Is Anybody Else as Ticked Off as I Am About CNN's Portrayal of Our Region? (Philadelphia: lawyers, schools)

[ScranBarre]

I'm sitting here watching CNN, and while I'm thrilled that Scranton is being mentioned almost incessantly in front of millions of viewers, I'm more than a little perturbed by their portrayal of us. I wonder why they don't just come out and say "Philadelphia in the East, Pittsburgh in the West, and Alabama in the middle" already? Just now the one commentator working beside Wolf Blitzer made reference to the fact that Barack Obama would have a hard time winning in an area like Scranton in November because a lot of people are "culturally conservative" and "have guns." Now, people in Scranton might not be the most well educated and literate bunch, but that's no reason for CNN to use it as comic relief. I also love how he called Allentown and Scranton "small blue-collar towns" when they are the third-largest and sixth-largest cities in our state, respectively, with a combined population of nearly 200,000. There's much more to our Commonwealth than just Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and I truly wish Americans would start to give we in NEPA our due respect!

[memoriesbre]

Wow, if they only knew how great it is here. This is the media, they talk when then do not have a clue about anything. It's about ratings.. Now we know how great it is here, that's why we have so many people moving here from NY, NJ and other places to boot.

[CHS89]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

I also love how he called Allentown and Scranton "small blue-collar towns" when they are the third-largest and sixth-largest cities in our state, respectively, with a combined population of nearly 200,000. There's much more to our Commonwealth than just Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and I truly wish Americans would start to give we in NEPA our due respect!

Not only is there a huge drop off from two to three (even bigger dropoff from one to two, actually), but when you look at the country as a whole, Scranton and Allentown--as well as the entire rest of the state, for that matter--are exactly as Blitzer presented them. Now, I didn't see the report that cheesed you off, but did he roll his eyes, or make a face when he said it? Cartoon voice and air quotes, maybe?

If not, then lighten up. Blitzer might be a blowhard, but in reality he's pretty spot on in his characterization of Scranton and Allentown.

[poconoproud]

Only a blowhard would makes us all sound like bible-banging, gun-toting, uneducated rednecks. It's not just CNN, either. Don't worry though, a week from now, Pennsylvania will no longer be the focus of the campaign, and the media will latch onto stereotypes about some other state. Don't pat Blitzer on the back too hard, he is making generalizations based on nothing. Scranton and Allentown have a lot to offer this state, and our residents do not deserve to be made out to be something they are not, based on these campaign's rep's opinions or polls.

[The Commish]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

I also love how he called Allentown and Scranton "small blue-collar towns" when they are the third-largest and sixth-largest cities in our state, respectively, with a combined population of nearly 200,000.

The "blue-collar" part happens to be true, though.

Except for doctors, lawyers, educators, and the occasional accountant, our area isn't exactly a beacon for young educated professionals like ourselves. I know you've made some noise about wanting to stay in the area, but it's going to take a lot more than you to change the (justified) perception of the area as "blue-collar."

[CosmicWizard]

Here is a short quote form a James Kuntsler newsletter in which he writes about Wilkes Barre:

The city remains in poor shape, with those bad newer buildings (now aging badly), and the "missing teeth" of more recent demolitions, and a sagging population base. But I liked the young professionals I met there who are working to revive this very damaged place. They were intelligent, and cheerful despite the difficulty of their task. They clearly loved their town. They were free to move elsewhere, had even been to college elsewhere, but had returned to their old city in the valley to make a stand. And they had worked tirelessly to actually get a few good new things built.

To read the entire article, click here, then scroll down the left hand side of the page to read the April 7th newsletter titled, Rust and Sun. The April 14th article titled, A slip of the Tongue might also be of interest.

[FightinPhils]

Why would anyone consider it an insult to be called "blue collar??" Its not a derogatory term and there is nothing wrong with an honest days work for an honest days pay. Anyone who views the term blue collar as an insult sounds a little on the elitist side to me.

Now if they said we're a "hardscrabble, depressed old coal town," then I might get a little ticked off. The coal mines have been gone for decades and its not depressing here. Depressing would be Camden, NJ, or Newark, Paterson, Compton, Gary Indiana, East St. Louis, Tower City, PA, etc etc.

[CosmicWizard]

MrKrabs wrote:

Why would anyone consider it an insult to be called "blue collar??" Its not a derogatory term and there is nothing wrong with an honest days work for an honest days pay. Anyone who views the term blue collar as an insult sounds a little on the elitist side to me.

Why does anyone get insulterd about anything? I can only guess that in some way their fragile ego is threatened when someone uses a description they don't like.

[W-B proud]

Originally Posted by NewAgeRedneck

Here is a short quote form a James Kuntsler newsletter in which he writes about Wilkes Barre:

The city remains in poor shape, with those bad newer buildings (now aging badly), and the "missing teeth" of more recent demolitions, and a sagging population base. But I liked the young professionals I met there who are working to revive this very damaged place. They were intelligent, and cheerful despite the difficulty of their task. They clearly loved their town. They were free to move elsewhere, had even been to college elsewhere, but had returned to their old city in the valley to make a stand. And they had worked tirelessly to actually get a few good new things built.

To read the entire article, click here, then scroll down the left hand side of the page to read the April 7th newsletter titled, Rust and Sun. The April 14th article titled, A slip of the Tongue might also be of interest.

I think this is an acurate portrail of Wilkes-Barre, and it actually ends on a positive note. Lets face it Wilkes-Barre and Scranton hit thier peek 100 years ago, and they have been losing population and jobs eversince. That is a fact. You can't fault a reporter from one of the biggest, richest metropolises in the world for viewing us this way. From where he works in NYC, I'm sure our area does look like that to him/her. On the brite side however, our cities are rebuilding themselves, and the population decline seems to have ended, and has even started to increase again. And it seems like our region is headed for a brite future. Who knows, maybe in twenty years CNN will be doing a report on how far we have come. And maybe we'll be on the cutting edge of the sciences or medical field by then, and they'll be doing a report on that.

[The Commish]

Originally Posted by MrKrabs

Why would anyone consider it an insult to be called "blue collar??" Its not a derogatory term and there is nothing wrong with an honest days work for an honest days pay. Anyone who views the term blue collar as an insult sounds a little on the elitist side to me.

I agree.

As John Lennon once sang, "a working class hero is something to be."

But by the same token, I think there's nothing wrong with *not* wanting to be blue-collar and wishing the area attracted more "white-collar" jobs to live the sort of life generally associated with that. We're talking better schools, cultural attractions, restaurants, shops.. the whole gamut. Yes, ScranBarre can rattle off a dozen of those, but I think that's the problem when you can actually name everything there is to do in a town.