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I live in Staunton, VA. It and the state as a whole usually get labeled as some sort of southern redneck backwash. Even where i live, which is even ridiculed by people 40 minutes east in Charlottesville as being backwards, I see few blatant examples of redneckism. Yes they are out there and I feel they are so over the top with being a redneck, that it scars people's minds to a degree that they remember the whole area like that, when in reality it's only a smaller number of obnoxious persons. I have seen plenty rebel battle flags in MD, PA, NY, and CT.
We still fight the war of northern aggression./ Most don't take into consideration that just because someone displays a rebel flag, that it means they are pro confederacy or not. They just want people to know they are a rebel in general and feel that is a suitable way to convey that message. Of course there are some confederate sympathizers, but percentage wise is very small in relation to the states population. Also all those confederate heroes statues all over the place? Most have been there for maybe a hundred years or more. It's not as if we put them up every week.
We're the bible belt./ Same argument with the confederate statues. Most churches have been here for hundreds of years. Some being built now, but not enough to constitute me believing this is the bible belt. Most people I know don't even go to church. And attendance is falling. A Richmond Times Dispatch article stated that at least 60 or 70% of Virginian's don't profess a religion or believe in a god. Most people that go anymore are usually 40 somethings up. I have never been asked about my religion by a total stranger, or aquaintance for that matter either. I was taught evolution in school too, by the way.
When i hear people say how god awful southern or redneck VA is, I sometimes feel like I live in a parallel universe. Because I don't see it at every street corner like some do. And I've been all over the country. I don't see much difference. The only differences I do see are the ones between urban, suburban, and rural settings. N, S, E, W, arguments make little sense to me. Because I've seen southern things up north, and northern things down south. It just depends if you are in a city, suburb or isolated small town or not. I think people who freak out about this stuff haven't ever really spent much time out of a urban area and when they do, they latch onto every single perceived stereotype they think they see and don't pay much attention to anything else. VA does indeed have culture, diversity, and educated citizens. And they don't all live in the DC suburbs, or Charlottesville either.
Pittsburgh was founded in 1758. It celebrated its 250th birthday two years ago. Learn about the French and Indian War to learn about how important Pittsburgh was at the time.
Cincinnati was founded in 1788, exactly 30 years later than Pittsburgh. Yes, Cincinnati boomed earlier than Pittsburgh did, but that does not necessarily mean that it has more historical significance. Again, the French and Indian War...
You're absolutely right. I shouldn't have called out two other midwest cities like I did. Wasn't trying to pick on Pittsburgh, Detroit, or anywhere else with equally important histories. I love these midwest cities more than any other cities in the country. Unlike both these cities, Cincinnati had no great place in the founding days as a trading outpost or fort or anything similar.
My point is that because Cincinnati boomed fifty years before its neighbors, it is a totally different place in terms of architecture and urban form than any other midwestern city except perhaps St Louis. Cincinnati, physically, have more in common with east coast cities than midwestern cities. This isn't a good or bad thing, but it is noteworthy and if you're into architecture this is a very important distinction. In fact, because Cincinnati didn't go so crazy with urban renewal, it is in some respect unrivaled even by early east coast cities. That was all I was trying to say.
New Jersey is completely industrialized and mostly urban decay except for the shore part which looks like that TV show.
Everyone in New Jersey is connected to the mob, thanks again to a TV show.
Everyone in New Jersey pronounces their own state "Joisey", the most mysterious and annoying myth of all. I have lived here for more than 50 years and have yet to hear ONE New Jerseyan pronounce the state name that way.
Hey KidPhilly! I Remember/Own A Copy Of That Movie!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidphilly
Wasn't there an old movie about a CA surfer transplant who moved to Cinci and would skate board down those hills. For the life can't remember the name or why I even just now thought of it...
It's called 'Airborne', and the set piece of the movie is a skateboard race between two teams of skaters that was filmed near the Ronald Reagan/Cross County Highway...
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,822,981 times
Reputation: 14665
Not everybody in Boston talks like a Kennedy or Good Will Hunting. Also Massachusetts is not as liberal or taxing as say Sweden. There is a conservative base here that guys like Mitt Romney thrived in.
Phoenix is completely brown. No trees, grass, or vegetation grow there. Everyone has rocks and cacti in their front lawns.
There are only chain restaurants and there is no culinary scene at all.
Tractor pulls and NASCAR are really big there and are considered cultural events.
It is a real cowtown, Midwestern and eastern transplants are a recent phenomena and the natives have drawls and could be mistaken for Texan or even Southern.
It is very isolated. It is not near any other major city and is about 1000 miles from the ocean. It is in other words in the heartland.
It is ultra-conservative. Very religious and intolerant. It is also has major race problems. People are all of one political mind there.
That's a few but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
I agree with most of this. People think everyone is a cowboy and native Americans still live in tee pees. Also that it is all desert.
While we are technically in a desert, it is not a desert like the Sahara. We have mountains all around us, trees, and other vegetation. We get rain (though not often)and even frost in the winter. Although lots of people do have rocks or gravel in their yards, many do have lawns. Its just harder to keep them up here than it would be anywhere else.
There are cowboys, but not as many as people think. and there is plenty of diversity. Theres the hip hop crowd, rockers, yuppies, Latino , foreigners that have settled in from the middle east, India, Africa and so on. Its not just transplants from the mid west either.
It is more conservative than Tucson, and there has been some disharmony with people here because of sb1070. And people have misconceptions of Az being lawless and something like the old "wild west"-( in general thanks to Jan Brewer and Sheriff Arpaio). Most people are tolerant though, and everyone gets along for the most part.
And not all native Americans live on the res, more probably live in the cities than not, and they work or go to college just like everyone else!!
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,822,981 times
Reputation: 14665
Quote:
Originally Posted by kazoopilot
The fact that you think Mitt Romney is conservative shows how liberal Massachusetts really is.
he ran Bain Capital and he's a social conservative, he's a morman for god's sake. How is that liberal? Or is your train of thought to the right of Atilla the Hun?
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 16,049,308 times
Reputation: 4047
There are just so many misconceptions about my state that you know, I just don't care anymore. I see it all the time on here, but whatever. I don't care to correct them anymore, I don't care whats said, I don't care about people who say it.
You get to the point where you want people to stay factual and tell things how it is, but there's just too much chaos to always do that. So end game. I really have zero care anymore at all about them.
But the most common ones are:
- Its flat (no its not)
- There are no beaches (No one has seen South Padre I guess)
- Asians don't live there (Psh, I'm already proving that one wrong by just existing)
.... and there is like at least two pages worth of misconceptions....
I'm going to let me be myself, in my state with 25 million people, and ummm I'll let you all be you in where ever you live!
Problem solved.
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Hey KidPhilly! I Remember/Own A Copy Of That Movie!
