Some thoughts on Middle America. (rental car, rental, airport)

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Because it's impossible to enjoy football and still be intelligent, right?

By the way, have you ever heard of the Chicago Bears?

Sounds like you didn't understand my post ...

People in the South value football over primary education. Go anywhere in the South and for the most part, it is true.

People in Chicago value education over sports.

Being a fan of sports and being a slave to them and purposely ignorant of the outside world are two totally different means of living. Chicago is a fan of sports. The South is a slave to them and is purposefully ignorant of the outside world. VAST difference.

Hence my argument that Chicago is an oasis of reason in an otherwise backwards part of the country.

[joshthegreat]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Sounds like you didn't understand my post ...

People in the South value football over primary education. Go anywhere in the South and for the most part, it is true.

People in Chicago value education over sports.

Being a fan of sports and being a slave to them and purposely ignorant of the outside world are two totally different means of living. Chicago is a fan of sports. The South is a slave to them and is purposefully ignorant of the outside world. VAST difference.

Hence my argument that Chicago is an oasis of reason in an otherwise backwards part of the country.

Really, the graduation rate of Chicago as of 2006 is barely over 50%. What are you talking about? Stereotyping of course.
The real dropout rate | Chicago Tribune (http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/news_citations/070506_chicagotribune.html - broken link)

What place in the south are you comparing it too? I think we all know what you really mean. Chicago+liberal=smart. South+conservative=dumb

[joshthegreat]

And as much as I LOVE Chicago, there definitely could be a case made that there are a lot of people in the city who are "slaves to sports." And people who do not care about the outside world past their city.

[Kings Ranger]

Originally Posted by lmkcin

This past week, I drove from my home in New England to my new home in southern California. A experience of a life time-to visit the vastness and great lands of our country.

Us ocean dwellers often refer to the vast fields, sparse cities and sprawling states of the mid-west and great plains, as to an obstacle in our way to Califronia or New York.

I now know why.

In Missouri, every billboard was a reference to owning a gun, Jesus Christ and/or Obama the Muslim-socialist-commie.

In Oklahoma, we were met with indifference and a slight air of "why are you here?"

In Texas, we were abhorred. We were looked on as if we had two heads, each more "liberal" than the other.

In general the people acted as if we were from another planet. We weren't welcomed.

In the northeast and the west coast, people generally don't make other people's affairs their own personal problems. God and Jesus are never part of a debate, our faith is in our good works and deeds, not our devotion to a religion or church. Northeasteners keep to themsevles and west coasters are happy-go-lucky.

But Middle America there seemed to be this highly insular attitude. That if it couldn't be boiled down to Christ, a gun and conservativism, it simply didn't matter to them. And if you weren't one of them, forget it.

I would have liked my person stereotypes to be broken down, but I feel even more resolved in my beliefs about middle america. Conservatives say that America is about it's heartland. I have to graciously disagree. How could people who have never left their countystate, put all their faith in an insular community, and are uneducated about the world around them represent the other 2/3 of us who simply don't follow those stereotypes.

You should've stopped by then, you can't go to a place you get your sterotypes from and expect them to magically disappear!

Keep an OPEN MIND, only you can be the one that knows when you've really got it too....

I live here, and hardly any billboards apply to Jesus, Guns, or conservatism. And you're stating sterotypes in you defense for your sterotypes of us?


Sheeeessssshh

[joshthegreat]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Sounds like you didn't understand my post ...

People in the South value football over primary education. Go anywhere in the South and for the most part, it is true.

People in Chicago value education over sports.

Being a fan of sports and being a slave to them and purposely ignorant of the outside world are two totally different means of living. Chicago is a fan of sports. The South is a slave to them and is purposefully ignorant of the outside world. VAST difference.

Hence my argument that Chicago is an oasis of reason in an otherwise backwards part of the country.

Also, what is "backwards" about the area surrounding Chicago? Is it because they do not care about the new "trendy" bars and restaurants? Or that they do not take public transportation? I mean really, how are they backwards compared to your utopia of Chicago.

Don't get me wrong, I understand to a point what you are saying, but in your attempt, you are not boasting Chicago, but you're putting down a huge chunk of the country.

Again, Eskercurve, what are you talking about where Chicago takes education more seriously over the "backward" area that surrounds it.

Facts are a road block to your assumptions:

The real dropout rate | Chicago Tribune (http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/news_citations/070506_chicagotribune.html - broken link)

[Gnutella]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

Sounds like you didn't understand my post ...

People in the South value football over primary education. Go anywhere in the South and for the most part, it is true.

People in Chicago value education over sports.

Being a fan of sports and being a slave to them and purposely ignorant of the outside world are two totally different means of living. Chicago is a fan of sports. The South is a slave to them and is purposefully ignorant of the outside world. VAST difference.

Hence my argument that Chicago is an oasis of reason in an otherwise backwards part of the country.

I've met plenty of intelligent people in Georgia, and not all from Athens or Atlanta either. They like football and they go to church every Sunday, but they have graduate degrees as well.

[GraniteStater]

Some of the biggest welfare recipients in the country are commodity crop farmers. Middle America would blow away if not for the massive amount of subsidies that have even ranged from ethanol (incredibly stupid) to the corn syrup industry. Big ag have conspired to inject corn syrup into most food products in this country that we buy, and it is mostly the result of ridiculous subsidies to big commercial agriculture operations.

[Bo]

Some posts above were deleted. Remember that you're posting in General US. National politics are off topic here and in every other local forum at City-Data. If you want to discuss national politics in ways that take swipes at members of the other party or members of City-Data who hold the opposite political views as you, do that in Politics and Other Controversies.

The original topic is verrry close to the line on what's allowed to be discussed in local forums, so it wouldn't take much for replies to cross that line. Stick to discussing geography and you won't have any problems.

[TheBeagleLady]

Excuse me. OP, get over yourself because people are people everywhere. You get what you give, so if you find that people are less than friendly to you in your travels, you might want to take a closer look in the mirror.

There is a whole country between the coasts and you can't stereotype everyone based on some billboards in Missouri.

Is that more on topic?

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by lmkcin

This past week, I drove from my home in New England to my new home in southern California. A experience of a life time-to visit the vastness and great lands of our country.

Us ocean dwellers often refer to the vast fields, sparse cities and sprawling states of the mid-west and great plains, as to an obstacle in our way to Califronia or New York.

I now know why.

In Missouri, every billboard was a reference to owning a gun, Jesus Christ and/or Obama the Muslim-socialist-commie.

In Oklahoma, we were met with indifference and a slight air of "why are you here?"

In Texas, we were abhorred. We were looked on as if we had two heads, each more "liberal" than the other.

In general the people acted as if we were from another planet. We weren't welcomed.

In the northeast and the west coast, people generally don't make other people's affairs their own personal problems. God and Jesus are never part of a debate, our faith is in our good works and deeds, not our devotion to a religion or church. Northeasteners keep to themsevles and west coasters are happy-go-lucky.

But Middle America there seemed to be this highly insular attitude. That if it couldn't be boiled down to Christ, a gun and conservativism, it simply didn't matter to them. And if you weren't one of them, forget it.

I would have liked my person stereotypes to be broken down, but I feel even more resolved in my beliefs about middle america. Conservatives say that America is about it's heartland. I have to graciously disagree. How could people who have never left their countystate, put all their faith in an insular community, and are uneducated about the world around them represent the other 2/3 of us who simply don't follow those stereotypes.

I am from Michigan and while visiting New England (Ma) the people of that area made fun of my midwestern accent, one even told me that people out there really didnt like midwestern people and I heard radio DJs there making fun of the midwest on morning talk shows. If you visited the states you mentioned with that sense of superiority that I saw in your part of the nation then that may explain why you felt the cold shoulder. SInce I am in the upper midwest, not the lower midwest/plains states where you visited I cannot say forsure I know how people there would receive outsiders, but here in Michigan you would be welcomed if you do not show up here judging us and projecting an aire of superiority. The northeast is not superior to the rest of the country, and the sooner the people there learn that, the better they will relate with the rest of America.