truly love my native city. Growing up, I sort of accepted the "Cincy sucks" mantra, without totally feeling it but figuring these people must know something I don't, since I hadn't lived elsewhere. It's people like the young me who they can sound worldly to, since I assumed their conviction meant they were aware of something I wasn't.

2) Politics. Liberals don't like the city because of the conservatism in the region, and conservatives can't stand the city-proper because it's run by liberals. Both want to leave, either for the coasts (liberals) or the south (conservatives).

Aside from that, much of the negativity comes from outdated views of Downtown and its surroundings, combined with historic decline and blind-faith in inertia. There's a view that places they knew as run-down, bad areas, are destined to be that forever, and places they once knew as solid and stable declining means things are destined to get worse. Basically, belief that things can only ever get worse.

[unusualfire]

Because this city loves to be mediocre. Only a very few are trying to make it more progressive and relevant, but they get overwhelmed by the suburbanites and the media. The best thing that can happen to the city is get rid of the Enquirer.

[SWOH]

Yep, and it gets even worse as you get deeper into the rust belt haha. If you know anyone from Mansfield, OH, ask them how much hometown pride they have!


Honestly, there are a lot of reasons why. One is a general mistrust of new initiatives. The reason why is because they often never happen or do happen and become complete failures quickly. In general, stuff happens faster in Cincinnati and is more successful there than, say, Flint, home of the long-defunct and ill-conceived AutoWorld indoor amusement park. And this is just one of many examples... Cincinnati's most prominent recent example would be the failed Kenwood Towne Place, now re-branded and re-started as the Kenwood Collection.

A secondary reason is based on how much Ohioans travel. Since Ohio is a good logistical hub, it makes it easy for Ohioans to get out of Ohio and travel elsewhere. So they see a lot of stuff, and they evaluate what they have on sky-high metrics. So maybe the Banks isn't as cool as what is happening in Streeterville in Chicago. So what, the cities are at two different scales, right? Doesn't matter to an average Ohioan.

The third reason in my opinion is the general humble and passive (or passive-aggressive) nature of midwesterners. Stating how awful your town is compared to a guest's town is an easy way to flatter the guest. It's all part of being "midwest-nice".

And the fourth factor I like to point to is general conservatism. A lot of more conservative and libertarian leaning individuals do not understand the importance nor place any value on a good built urban environment. They want "wide-open spaces" in suburbia (but yet they live in poorly designed subdivisions and pay outrageous HOA fees? Methinks double standard, but I digress). Regardless, they view cities as evil bastions of liberals, and take great pleasure in its destruction.



At least those are some of the main reasons in addition to the ones mentioned above I have noticed as a lifelong SW Ohio resident.

[Sarah Perry]

If you're a student of history, you'll be aware that 19th Century Cincinnati was one of the pre-eminent cities in the country--a center of commerce, innovation, intellectualism, and the arts. Even as recently as the 1950s, the area enjoyed a solid manufacturing economy. Now it's pretty much just another midwestern city, albeit one with some unique positive qualities. But a lot of other places have some unique positive qualities of their own. Cincinnati is no longer as "special" as it once was.

A prevailing attitude of conservatism permeates many if not most aspects of life here. It's rooted in a culture that grew out of south German Catholic ethnicity, and IMO has held Cincinnati back for decades. Within the city proper, way too many people seem to quietly tolerate things like sub-par local government and schools, with the attitude that they shouldn't question or criticize. You'll see that exhibited even on places like this forum, where some participants react very negatively to any acknowledgment that the city has problems. And the area has a lot of poor people, with something like 1 in 5 or 6 Hamilton County residents receiving some kind of government assistance.

All that said, there seems to be a lot of momentum toward positive change in the 13 years I've been back in the area. The racial unrest of 2001 set downtown redevelopment back about a decade. On the plus side are the large corporations like P & G, plus companies who support those large corporations, all of which bring in younger people from outside the area. I think the future looks positive.

[goyguy]

Acid rain falls in the east after toxins generated in the Midwest are carried in that direction.

Nati-bashing in Boston is like moving a beach ball around during a Red Sox game at our classic and "naming rights"-less ballpark. Everybody's into it. It's fun with no thought process involved. The target's broad enough to attack from any number of angles.

But when push comes to shove I've been known to stand up for where I was born n' raised:
Before my crew was exiled to work from home, I was outside on a smoke break when a member of my company's sales team appeared with two clients. After some cheerful parting words she directed them to their hotel, which proved to be the "boutique" establishment for the area instead of the chain hotels/motels in the vicinity. When they'd vanished from sight I remarked, "Wow! Are we putting them up in nice digs or what?" "I know, right? And they're easily impressed. They're from Cincinnati - you know, haven't seen the world." I put out my cig, bit my tongue, and walked with her into the building and onto the elevator. Then, when we reached her floor after some unrelated chatting I said, "Oh, and by the way..." She held the door open and waited. "I'm from Cincinnati. And I have seen the world." Touché!

[WILWRadio]

^^^Some people in Boston like to bash any other city other than their own. Always been that way. The nickname the "hub of the universe" has some people believing the world revolves around it. I get a kick when they bash Hartford. Trying to compare a metro area of nearly 5 million people against one that has about 1.3 million people is absurd. At one time Hartford was the best educated, most affluent city in the country with the highest per capita income. Has dropped in recent years of course. My guess is that some Bostonians suffer from an inferiority complex because NYC is the number one city in the country and region. Boston is top dog in New England but not the entire northeast region. Never heard anyone there bash Cincy but I have not lived there either. Just visit. But my family and friends in the Boston area don't bad mouth Cincy.

[natininja]

^ I think goyguy was joking, as Bostonians probably give little thought to Cincy. Soon, however, they will be paying more attention.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by natininja

^ I think goyguy was joking, as Bostonians probably give little thought to Cincy. Soon, however, they will be paying more attention.

Saw a Reds shirt on sale last week at TJ Max in Boston. I bought it for kicks. $10 well spent. That's all.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Saw a Reds shirt on sale last week at TJ Max in Boston. I bought it for kicks. $10 well spent. That's all.

So it's true, isn't it? (In your little dark and devious Clevelandish/Bostionian heart, if not lovin' us, you're at least likin' us, right?)