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Just understand that some of us Californians do feel an anti-Californian sentiment in the media and on this forum, and that its not an inconceivable phenomenon. Just like its not inconceivable that people from the South feel looked down upon, people from the Northeast being considered type-A and overly aggressive, and so on.
I've heard people talk negatively about CA here in NC. MOST of them were from the northeast.
Honestly that's the opposite of my experience, I know many people who moved to California (and The South) and love it and sometimes boast about it. Maybe it's because I'm from Queens and not "uppity Manhattan". Infact I've never really heard anything negative about California (except things like earthquakes of course), nobody sits around thinking about Cali all day like some believe.
I'm gonna keep it 100 right now, maybe it's just me but that whole "The Big-Bad Northeast looks down on everyone" noise is very annoying, I recall only one time in REAL LIFE were I've met someone like that (your results may vary lol), people seem to forget that this is a forum. Some of this stuff I hear is so unreal, yeah as if 40+ million Americans are born with inferiority complexes and just sit around all day all looking down on and hating fellow Americans, like come on now that's insane.
Last edited by Infamous92; 02-15-2010 at 06:20 AM..
Reason: Spelling Error
Honestly that's the opposite of my experience, I know many people who moved to California (and The South) and love it and sometimes boast about it. Maybe it's because I'm from Queens and not "uppity Manhattan". Infact I've never really heard anything negative about California (except things like earthquakes of course), nobody sits around thinking about Cali all day like some believe.
I'm gonna keep it 100 right now, maybe it's just me but that whole "The Big-Bad Northeast looks down on everyone" noise is very annoying, I recall only one time in REAL LIFE were I've met someone like that (your results may vary lol), people seem to forget that this is a forum. Some of this stuff I hear is so unreal, yeah as if 40+ million Americans are born with inferiority complexes and just sit around all day all looking down on and hating fellow Americans, like come on now that's insane.
That's probably the most important statement that needs to come out of this. CD isn't representative of what people think in real life, so its not the statements coming out of here or any other online forum that matters (haha, type in California in 'Free Republic' and you'll see the genocidal thoughts coming out). In real life, people are a lot less willing to express hostile thoughts towards most things due to fear of being ostracized or keeping up an upbeat attitude. However, on the internet, people's behavior noticeably changes as the anonymity allows for venting to go on.
It's when words become actions that becomes deadly.
I don't think anyone here really thinks that anti-California sentiment is a Northeast specific thing, but rather a nation wide thing. However, what has been felt as of recently is the repeated news articles and news clips remind other Americans how much California is failing, and stating very broad stereotypes of why that is. In this thread, all that needed to be said was that it happens and isn't in the figment of our imagination. I'm not going to say that California is a special case of this because I don't think so, but it has been somewhat of the media's whipping boy as of late.
This in turn has resulted in some people having more negative ideas about California. However, I honestly believe that most people are educated enough and open minded enough to make their own decisions without having the aid of the media or other people influence them too much.
I grew up in California, and currently live in Northern Virginia, a few miles from DC. California takes it in a heartbeat for me. I'm probably a little biased since I grew up there (and most people think fondly of their childhood home), but I think California wins it for quite a few reasons.
1) Weather - duh, that's a no brainer. On Christmas day we often went for walks on the beach, but if we wanted snow it was just a few hours to some of the best skiing in the country. Summers were mild, topping off at 80.
2) Stress levels - DC has got to be one of the most hectic, rushed, stressful places I've ever been. NYC beats it. LA, for as monstrous and successful as the city is, has a different take on life. You can meet people without the first question being "What do you do for a living? Where did you go to school?"
3) Access to education. California has awesome schools, in all different cities, cultures, environments. All for in-state tuition. If I have children here in Virginia, UVA is a phenomenal school--but if they want to go to University of Maryland, they'll pay outrageous out-of-state tuition, despite being closer to UMD than UVA.
4) Natural beauty. State parks, untouched/un-developed beaches, and amazing hiking trails. The east coast has some nice beaches, but the ones I've been to (VA beach, OBX, Ocean city MD, dewey beach DE) are SO built up and developed and...I dunno, that's not the beach, to me. I don't need giant rental houses or boardwalks to enjoy the ocean.
The mid atlantic has a lot of good stuff going for it (great access to multiple big cities, beautiful fall weather, stable jobs)...but when I get a job opportunity in California, I'm packing up my husband and we're moving back west
Ok, I'd like to start by saying im not sure why all of your frustration is being taken out on me. I don't hate the west coast. At all. In any way. It's as though I you all think i agreed with that guy and want the west coast gone. No. Just, no.
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Originally Posted by Lifeshadower
I don't really take him seriously either. However, millions upon millions of people do. However, that's reserved for the Politics forum, and not this one.
That statement goes to the earlier point of how reviled California is as an individual state. Just understand that some of us Californians do feel an anti-Californian sentiment in the media and on this forum, and that its not an inconceivable phenomenon. Just like its not inconceivable that people from the South feel looked down upon, people from the Northeast being considered type-A and overly aggressive, and so on.
Im sorry, but even if you take the man seriously, its quite, quite, quite well understood that he isn't serious. It's extremely interesting to see how seriously you take it, as he isn't being literal. He is a extreme conservative who hates extreme liberals. That's it. He doesn't want to actually kill them, he's just expressing his hatred for them.
As for the rest, ok, i understand. But every area feels like that. You already mentioned Half of the country that feels that way, and so does the other half. California doesn't get anymore hate than any other region. In fact, it gets much less from my experience.
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Originally Posted by jman650
Quite the opposite actually. Most Californians don't realize how much the rest of the country has them in mind UNTIL we get peppered with derogatory remarks like we do here on C-D. It not like this is limited to here either. CA gets bashed all the time on TV, in the media, wherever. It gets hyped up positively a whole bunch too, and none of us are denying that. We're just saying that we do receive quite a hefty amount of negative criticism. And with so much venom and bitter hatred at times that we find it quite uncalled for.
Quite the opposite from your perspective. From my perspective, nope, it is praised much more. Wow, so California is doing bad financially right now, so what if time magazine is saying it will fail. You're acting as though California is the region that gets the most Garbage. It truly, truly, truly is one of the least. Im sorry to disappoint you, but there are regions of this country that have almost never gotten praise, and California's praise level is HIGH in comparison to the opposite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
Not really. Your 1 holds up. Your 2 is simply your opinion with nothing factual to back it up, so we have no reason not to believe he wasn't serious in his comments (he didn't laugh when he said any of it as I recall). And your 3 is debatable b/c neither you nor I/the rest of us have any idea how much hatred he truly holds in his heart. But I don't think you have anything solid enough there to say he really has nothing against the West Coast.
Why is it when we say anything about the East we're out of line, but if we take issue with something bad being said about our home it should be so easily dismissed according to some of you?
2 is simply obvious. You're being WAY oversensitive to such a dis-credible person as he is. It doesn't matter if he didn't laugh, he obivously has strong, true, feelings about extreme liberals. 3 come on, just come on. Blowing something so dumb way out of proportion.
I'm confused, do you guys think he was being literal and would like terrorists to blow up San Francisco, or are you guys mad that he doesn't like San Franciscans. That could clear things up.
To your last comment, well that's simply untrue in my experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
Did anyone say CA is the ONLY place magazines display negatively? We're only speaking on this in response to the notion that CA receives NOTHING BUT PRAISE, which is very, very far from the truth. So now that we're speaking up we're suddenly making CA out to be only bashed by outsiders? Why does all this have to translate into absolutes? We're not stating it as such.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: CA receives a disproportionate amount of praise. It also earns a lot of that praise. In addition to all of that, it receives an unfair amount of negative criticism and bad wishes. Do not expect us to not take offense to that kind of negative BS. Just b/c another state MIGHT receive as much negative criticism or slightly more/less does not mean that we are in the wrong for taking issue with it. Nor are we at fault for disliking the trash being talked about our home simply b/c "CA gets loads more praise as perfection as opposed to anything else." Its offensive, and it is natural for us to not be happy about it. End of story.
Obviously, saying california gets nothing but praise is a hyperbole, i thought that would be obvious.
Nobody is denying you to defend your home against criticism. However, that isnt what we are talking about at all. We're talking about how California only gets negatives according to Californians [/Hyperbole].
Chill out. If you want to deny that California gets tons of praise as perfection, go right ahead, i personally would embrace it but do whatever you like. Almost every area of the country wishes that got that same praise.
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Originally Posted by polo89
I've heard people talk negatively about CA here in NC. MOST of them were from the northeast.
Ok, ive never heard a bad thing about California from a person in real life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
Your tone came across as though you were. You're making it sound as though comments like these should simply be brushed aside and taken with a grain of salt. The thing you're failing to realize is that when you have enough grains of salt to drown in it can provoke reaction. Also, those comments never should have been made by any American. I agree with Lifeshadower, they are treasonous.
My tone? We're on the internet. Its nearly impossible to tell a person's tone unless they are extremely good writers. Honestly, they should be brushed aside. I agree they should never be made, but unlike you, as i keep saying, i don't take him seriously enough to care. If this were a terrorist organization, then i would care.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
I highly doubt you'd be singing the same tune if he were targeting your home with such vitriol. And even if you still wouldn't care, I can guarantee you that many people in your area would. I think most of us can agree that the guy is a bit of a loon, but this loon also is considered to be the "voice of reason" on the cable news network with the largest following in America whose motto is "Fair and Balanced." Most of what he says is taken literally and believed by a huge number of impressionable Americans. So it is a big issue that this jackass said this.
Im sure people in my area would be mad that he said that, because my area has already been attacked by terrorists. Still, I wouldn't take him seriously. He isn't the leader of a terrorist group.
o? Please, his followers are probably smart enough to understand he doesn't want to destroy his own country. That's simply stupid.
I don't think anyone here really thinks that anti-California sentiment is a Northeast specific thing, but rather a nation wide thing. However, what has been felt as of recently is the repeated news articles and news clips remind other Americans how much California is failing, and stating very broad stereotypes of why that is. In this thread, all that needed to be said was that it happens and isn't in the figment of our imagination. I'm not going to say that California is a special case of this because I don't think so, but it has been somewhat of the media's whipping boy as of late.
I think you are right, people are interested in what happens in California but I do not think it is hatred by most people. There is of course of some jealously, but I think most people are interested because living in CA was always "that other option" they could have took.
Americans tend to be a restless bunch and I think for most of the 1900s, California became the promised land for most Americans. Hollywood moved out there in the 1920s. Even during the heart of the Great Depression, people were moving to California from the Great Plains (dustbowl) and other areas. They had no idea of what California was like but they automatically assumed it had to better then where they came from.
I cannot speak for everyone, but I think most people from all over the country were asking the same question, "what would my life be like if I lived in California"? Many of us are still asking that question, at least occassionally.
I am pretty sure New York City and DC have more than enough happening right now than to worry about this. I do not know about you guys, but in my town the only thing we think of is where we are going out to dinner and what we are going to wear. I have a meeting over dinner tonight. California will not be on my mind, New York City will not even be on my mind (and dinner will be in NYC) when I head out to dinner.
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