Louisville ranked 5th saddest city in America (Sonora: school, allergies)

[gardenmystic]

N. Olikee,

" I think the people who live there are, for the most part, one-dimensional"

You put your finger on it. I find a lot of shallowness and narrowmindedness here. Maybe it's because I'm from NY and am used to more diversity, but it's frustrating to find so few people willing to venture outside the box. They don't even seem to be aware that they are in the box.

[Visvaldis]

Originally Posted by gardenmystic

N. Olikee,

" I think the people who live there are, for the most part, one-dimensional"

You put your finger on it. I find a lot of shallowness and narrowmindedness here. Maybe it's because I'm from NY and am used to more diversity, but it's frustrating to find so few people willing to venture outside the box. They don't even seem to be aware that they are in the box.

Much of it is emotional insecurity and low self-esteem. Their box is the shelter that they protect from invasion.

[kytoaz]

a perfect example of this is some of the people i work with at the hospital. these are educated, proffessional people that are afraid of trying anything. one of our doctors brought in food from shiraz, a very nice meditteranean/middle eastern restaurant. eleven out of twelve of my co-workers would not eat anything offered. they said it "looked funny"! i told them it was just hummus and they said, and i quote, "what's homminus?".
it was as if i was in the third grade cafeteria all over again!
so sad that so many here are so afraid of life and experiencing anything new. louisville is a very big box that most can't seem to see outside of.

[Orgetorix]

And I work with a group of educated, professional people who are mostly born-and-raised in Kentucky, who love ethnic foods and sample diverse experiences together often.

What's your point? For every piece of anecdotal evidence you supply to argue that Louisvillians are backward, xenophobic, narrowminded mouth-breathers, I can supply one to show that they're relatively humane, enlightened, adventurous, and diverse.

We both know the reality is mixed between the two. Anecdotes don't prove anything, and generalizing from one (or several) experiences you've had to an entire metro population is foolish.

[kytoaz]

I don't recall calling anyone names, jus sharing my personal experiences.

[Visvaldis]

Originally Posted by Orgetorix

And I work with a group of educated, professional people who are mostly born-and-raised in Kentucky, who love ethnic foods and sample diverse experiences together often.

What's your point? For every piece of anecdotal evidence you supply to argue that Louisvillians are backward, xenophobic, narrowminded mouth-breathers, I can supply one to show that they're relatively humane, enlightened, adventurous, and diverse.

We both know the reality is mixed between the two. Anecdotes don't prove anything, and generalizing from one (or several) experiences you've had to an entire metro population is foolish.

Yes, some Louisvillians like chinese food and spaghetti.
And there are exceptions to all rules. Some years ago I encountered a guy who was very knowledgeable about Italian movies. He was the exception.
To generalize Louisville, it is a box. I sure don't know what's enlightening about Louisville or the inhabitants.

[Via Feliz]

I have to agree. Having moved here three years ago from out West (AZ), I find myself to be in a depressed state more and more, and I'm generally a happy go lucky guy. The winters are dark and dreary; the locals are not especially friendly (the majority of the friends we have made aren't natives); customer service is horrible (no sense of urgency); the school system accompanied by its antiquated social engineering experiment of busing is a joke; traffic is bad for a city of its size (surface street lights are not timed at all); roads are in poor condition; the architecture is uninspiring; relatively speaking there are very few shopping centers and grocery stores; the city has no striking features whatsoever; and from an aesthetic point of view, metro Louisville and its landscape is very bland . I fully intend to move back West this summer, and it can't come soon enough. I underappreciated the 200+ days of clear sunshine, the mountains, the beautiful ruggedness, the gorgeous vistas, the sunsets, and the wonderful lifestyle and multiple amenities of home.

[kytoaz]

Originally Posted by Via Feliz

I have to agree. Having moved here three years ago from out West (AZ), I find myself to be in a depressed state more and more, and I'm generally a happy go lucky guy. The winters are dark and dreary; the locals are not especially friendly (the majority of the friends we have made aren't natives); customer service is horrible (no sense of urgency); the school system accompanied by its antiquated social engineering experiment of busing is a joke; traffic is bad for a city of its size (surface street lights are not timed at all); roads are in poor condition; the architecture is uninspiring; relatively speaking there are very few shopping centers and grocery stores; the city has no striking features whatsoever; and from an aesthetic point of view, metro Louisville and its landscape is very bland . I fully intend to move back West this summer, and it can't come soon enough. I underappreciated the 200+ days of clear sunshine, the mountains, the beautiful ruggedness, the gorgeous vistas, the sunsets, and the wonderful lifestyle and multiple amenities of home.

love arizona and hope to move there when (and if) my house sells. you are absolutely correct about customer service here. it is the worst in the nation. I seem to forget that and become lulled into a "this is normal" state of mind until i travel anywhere else. upon returning I am always shocked at the rude and indifferent behavior of people whose job it is to please customers. this is perpetuated by the attitude of the populace here. I've heard dozens of people complain about thier treatment in a certain establishment, yet they return again and again, i suppose out of fear of trying something new. If you can't treat me proffessionally, you can't have my money. I used to shop at meijer and on several occasions heard the cashiers using profanity in front of customers like it was ok to do so. now i go to whole foods, which is the one place in this town where customer service is a priority.

p.s. good luck getting back out west. hope to join you soon.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by kytoaz

love arizona and hope to move there when (and if) my house sells. you are absolutely correct about customer service here. it is the worst in the nation. I seem to forget that and become lulled into a "this is normal" state of mind until i travel anywhere else. upon returning I am always shocked at the rude and indifferent behavior of people whose job it is to please customers. this is perpetuated by the attitude of the populace here. I've heard dozens of people complain about thier treatment in a certain establishment, yet they return again and again, i suppose out of fear of trying something new. If you can't treat me proffessionally, you can't have my money. I used to shop at meijer and on several occasions heard the cashiers using profanity in front of customers like it was ok to do so. now i go to whole foods, which is the one place in this town where customer service is a priority.

p.s. good luck getting back out west. hope to join you soon.

Gotta disagree. Customer service isn't great here but Northern Virginia has the absolute worst customer service. If you are lucky to get someone who understands English and speak it to where you can understand half of what they are saying they don't really care much.

Worst store for customer service here is Walmart (no surprise huh?) half of the employees don't even talk to you. Target isn't hot either.

[homiej]

I'd be depressed if I had to watch the Cards too