Relocators: What do you like LEAST about Pittsburgh? (construction, high school)

[groar]

people blast urban dwellers all the time, including on this board.

just look at the hipster thread. or, especially, any thread any time that talks about the "ghetto".

and yeah, i used to read the trib forums and they were really nasty. and full of suburbanites talking about how terrible the city and its residents is.

[Copanut]

As I recall: souless Cranberry; People live boring lives in the suburbs; all homes are cookie cutters; to name a few.

[SorryIMovedBack]

The overbearingly working-class-Catholic culture, and all of its patriarchal bs. If you've lived here all your life, it's probably not noticed. If you move from a larger city, it probably is.

We discussed it: what's wrong with women in PA

LivingMoon summed it up:

I'm femaie. I'm not from Pennsylvania, but I've lived here for 20 years. I weigh a little less than I did the day I graduated from college.
I'd say the problem is a mixture of these:

1) Most of PA is still dominated by patriarchal culture, where men are possessive and insecure. Many of them feel more comfortable with their woman looking less attractive to other men, and the women oblige their meal ticket. There was a study which reported that women living in rural areas tended to weigh a lot more than their suburban and urban counterparts, and generally place less value on maintaining an appearance of artificially enhanced attractiveness. When I had jury duty for Dauphin County, the ladies from rural towns were all obese but none of the other jurors (male or female) were. And if by some chance a doctor convinces a large lady to lose a lot of weight, the gossip will fly that she's cheatin'. If you've kept your figure, the gossip flies that you're a **** -- gossip among the guys, that is! I lived 10 years in Juniata County, and I know!

2) Women professionals eat out a lot, and the Harrisburg area culture (for example) encourages the consumption of more adult beverages than is medically recommended for a woman of any age per week. These two factors -- eating out and alcohol -- can cause significant weight gain as the years pass if you don't devote hours per week to serious exercise and minimize your calorie intake when you're at home.

3) Pennsylvania culture seems to encourage separate leisure activities for women and for men, which is very different than other places I've lived. Men and women here get together socially and eat. Women here get together socially and eat. Men do active things here socially, and I have to say the average guy in PA is more fit and more attractive than his urban metro counterpart! More attractive physically, I mean...nice to look at, from a distance

That "separate leisure activities" is the one that really gets to me, because I have no interest in children or homemaking. I like science, technology, machines, money, commerce, and activity, all on a post-secondary-educational level. Not only do men and women live separate lives in this region, but women's lives end when they marry. Catholics knock themselves to throw a huge wedding and marry the gal off, then the rest of her life is putter around at home with the kids and kitchen or shop or go to church. Boring as 'ell to us Protestants who don't have such restrictions.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

The overbearingly working-class-Catholic culture, and all of its patriarchal bs. If you've lived here all your life, it's probably not noticed. If you move from a larger city, it probably is.

We discussed it: what's wrong with women in PA

LivingMoon summed it up:


That "separate leisure activities" is the one that really gets to me, because I have no interest in children or homemaking. I like science, technology, machines, money, commerce, and activity, all on a post-secondary-educational level. Not only do men and women live separate lives in this region, but women's lives end when they marry. Catholics knock themselves to throw a huge wedding and marry the gal off, then the rest of her life is putter around at home with the kids and kitchen or shop or go to church. Boring as 'ell to us Protestants who don't have such restrictions.

Please tell me you're kidding. As a Protestant who married a Catholic, you don't have a clue.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

The overbearingly working-class-Catholic culture, and all of its patriarchal bs. If you've lived here all your life, it's probably not noticed. If you move from a larger city, it probably is.

We discussed it: what's wrong with women in PA

LivingMoon summed it up:


That "separate leisure activities" is the one that really gets to me, because I have no interest in children or homemaking. I like science, technology, machines, money, commerce, and activity, all on a post-secondary-educational level. Not only do men and women live separate lives in this region, but women's lives end when they marry. Catholics knock themselves to throw a huge wedding and marry the gal off, then the rest of her life is putter around at home with the kids and kitchen or shop or go to church. Boring as 'ell to us Protestants who don't have such restrictions.

Eh, most of this post is blame shifting people's own shortcomings on things that should no bearing on them if that a single independent thought in their brain.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

The overbearingly working-class-Catholic culture, and all of its patriarchal bs. If you've lived here all your life, it's probably not noticed. If you move from a larger city, it probably is.

We discussed it: what's wrong with women in PA

LivingMoon summed it up:


That "separate leisure activities" is the one that really gets to me, because I have no interest in children or homemaking. I like science, technology, machines, money, commerce, and activity, all on a post-secondary-educational level. Not only do men and women live separate lives in this region, but women's lives end when they marry. Catholics knock themselves to throw a huge wedding and marry the gal off, then the rest of her life is putter around at home with the kids and kitchen or shop or go to church. Boring as 'ell to us Protestants who don't have such restrictions.

Um this isn't 1960...............

[KingKrab]

Originally Posted by Copanut

As I recall: souless Cranberry; People live boring lives in the suburbs; all homes are cookie cutters; to name a few.

That's probably from me. Yup, Cranberry is souless, boring, the subdivisions are cookie cutter for sure, and the place lacks character.

Was that wrong to say?

[KingKrab]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Um this isn't 1960...............

LOL, people still are talking about Catholics marrying Protestants as a big deal. LOL. One person believes in the rituals involving a fairy tale different than the other. My dad was Catholic and My mom was Protestant. I guess it caused problems way back when with my Catholic grandma.

Although I still try to enforce the old style on my wife. I work all day and come home expecting a nice warm apple pie made, dinner, and my clothes cleaned. She doesn't listen to me though.

[Garvdog]

If I had to roll up everything I don't like about Pittsburgh into one point, it would be this: lack of sophistication. For a city of its size Pittsburgh can really have a "hick town" mentality to it sometimes. Others in this thread have already mentioned the ubiquitous smoking, 24/7 wearing of Steelers attire, etc. so I wont repeat it- it just goes down to lack of class.

Here's a personal anecdote: my wife is 40 and we have a 9 month-old. In almost all other American cities it's not uncommon to have kids later in life, but here in the Burgh she's been asked twice "is that your granddaughter"?

[steindle]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

That "separate leisure activities" is the one that really gets to me, because I have no interest in children or homemaking. I like science, technology, machines, money, commerce, and activity, all on a post-secondary-educational level. Not only do men and women live separate lives in this region, but women's lives end when they marry. Catholics knock themselves to throw a huge wedding and marry the gal off, then the rest of her life is putter around at home with the kids and kitchen or shop or go to church. Boring as 'ell to us Protestants who don't have such restrictions.

This is a wildly ridiculous generalization. There are so many obvious errors here that I don't even know where to begin. Some glaring ones include:
(a) the fact that you are obviously projecting your own warped view on a region that you clearly (e.g., your username) resent; and
(b) the fact that, if the phenomenon you mention is actually true of ANYWHERE in the U.S., it is true of the South, which probably has a lower proportion of Catholics than anywhere else in the country.

I have a lot of married friends in Pittsburgh at this point, and in virtually all cases, the female side of the equation is still living the same life, professionally and socially and academically and in all other respects, as she was before. If that's not been your experience, your experience has been limited by your own social choices and not the region in which you live.