Hometown Pride - Good or Bad? (home, living in, beach)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

It only really bugs me when people suggest their own city no matter what somebody's requirements are (for moving to a new city). Or when somebody posts a dozen pictures and the page takes forever to load (unless it's specifically a picture thread).

EXACTLY. I swear if I never see another picture of Scranton or Louisville I'll die a happy man.

Originally Posted by Moth

Because your hometown is part of you. Part of who you are Towns, cities, regions, etc are like people in that they have both good points and bad points. When someone judges a place on a solitary bad trait in isolation, it is both dishonest and insulting. They are attacking something that is an essential component of your identiy. Why would someone not be at least a bit offended? And why would someone want to cast aspersions anyway? Humor between friends is one thing, but when perfect strangers fire a shot, it can be very annoying.

Therein lies the problem. People are way too sensitive, apparently. When someone "judges a place on a solitary bad trait in isolation," that is still an honest judgement. If the "solitary bad trait in isolation" is true, then why take offense? To call it dishonest is in itself being dishonest. And insulting? Please, if someone is insulted by hearing a solitary bad trait in isolation, then someone needs to grow up.

Now, there are criticisms which are ridiculous and do need to be countered. If someone were to say, "Knoxville is nothing but a one-horse hick town," that's probably grounds for righteous indignation. But if someone were to say, "Knoxville doesn't have enough cultural opportunities," well, that's a worthy criticism that deserves an educated response. The problem is, some people in this forum rise up in righteous indigniation no matter what kind of critique is made about their beloved hometowns.

[Moth]

Therein lies the problem. People are way too sensitive, apparently. When someone "judges a place on a solitary bad trait in isolation," that is still an honest judgement. If the "solitary bad trait in isolation" is true, then why take offense? To call it dishonest is in itself being dishonest. And insulting? Please, if someone is insulted by a hearing a solitary bad trait in isolation, then someone needs to grow up.

I do not concur. Its not so much a question of being sensitive. Judging something by a solitary trait is, as I said, dishonest. Dishonesty tends to be something that is not celebrated.

Example: Los Angeles is unlivable due to smog and traffic. Those are indeed two negatives, but they ignore the numerous positives including beaches, deserts, mountains, great architecture, babes, cool cars, nightlife, etc, etc.

As for insulting, if someone focuses on one negative whist knowing the positives, what else is the intent but to insult? And if someone wants to insult you, that would make him or her the one with the problem, not you orI or whomever is on the receiving end.

Now, ultimately I do not care what someone thinks of my hometown (DC). Most people cannot even find it on the map. But tolerating exchanges such as those I describe is hardly something to strive for as it requires listening, yet again, to someone spew forth a load of sheer ignorance.

I also cannot imagine myself as someone who lives to diss what is special to others. That's just me.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Moth

I do not concur. Its not so much a question of being sensitive. Judging something by a solitary trait is, as I said, dishonest. Dishonesty tends to be something that is not celebrated.

Example: Los Angeles is unlivable due to smog and traffic. Those are indeed two negatives, but they ignore the numerous positives including beaches, deserts, mountains, great architecture, babes, cool cars, nightlife, etc, etc.

As for insulting, if someone focuses on one negative whist knowing the positives, what else is the intent but to insult? And if someone wants to insult you, that would make him or her the one with the problem, not you orI or whomever is on the receiving end.

Now, ultimately I do not care what someone thinks of my hometown (DC). Most people cannot even find it on the map. But tolerating exchanges such as those I describe is hardly something to strive for as it requires listening, yet again, to someone spew forth a load of sheer ignorance.

I also cannot imagine myself as someone who lives to diss what is special to others. That's just me.

There is nothing dishonest about saying something like "Los Angeles is unlivable due to smog and traffic" while saying nothing about the L.A.'s many positive attributes. For some people, the smog and traffic are all it takes to make a place unlivable. And there's nothing insulting about bringing up L.A.'s smog and traffic since those are problems that have been well documented.

However, if one were to say, "Los Angeles is unlivable because it's nothing but shallow, materialistic snobs and illegal aliens," well that would definitely be an unfair, dishonest and insulting criticism.

[Moth]

There is nothing dishonest about saying something like "Los Angeles is unlivable due to smog and traffic" while saying nothing about the L.A.'s many positive attributes. For some people, the smog and traffic are all it takes to make a place unlivable. And there's nothing insulting about bringing up L.A.'s smog and traffic since those are problems that have been well documented

Oh of course there is. Its painting a monolithic portrait based on two negatives (two negatives btw, that most places worth living now share). That is overtly dishonest. Simple minded as well.

But, your rebuttal does imply the correct course of action when commenting on a place in a polite way. If a person is someone who eschews commuting by car and has bad allergies, obviously LA is not the appropriate place for them. So a more appropriate statement would be, "LA obviously has it perks, but ultimatley the traffic and smog are a bit too much for me personally."

Because at the end of the day, the traffic and smog, profound as they are, do not make the place unlivable. Were that true, nobody would live there. And lots of people do indeed live there. Quite happily I might add.

[Toxic Toast]

Just when you thought you had found the most pointless thread on the internet, this one arrives.....

[Moth]

Yet you felt compelled to respond...

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Moth

Yet you felt compelled to respond...

Yes I did; and this is relevant because......

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by DC 38

Just when you thought you had found the most pointless thread on the internet, this one arrives.....

LMBO

Yeppers!

[ScranBarre]

Sheesh. Nice to see I'm so well-liked on this forum.

In all seriousness I'm just very depressed and bitter in my ripe old age of 21. Seemingly everyone I know BASHES Scranton, especially its own residents, and I don't know how the Electric City is ever supposed to rebound to become a nice place to live again if nobody has faith in its revival. I never saw a city be reborn if it didn't believe in itself. This place has so much potential oozing out of every pore---two hours to Manhattan or Center City Philly, lifestyle centers, skiing, concerts, theater, Philharmonic, AAA minor-league sports teams, Victorian architecture, an international airport, "The Office", etc., yet everyone trashes it.

Perhaps when you critics live in a city that everyone else loves to crap on all the time you'll see how painful it truly is. I mean, everyone on this forum wants to hump North Carolina's leg, so obviously nobody even bats an eye at bashing the Rust Belt.

[ScranBarre]

P.S. Congratulations, Steve-O, on surpassing my read count and becoming the most recognizable member on this forum. You've earned it. Now only if you hyped up Scranton as much as you hyped up ChicagoLand...