Threads Pertaining To People Disliking PA (Philadelphia, Harrisburg: upper-class, zip code, price)

[PhotoMatt]

if you think PA is bad, take a drive over to Jersey. people do seem angry and self absorbed in PA.. and they view kindness is a sign of weakness.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by IHATEPA!!!

Sorry for not posting more to this thread in so long

Don't be sorry; just don't post.

[Orwelleaut]

The rude thing, I think, is just one of those things that is all relative. To me, PA folks are generally pretty friendly, IMO, especially compared to the neighboring Northeast states like Jersey, NY, and MD. I also think there is a big difference in attitude between Western and Eastern PA. Western PA is only really part of the Northeast in technical terms. Mentality, economy, and climate are more like Ohio than Eastern PA or the rest of the Northeast, so I'd say Western PA is basically midwest. If one is used to Western PA, yes, folks in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Philly, Allentown, Harrisburg, or anywhere East of State College can seem a little snippy. To us folks out here in the Midwest, Eastern PA is a different culture. There is an almost Jersey accent East of State College or somewhere around in there. Folks talk so fast that they sound like they are going to a fire, even if there is no reason to hurry. For folks not used to this, I think it is hard to enjoy leisure activities with people who sound so hurried and nervous. Add in this thing where people look at any stranger like they think you are some kind of psychopath unless they know otherwise, and I can understand why the Eastern PA cities can be hard to take. I think you are best off if you are from the area so that the regional accent and mannerisms don't grate on your nerves, but also so that you are around people you know most of the time. I think folks in Eastern PA are pretty decent when they know you, in fact, I know they are. These same folks who won't give you the time of day when they don't know you will give their friends the shirt off of their back.

As far as the redneck thing, I am really bothered when I hear that attitude, because it is more of that Northeast bad attitude. Folks in Ohio and WVA don't see PA this way. They see PA as it really is; an older industrial state that is typically American more than anything else. Are there some rednecks in PA? Or course there are. There are a few rednecks anywhere, and that is just America. Those who think PA is so severely redneck need to get out of the Northeast a little, and visit states like Kentucky or Missouri where you can find real rednecks, not just laid-off factory workers who have big tires on their pickups, like to chew tobacco, and listen to Skynyrd. These are just blue collar guys, not hillbillies who live next to Jeb Clampitt, LOL!!! PA has some poverty, sure, but is about like Ohio or Michigan, not Southern Appalachia. I've only heard the stuff about PA being so redneck in NJ/NY/DE/MD, but primarily Jersey and New York. I find this attitude from Upstate New Yorkers to be especially ridiculous, as Western NY is an area much like Ohio and Western PA, an industrial economy that has been struggling in recent years. In my travels to Jersey and Upstate, in fact, I've seen just as many pickup trucks as in PA. Some folks like 4 wheel drive because they need to get out of their farm road in the winter, and may need to do some hauling. Rural areas don't have the snow removal services of suburbia, so driving a car built in Asia doesn't always make sense in these areas. If suburbanites near Cleveland and Detroit can figure these things out, I can't see why the folks in Jersey who think they are smarter than anyone West of Stroudsburg can't get their heads around this.

[Ruru]

People from Pittsburgh seem friendly and forthcoming. All my neighbors from that region are easy to get to know and full of info and stories. And there are more Pittsburgh Steelers fans than any other team and lots of those people never even been in Pennsylvania. The Cities and town on the eastern side of the state are part of that big city system that starts in Boston and ends in Washington DC or Richmond Va. They all seem the same Suburbanites and City dwellers. Both can seems too busy to talk.

The western part of the state is more spread out and not much to do if you don't own a business/farm. Some groups seem not to like outsiders and there is a whole mid-west weirdness with tipping wait staff. It's as if they can't stand to leave any money behind them.

[toobusytoday]

I think it's totally silly to paint a whole region/state/town one way. You could visit an area and meet two people that are having a bad day and you end up thinking that that area is unfriendly. Give me a break. I live in a small town and I think we're pretty darn friendly. My parents live in South Jersey and they are the most helpful nicest people you could meet so I disagree with the whole state of NJ being rude. I was in Philadelphia this past weekend and the 10 people I encountered were all perfectly friendly and helpful, therefore I declare Philadelphia a friendly city. Be friendly and (for the most part) people will be friendly to you.

[cremebrulee]

I don't believe there are to many old people, who don't think life was better in their childhood, no matter where they live. In the past 30 years, life & culture has changed drastically...and don't forget, those old folks, grumpy or not, paved the way for you.

Any state you visit has it's hords of people living on welfare, not just in PA, and also, has its slum areas, poverty stricken areas, not just PA

So, as far as the OP's claims, you could say the same for any state in the U.S.

I don't understand why you stay here if you hate it that much? You have a right to your opinion, but like another poster stated, for God's sake, change your life around then and move...

You come across as a person, no matter where you would move to, and I mean this in all due respect...but I don't think you'd be happy. You seem to like to kick the dog until it's dead, and contine to keep on kickin it, yanno?

There are tons of people who live in PA and who love it...and as I stated once before, PA is so diverse and so close to many other areas. Your close to NYC, DE, DC, and actually the entire east coast is a natural playground. Not to mention, NJ Shore, and all the other east coast water ways, including the coast. PA has a change of seasons which is really great if your into cold weather. Not all of us hate cold weather...much as I complain about it, I find it refreshing after a long hot summer. Love the snow, hate driving in it. But no matter where you go, there are always pros and cons....that's life...nothing is 100% and nothing is guaranteed.

As far as the PA threads being closed down, they were closed down for a reason and that reason is usually b/c people were fighting and making personal attacks towards each other...therefore, in order to keep and maintain some peace they close them down and rightfully so. Opinion and debates are great, as long as they are exhibited in a respectful way.

[IHATEPA!!!]

Originally Posted by Orwelleaut

The rude thing, I think, is just one of those things that is all relative. To me, PA folks are generally pretty friendly, IMO, especially compared to the neighboring Northeast states like Jersey, NY, and MD. I also think there is a big difference in attitude between Western and Eastern PA. Western PA is only really part of the Northeast in technical terms. Mentality, economy, and climate are more like Ohio than Eastern PA or the rest of the Northeast, so I'd say Western PA is basically midwest. If one is used to Western PA, yes, folks in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Philly, Allentown, Harrisburg, or anywhere East of State College can seem a little snippy. To us folks out here in the Midwest, Eastern PA is a different culture. There is an almost Jersey accent East of State College or somewhere around in there. Folks talk so fast that they sound like they are going to a fire, even if there is no reason to hurry. For folks not used to this, I think it is hard to enjoy leisure activities with people who sound so hurried and nervous. Add in this thing where people look at any stranger like they think you are some kind of psychopath unless they know otherwise, and I can understand why the Eastern PA cities can be hard to take. I think you are best off if you are from the area so that the regional accent and mannerisms don't grate on your nerves, but also so that you are around people you know most of the time. I think folks in Eastern PA are pretty decent when they know you, in fact, I know they are. These same folks who won't give you the time of day when they don't know you will give their friends the shirt off of their back.

As far as the redneck thing, I am really bothered when I hear that attitude, because it is more of that Northeast bad attitude. Folks in Ohio and WVA don't see PA this way. They see PA as it really is; an older industrial state that is typically American more than anything else. Are there some rednecks in PA? Or course there are. There are a few rednecks anywhere, and that is just America. Those who think PA is so severely redneck need to get out of the Northeast a little, and visit states like Kentucky or Missouri where you can find real rednecks, not just laid-off factory workers who have big tires on their pickups, like to chew tobacco, and listen to Skynyrd. These are just blue collar guys, not hillbillies who live next to Jeb Clampitt, LOL!!! PA has some poverty, sure, but is about like Ohio or Michigan, not Southern Appalachia. I've only heard the stuff about PA being so redneck in NJ/NY/DE/MD, but primarily Jersey and New York. I find this attitude from Upstate New Yorkers to be especially ridiculous, as Western NY is an area much like Ohio and Western PA, an industrial economy that has been struggling in recent years. In my travels to Jersey and Upstate, in fact, I've seen just as many pickup trucks as in PA. Some folks like 4 wheel drive because they need to get out of their farm road in the winter, and may need to do some hauling. Rural areas don't have the snow removal services of suburbia, so driving a car built in Asia doesn't always make sense in these areas. If suburbanites near Cleveland and Detroit can figure these things out, I can't see why the folks in Jersey who think they are smarter than anyone West of Stroudsburg can't get their heads around this.

I respect your opinion here, but here's my take on things here.

I see where Eastern PA might be more "Northeast" than it's Western counterpart, being so close to NY, NJ, MD, etc.. I have relatives who live around MD, D.C. area and they are like that, what with the edgy, standoffish behavior; always being in a hurry, etc.. So I can identify.

I'm currently in the Western half of the state, and to me it just seems like it is so rural and spread out that just going to the grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc. is an expedition. Just an endless progression of small towns and cities that are economically burned out due to steel crunch and subsequent tanking of PA's economy. Steel was everything to PA, and when it tanked, almost everything else did, because most everything was ancillary to the steel industry here in PA.

I feel that PA in general, and Western PA specifically, has grown really stagnant and has even regressed in the past three decades or so. Part of that, I feel, is the issue of people living here all their lives for generations. That in itself isn't bad, but these people here just wanted to keep doing the same routine(s) for generations i.e. families working in steel, coal, etc. going back to their great-grandfather who came over here from Poland in 1905 or something like that. Speaking of that, I've noticed that plenty of native PA residents roots come from what was once the Eastern European Communist Bloc area of the World. I've noticed that plenty of people from that region of the World are known for having personality traits such as stubborness, quick tempers, etc. that they passed down to their American descendants. Plus, most people here in Western PA tend to be very territorial and clannish to the point where they isolate themselves in their one little corner of the World and are almost paranoid of outsiders.

Also, like it or not, there IS a redneck mentality here in PA. And I don't think its people just "playing" redneck. Somebody once said that the middle of PA is like Kentucky, and I can see why. Ironically, I've been to Kentucky, West Virginia, and other "redneck enclaves", and while the people in those places do reinforce some negative stereotypes, they have always been friendly as far as I'm concerned. Residents of PA, on the other hand, just seem to have a mean, nasty undercurrent about them in addition to the negative stereotypes being reinforced.

You do make a good point that PA is a weird Midwest/Northeast hybrid. PA seems to want to have its cake and eat it too in this regard. I feel that PA needs to be one or the other here.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

When I moved to rural central Pennsylvania in 1989 I still had my Slavic maiden name. When I had to conduct any kind of business, locals would look at my name and ask "what are you"? I don't think PA's reputation for being stick-in-the-mud is due to the overwhelming presence of ethnics from Eastern Europe

To use my own family as an example, my father's father came to the USA at age 14 as a political refugee. He had 4 kids as an adult: 2 decided to become farmers, 1 (my Dad) became a tool and die maker, and 1 went to med school. All the children in my generation went to college and none of us followed the professions of our parents.

The problem with resentment and stubborness here IMO has much to more to do with the class conscious system of white collar vs. blue collar, which does not seem to be based on intelligence, ability, or net worth -- but simply 'what your daddy done for a living'. When I was growing up, it was just understood that I was going to college no matter where my father worked. If someone didn't like to study, and was mechanically inclined, for example, there was employment in a skilled trade. And so on. That is not how things are in small towns here. Even if you have an IQ of 150, you are not going on to higher ed (even trade school) if your mother works processing chickens, and your dad works for a paving contractor. No way, no how -- unless you excel in sports, which isn't all that common for geeks and nerds. It isn't hard to understand why people are sullen and resentful if they have always been denied a chance at the 'American Dream'.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by BackToTheCityMouse

When I moved to rural central Pennsylvania in 1989 I still had my Slavic maiden name. When I had to conduct any kind of business, locals would look at my name and ask "what are you"? I don't think PA's reputation for being stick-in-the-mud is due to the overwhelming presence of ethnics from Eastern Europe

To use my own family as an example, my father's father came to the USA at age 14 as a political refugee. He had 4 kids as an adult: 2 decided to become farmers, 1 (my Dad) became a tool and die maker, and 1 went to med school. All the children in my generation went to college and none of us followed the professions of our parents.

The problem with resentment and stubborness here IMO has much to more to do with the class conscious system of white collar vs. blue collar, which does not seem to be based on intelligence, ability, or net worth -- but simply 'what your daddy done for a living'. When I was growing up, it was just understood that I was going to college no matter where my father worked. If someone didn't like to study, and was mechanically inclined, for example, there was employment in a skilled trade. And so on. That is not how things are in small towns here. Even if you have an IQ of 150, you are not going on to higher ed (even trade school) if your mother works processing chickens, and your dad works for a paving contractor. No way, no how -- unless you excel in sports, which isn't all that common for geeks and nerds. It isn't hard to understand why people are sullen and resentful if they have always been denied a chance at the 'American Dream'.

I grew up in Mechanicsburg....that may have been the way it worked 20-30 year ago, but when I went to high school in the beginning of this decade, EVERYBODY went to college and it was a competition to see who could get into the best school.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

In the 1990s, what I posted about was true in Juniata County. Based on the experiences of someone I know in the Pittsburgh side of the state, what I posted was true in this decade. It's not true about every small PA town, but I have no doubt it does happen even today.

I think it's great that many students in Mechanicsburg go on to college, but I have to shake my head at the concept of a competition to get into certain schools... I just checked the list of members of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (where competitions of that sort are the rule, even leading to student suicides as acceptance notices arrive) and no school from Pennsylvania was listed.

Seriously, if this kind of competition became established -- and enough of these competitive types returned to the area and sent their children to school in Mechanicsburg -- the effect of 'legacy' on college admissions could (re)establish the class snobbery all over again.