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No one cares about the suburb you're from. They want to know the general area.
This^ I'm not from Boston, and I'm not particularly familiar with it. So I suppose I don't know the local nuances that make it important to specify what politically divided, autonomously governed place one comes from there. As a non-New Englander, if it's part of contiguous development, and far enough away from another core I'd just prefer the person to say Boston. I won't know the more obscure place they call home anyway lol.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4
It’s cause someone from Kansas City doesn’t care about their opinion of someone from Dundalk MD about the cities plans to do ADA renovations ti it’s library branches or whatever. (Also maybe a bad example cause someone from Baltimore county I guess are from a Baltimore)
They’ll ask about like crab cakes or the Orioles or something that’s not that deep.
If you answer “Buffalo” they’ll reply “snows a lot don’t it? Which is also true of Tonawanda or Amherst. They’re not asking about your alderman
It’s like useless small talk
Basically they don’t actually care where you are from, it’s just small talk
It’s like asking people if they’re lying if they reply “good” to how are you.
Having lived in the Southwest and the West Coast, sports was always the ice breaker and identifier. Often they would throw shade at Brady and the Patriots, insert chuckles that follow. Nothing personal, just small talk. And I think the biggest factor is the abysmal geographical knowledge standard for most everyday people all over the US. Names like Massachusetts and New England just weren't on their radar. Boston, oh yeah... that's when the conversation goes to sports, cold weather, or whatever movie/accent/media image they had of the place. Even with the New England Patriots when I told them where Foxboro was, I also had to explain to more than a few people that New Jersey and Delaware are not New England states as I get a deer in the headlights response. It is what it is.
For me how I answer depend on my audience. It's all about engagement (connecting to others).
If I'm talking to someone who knows the area well, I'll mention the particular suburb I'm from, as they'll know where that is, a lot about it, etc. (e.g. -- Oh Wow, my sister lives in Webster Groves right next door. I love the architecture in that area...)
If the person I'm talking to doesn't know as much about the area, I'll say I'm from St. Louis. (And often I'll be responses like.
We stopped there on our trip out west last year for an overnight and went to the Arch and your zoo. Your zoo is so incredible and we really thought the arch was cool too.) (Wow, my son works at the Gateway Arch, if you went up you might of even had him as a tour guide.) (Or I've never been to St. Louis, but I love the Cardinals and then we talk about baseball.)
This^ I'm not from Boston, and I'm not particularly familiar with it. So I suppose I don't know the local nuances that make it important to specify what politically divided, autonomously governed place one comes from there. As a non-New Englander, if it's part of contiguous development, and far enough away from another core I'd just prefer the person to say Boston. I won't know the more obscure place they call home anyway lol.
I'm from Baton Rouge, a sizeable enough city that some people know. If they don't know, I just say an hour outside of New Orleans and that satisfies everyone.
When I lived in Arvada I would still say Denver, the only time I would mention Arvada is if it was someone in/from the area.
I think people are way overthinking this. Answering the "where are you from" question requires context. If I happen to strike up a conversation with someone in my local grocery store, I'll tell them the name of my neighborhood or even the name of my street. If I'm talking with someone at church, I'll say something like "east end of Ellicott City, just off Exit 4 from Route 100." If it's someone I meet on a cruise, I'll say Baltimore. If they happen to know the area, then I can drill down from there. None of this has anything to do with trying to claim the city as my own when I don't actually live within its borders, or anything like that.
I think people are way overthinking this. Answering the "where are you from" question requires context. If I happen to strike up a conversation with someone in my local grocery store, I'll tell them the name of my neighborhood or even the name of my street. If I'm talking with someone at church, I'll say something like "east end of Ellicott City, just off Exit 4 from Route 100." If it's someone I meet on a cruise, I'll say Baltimore. If they happen to know the area, then I can drill down from there. None of this has anything to do with trying to claim the city as my own when I don't actually live within its borders, or anything like that.
Saying "10 miles west of Baltimore" or "suburbs outside of Baltimore" takes about 1 second longer than saying "Baltimore."
People might not know the specific names or places, but they do know the difference between city and suburbs all around the world.
One reason might be that you feel your listener might not have heard of the suburb you came from, so it seems more helpful to name the major city. I might have more of an issue with those who say they're from [insert major city renowned for culture, etc.], and what they really mean is their parents moved them to BFE when they were two years old. But it's not like I care enough about it to make an issue of it.
I've noticed that some businesses based in L.A. suburbs--I mean real, politically independent cities like Beverly Hills and Culver city, now state L.A. as their primary business location. I'm sorry I can't recall the names, but I definitely recall at least one example each from both of those cities.
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