Why do Chicagoans look down on people from the suburbs? (home, unemployed)

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The majority of posters on the Chicago forum either grew up in far away places or moved from the suburbs to the city. They may say they have "no real issue" with where they came from but their biases are readily apparent.

Most such folks did not participate in any of the nicer cultural offerings that smaller cities and suburbs offer nor do they partake in many of the offerings available in Chicago. They did not appreciate the simple things like flowers that bloom or birds that sing. They associated those things with normalcy and blandness and that motivated them to move someplace "more exciting". The false belief that they could find that fulfilling is utterly counter to reality. That lack of connection fosters a kind of existential hollowness and inability to appreciate the real reasons for being -- instead of forming deeper bonds to others they drift from pathetic beer soaked experiences in college to similar sad efforts to recreate such "fun" in ever more hip night spots, some of which ironically play up their sad "dive bar" themes.

Eventually a fair number do come to realize there are better ways to get on with their life, but for those that cling to the fake fun there are plenty more in the same herd in the city than in the suburbs ...

I guess the more degrees one has and takes things to extreme in most areas. Especially politically. The more prone you are to generalized the younger generations and forget their own decade of youth and changes to the hip places to be.

I'm getting old too, but do not have a ton of degrees (I know you can't tell). But surely WOULD NEVER GENERALIZE those who have settled in the Central core and lakeside neighborhoods, who have helped revitalize our city cores. Especially Chicago's. This movement to the city cores is ongoing 3 decades now +. Enough time for two or the generations to replenish those who may have moved to others areas then or stayed.

Why label any group today? If you did not like some labels you may have been given ---> back in the Glory days yourself? They say, if you continually point a finger at others. Including labels with plenty of undertones to demean? You have 4 pointing back.

Generation Y,Z to Millennial's and the NEW C GENERATION TECH SAVVY? Each will leave a mark of improvement to a core like CHICAGO'S to come. That not too long ago, was not as vibrant as today. They just may appreciate the ART'S more then some assume too.

I know as born before even Generation X. Appreciate what all contributed.

** Besides, after generations of suburbanites looking down on the city folk. LOL let some flow back now.

Originally Posted by Razza94

If anything, people in major cities such as Chicago are some of the least "awake" people in human history. Mindless zombies drifting through a monotonous 9 to 5 existence. Completely removed from nature and the wider workings of the world.

Oh brother, didn't they say that in the 60s... about the hippie generation. : or was it they wanted to reconnect to it???? But in the city by the Bay? LOL Certainly not 9-5. I think ALL ages enjoy Chicago's Parks and Lakefront with nature.

[Alacran]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

This is typical of any urban place compared to any suburban place, nothing really unique about Chicago. I think urban dwellers think of themselves as putting up with more, able to handle more, access to more, more culture, they're more "awake" in that sense.

Not really. Bay area, Atlanta, Vegas, Dallas, etc. etc. don't really make as big a deal about living in city proper.

[Clark&Addison]

As someone from the City, I always thought it was ridiculous when my peers would generalize "suburbanites" or take some kind of special pride because they are from "The City". Nothing wrong with being proud of where you are from, but in my opinion there is nothing special about living on one side of an arbitrary city limit line than the other. There are plenty of suburbs and city neighborhoods that are richer/poorer/more diverse/less diverse/better/worse/etc/etc/etc than where I live and where I grew up, the only real difference being who got our property taxes.

Pride on your neighborhood/town is worth more than some city/suburb badge of honor in my opinion.

[Razza94]

Originally Posted by DavePa

Oh brother, didn't they say that in the 60s... about the hippie generation. : or was it they wanted to reconnect to it???? But in the city by the Bay? LOL Certainly not 9-5. I think ALL ages enjoy Chicago's Parks and Lakefront with nature.

The fact that you think they're good examples of nature proves my point.

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by Razza94

The fact that you think they're good examples of nature proves my point.

The fact you think it had to do with nature in any real reality proves- my point. Most of those from that era past, no other generation will be like again in change from the previous. As those who were as a term "hippy" of that era. Most did NOT live their lives as their more radical youth years. Many became those 9 to 5.

As a Generation Boomers I or The Baby Boomers
Born: 1946-1954
Coming of Age: 1963-1972

The first Boomer segment
is bounded by the Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, the Civil
Rights movements and the Vietnam War. Boomers I were in or protested the War.
Boomers 2 or the Jones Generation missed the whole thing.

Boomers I had good economic opportunities and were largely optimistic about the
potential for America and their own lives, the Vietnam War notwithstanding.

No generation deserves derogatory finger-pointing and stereotypical names as some label those of today. They as the Professionals of these new labeled generations that make up these New Urban movers to our cities and there reviving of ours cores being seen by them.

That is what I addressed. Now a new labeled one... Generation C is the new one coming of age.

But still the irony of the topic? In how some past generations began to shun our cities and look down upon city folk with negative references. Now we are addressing the opposite.

[prhill]

Originally Posted by Razza94

The fact that you think they're good examples of nature proves my point.

Are you an expert on nature? I lived in Wisconsin as a kid it does not get any more rural than that and it was hell! That is what I hated about the burbs as well. SO boring in every single way. I could not wait to finally move to the city.

[ChicagoMeO]

they think the suburbs are boring and dorky. they think them living in the city is where its at, chic, trendy, hot, where all the action is; the suburbs are too quiet for them. lots of families with kids in suburbs. at least that's what they feel about it. but they are paying for it.. by worse traffic, worse parking if you can even find a parking space when going out to the nightlife; more expensive for the square footage compared to suburbs; (ok there are exceptions); etc.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Razza94

If anything, people in major cities such as Chicago are some of the least "awake" people in human history. Mindless zombies drifting through a monotonous 9 to 5 existence. Completely removed from nature and the wider workings of the world.

Riiiiight ...

Very few people who both live and work in the City are 9-5ers. It's expensive to live in the city, so most people living and working in the city are career-driven professionals who work a lot more hours than 9-5. 8-6 would be a minimum in most cases, plus additional work at home in the evenings or weekends. Or their working class and working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. The 9-5 types *I* know are the suburbanites.

As for "removed from nature," many in the city enjoy being near the Lake and parks, and vacationing in places with nature. And depending on where they are in the city, there may be plenty of flowers and trees and such.

I don't know what you mean by the "wider workings of the world," but I think there are plenty of people in both the City and the Suburbs who are ignorant of the wider workings of the world, regardless of what you meant by that.

Originally Posted by chet everett

The majority of posters on the Chicago forum either grew up in far away places or moved from the suburbs to the city. They may say they have "no real issue" with where they came from but their biases are readily apparent.

Most such folks did not participate in any of the nicer cultural offerings that smaller cities and suburbs offer nor do they partake in many of the offerings available in Chicago. They did not appreciate the simple things like flowers that bloom or birds that sing. They associated those things with normalcy and blandness and that motivated them to move someplace "more exciting". The false belief that they could find that fulfilling is utterly counter to reality. That lack of connection fosters a kind of existential hollowness and inability to appreciate the real reasons for being -- instead of forming deeper bonds to others they drift from pathetic beer soaked experiences in college to similar sad efforts to recreate such "fun" in ever more hip night spots, some of which ironically play up their sad "dive bar" themes.

Eventually a fair number do come to realize there are better ways to get on with their life, but for those that cling to the fake fun there are plenty more in the same herd in the city than in the suburbs ...

:shrug:

Good grief, chet.

I think that there are two common reasons that some people in the City look down on people in the suburbs.

First, historically the suburbs were (and still are, in large part) places to raise children. People with young children have lives that revolve around young children and, realistically, young parents just do not do as much outside of the home as childless people do. That's just the reality of there only being so many hours in a day. The city people who criticism the suburbs as being boring are usually young, childless people. Of course parenting seems boring to them.

Second, for older people living in the city who look down on suburbanites, I think it's the lingering effect of "white flight" leaving a patina of racism on suburbanites, whether it's deserved or not barely matters, it's a stereotype that lingers. Part of that was extended past the period of "white flight" when it was common for suburbanites to be scared of the City. Not all suburbanites are scared of the city, of course, and I think that fear is less common these days. But it used to be fairly common for suburbanites to express fear about the city. And if you live somewhere and you feel safe there, you're going to look down on someone who is scared of where you live as being either cowardly or ignorant or both. That's just human nature.

[lepoisson]

I think suburb folk generalize city folk and vice versa.

I got mad when I first moved here because someone was taking "my" parking spot in front of the building. In suburbia, you have your own driveway and parking spot, but that concept doesn't really exist in the city.

But now that I live in the city, I'd get irritated living in the burbs because I'd have to drive everywhere.

[green apple]

Because the suburbs are lame and people from the suburbs have some sort of deluded belief that it's no different from living in Chicago. It is different, and it's annoying to have to explain why.