[iamjacobm]

Originally Posted by Matthew Hall

Omahans seemed to be obsessed with what I thought about omaha. I met dozens of omahans who were shocked at the merest suggestion that omaha wasn't morally superior, healthier, kinder, and more humane than anywhere in the U.S. and possibly the world. The only places omahans would even consider worthy of comparison are minneapolis and denver. Neither of which I've been to. I witnessed a cult-like devotion to place that I haven't found anywhere else in my life. I could almost see omahans mentally patting themselves on the back for tolerating the presence of 'inferior' outsiders such as myself in their godly kingdom. When I wasn't 'grateful' for their 'tolerance' they quickly moved on to 'instructing' me in a series of offical and unofficial "reeducation" activities to guide me to the one truth. I was even required to attend a class on 'communication' that amounted to practicing how to smile more. A smiling class! I was so stunned I could hardly talk. There is a fine line between reality-based optimism and delusion and many omahans are on the wrong side. I suspect most have always been there and don't even realize there is anything else. In such a homogeneous and isolated location, I don't suppose I should have expected them to have any realistic sense of perspective. That is what an outsider really needs to know about Omaha. Omahans live in a proverbial room with walls of two way mirrors. When they look out they seem themselves reflected back, but they mistake the reflection for the actual outside world. At the same time, those outside the room see the actual omahans. When you enter the room, you come from a world omahans think they can see, but can't. You've seen both sides and they've only see one. Omahans have no idea what they don't know. This may be true of many places in the world, but, in omaha it is intensely and all-consumingly so. This can be enormously advantageous to an outsider by allowing him to take advantage of the locals delusions and igorance, but it can be very lonely too. I just want to be free to do my thing. In omaha, you are only really permitted to do the "one true thing."

This is the exact same ****ing plot as "Hot Fuzz."

[harshbarj]

Originally Posted by Matthew Hall

Omahans seemed to be obsessed with what I thought about omaha. I met dozens of omahans who were shocked at the merest suggestion that omaha wasn't morally superior, healthier, kinder, and more humane than anywhere in the U.S. and possibly the world. The only places omahans would even consider worthy of comparison are minneapolis and denver. Neither of which I've been to. I witnessed a cult-like devotion to place that I haven't found anywhere else in my life. I could almost see omahans mentally patting themselves on the back for tolerating the presence of 'inferior' outsiders such as myself in their godly kingdom. When I wasn't 'grateful' for their 'tolerance' they quickly moved on to 'instructing' me in a series of offical and unofficial "reeducation" activities to guide me to the one truth. I was even required to attend a class on 'communication' that amounted to practicing how to smile more. A smiling class! I was so stunned I could hardly talk. There is a fine line between reality-based optimism and delusion and many omahans are on the wrong side. I suspect most have always been there and don't even realize there is anything else. In such a homogeneous and isolated location, I don't suppose I should have expected them to have any realistic sense of perspective. That is what an outsider really needs to know about Omaha. Omahans live in a proverbial room with walls of two way mirrors. When they look out they see themselves reflected back, but they mistake the reflection for the actual outside world. At the same time, those outside the room see the actual omahans. When you enter the room, you come from a world omahans think they can see, but can't. You've seen both sides and they've only see one. Omahans have no idea what they don't know. This may be true of many places in the world, but, in omaha it is intensely and all-consumingly so. This can be enormously advantageous to an outsider by allowing him to take advantage of the locals delusions and ignorance, but it can be very lonely too. I just want to be free to do my thing. In omaha, you are only really permitted to do the "one true thing."

I don't know who your talking to, but it's clearly NOT the average Omaha citizen. If anything many people I run into have a lot of bad things to say about the city. from taxes, to housing, to the city government. I have never run into this mythical "omaha is perfect" person you claim to have met. Omaha has a LOT going for it as well as a few negatives, just as almost any major US city.

I am sorry that you can only see the negatives here in Omaha.

[Matthew Hall]

I think most of what I'm describing happens subconsciously. Most omahans aren't aware of their assumptions. Even if they were, they wouldn't consider them 'negative'. These perceptions are mine and I'm only able to have them because I'm not from the upper plains region. My point isn't that omaha or omahans are worse than anyone or anywhere else, or even that they think that they are better than others. My point is that they don't believe it is possible for anyone to disagree with them. It doesn't occur to them to argue their moral superiority anymore than they would feel the need to argue in support of the existence of gravity. To omahans questioning their views is like questioning the existence of gravity. It is seen as a sign of emotional problems or simple igorance, not a legitimate point of view. Omahans may occasionally admit that they or their city fall short of their ideals, but they never doubt their ideals for a moment or even seem to realize how others could. The idea that there are other ideals in the world or that they may have some value is seemingly impossible for most omahans to accept. When Omahans are pressing their upper plains values on outsiders, they don't think of them as upper plains values, they think of them as universal values. This is all possible because Omaha has developed in the extreme isolation of the plains. It is what it is and won't change no matter how much internet, movies or tv omahans see. Culture is much stronger than the spectacle of the media. Outsiders considering omaha should know this.

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by Matthew Hall

The 75,000 people who have moved omaha came from declining farm towns to the north and west of Omaha in Nebraska, the dakotas and western iowa have as bad or worse weather and cultural and social choices than omaha. They are mostly people of the region who couldn't happily live anywhere else. The aren't making lists of cities and choosing omaha.

Let's see your source. Right now.

[geog-fanatic]

Matthew - You have been talking in generalities. Other than weather-related discussions, can you provide specifics where Omahans act as you say they act? It is kind of difficult to follow your logic without more concrete information.

[MountainMen]

Originally Posted by harshbarj

Actually you did say omaha has cigarette smog.



Still care to deny it?

1. I never used the term "cigarette smog" or "cigarette smog epidemic."

2. The quote you used is out of context and does not include what I was responding to.

[laserdisque]

This forum is just a like a dysfunctional family. I love how at least once every six months someone jacks a thread and busts MountainMen's chops about cigarette smog.

Does Omaha get cold? Yes. Does it have hills? Yes. Is it different than other cities? Yes. Does every person in Omaha have some sort of strange Omaha complex? Maybe in the suburbs, but probably not.

Matthew, I am sorry that you have not had a good experience in Omaha and I hope that it improves.

[harshbarj]

Originally Posted by MountainMen

1. I never used the term "cigarette smog" or "cigarette smog epidemic."

2. The quote you used is out of context and does not include what I was responding to.

No you said a combination of cigarette smoke and smog, same thing as cigarette smog. I also never said you claimed it was an "epidemic", but your tone has left people with that impression.

and the good old, out of context argument. No such thing my friend! you were talking about the air quality in Omaha, something that can't have context. Unless you want to clarify that, I am sure many on here would just love to hear you try that.

Another quote from you

Originally Posted by MountainMen

But you'll want to have your windows up because of the cigarette pollution.

again, you complain about the cigarette smoke in omaha, so yes you're taking about cigarette smog which would be a combination of cigarette smoke and smog.

I can dig up more quotes if you wish, I have the time and quite enjoy it .

[Raphael07]

Originally Posted by Bosco55David

Let's see your source. Right now.

Well Bosco Matty may not have a source but I have one the disproves him.

From Forbes,
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/mig...?preload=31055
Douglas County

http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/mig...?preload=31153
Sarpy County



Second, Matt, you know your communication skills need work when you effectively say nothing in that many words. I just start reading your posts and my internal voice just starts to go blah blah blah.... to many generalities, no specificities or facts. Work on that.

[Matthew Hall]

geog-fanatic. I know it is hard to convince anyone in cincinnati, st. louis, or anywhere else of what my experiences in omaha were really like, either. The best I can do is to tell people to imagine a city and region of people like the Rose Nyland character from the Golden Girls tv show. It is a bit of an exaggeration, but there is a basic truth to the character's depiction of midwesterners. I don't think the me of today could have convinced the me of 3 years ago that omaha people are as they are. I simply wouldn't have believed it. I would have said it was impossible. People don't believe that strangers spent ten minutes with me discussing the fact that my car was parked more than 12 inches from the curb, which is apparently illegal, or that apartment managers commenting on my poor penmanship on my rental application before they would even discuss the rent. Notes left on my car that I shouldn't park somewhere even though it is legal because its somehow bad for the neighborhood. People telling me that I must be so glad to have left st. louis immediately upon meeting me for the first time and without know anything abou me and regular lectures about the countless dangers of kitchen mishaps and purse snatchers filled my almost every interaction in omaha. All the while no one even mentioned the one true and special danger of omaha; its deadly winter weather, in my presence. These were just the tip of the iceberg. I thought I was having some sort of emotional breakdown before i realized I was up against some profound regional cultural difference. It is something you just have to experience and since so few have come to omaha from outside the upper plains as i have, I think few ever will. It has made me a wiser person, but I've learned these things the very HARD way.