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This thread kind of amuses me. In terms of the worst offenders, I'd narrow it down to NYC and Bay Area/SoCal, rather than the entire coasts. That said, I have a lot of good friends from both areas, and people from NYC and California are often portrayed as some kind of evil, foreign invaders wherever else in the country I've lived.
On that note, I've also run into many people in the middle of the country who seriously think that the votes of citizens on the coasts somehow shouldn't really count and that New Yorkers and Californians aren't even "real Americans". If that's not dismissive, I don't know what is....
Of course, everything is viewed through a political prism these days, and I think the contempt has evolved into more urban vs rural than coastal elite vs flyover country these days. Personally, my views may be regarded as smug- but they're more like Gaylord_Focker's- we're in our own world out here, and I prefer it that way. I no longer have many family members in the east or midwest, and don't care to move back to those regions any time soon, if ever.
I used to live in California, and I live in the DC area now. I'd definitely say that West Coasters seem to look down on anywhere else, or outright indifferent. There's a fine line that they straddle. A lot of it is due to distance from the rest of the country plus all the amenities available within the states - California in particular. I knew a lot of Californians who never really traveled outside the state or the furthest they went was Vegas or Phoenix. Bay Area people tend to be a lot more smug about where they are than people in Southern California, although I've met my share in Los Angeles and San Diego.
The East Coast - well the NE/Acela Corridor - is a bit different. Maybe because of my background and ethnicity, but most people I know here have connections to the South and the Midwest (or migrated here to DC from those regions), so there's a familiarity with those regions that you don't get out on the West Coast. Also, a lot of New Yorkers go back and forth between there and Florida. I do notice the elitism and ignorance about certain regions and cities on the East Coast, mainly from people who've never traveled beyond the NE Corridor.
I will say that I met quite a few Southerners who look down on the Coasts too when I lived down there, so this goes both ways, so all the faux indignation from people in Middle America about this is amusing to me.
I would say that is pretty accurate based on my observations, but it’s not in an overly arrogant way. I’ve noticed that Californians just don’t seem overly impressed by any other region. I would say the one exception is NYC. Maybe because it’s so grand and different, they do seem to be intrigued by NYC. But most other cities/states, Northern and Southern Californians alike, just don’t seem overly impressed. Again it’s not in an arrogant manner, but many would still move back to CA eventually if they had the choice. It’s rare I find someone from Northern or Southern California who likes a city state better than where they are from. Most of them I know who are living elsewhere, eventually want to move back. That’s not always the case. I know some who have stayed in other regions due to spouses, job opportunity, etc. but it’s usually the case that they eventually want to move back to Cali.
This is in contrast to people I’ve met from other regions who move to a big city and would never go back to where they are from. Again, NYC seems to be the one city that a lot of Californians seem to be interested in visiting/living (at least in the short term). A good number seem to like Chicago too for grad/professional school and medical residencies; although many seem to only like it for more of a short-term experience (probably due in part to the cold weather lol).
Last edited by personone; 05-27-2021 at 05:38 PM..
West Coast. I think literally, the time zone and the physical barrier of the Rockies and some other Mountain Ranges act as mental border for those on the west side.
West Coast. I think literally, the time zone and the physical barrier of the Rockies and some other Mountain Ranges act as mental border for those on the west side.
Like people simply don’t care about things that happen 1000 miles away.
And, that's kind of how it is when you live in the the middle, as well. Out of sight, out of mind.
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