why its hard to fit in the Pittsburgh scene (New Castle: university, living in)

[Awesomo.2000]

my street is very unfriendly, but it is a dead end street with old apartments rented by foreigners, students, and singles. I lived in friendlier apartment complexes, but I like not to be bothered by my neighbors for once, (even if that sounds selfish).

[TomDot]

Would I be OK if I walked around in a Patriots jersey?

[Awesomo.2000]

^nobody would really care unless we were playing in the playoffs and you wore it around after the Patriots won.

Pittsburgher's are serious about their sports, but you got to be in a bad section of town to run into somebody who is going to start something with somebody over their choice of sports teams.

[Blackbird1985]

I know this is from several years ago, but I'm going through the very same thing right now. I realized that it all depends on where you come from and how willing you are to change to fit in. I came from New Jersey where there are so many different types of people you're just used to it. Between myself, my friends and my family there are several different, and opposing, opinions on everything from religion, sports teams, music, politics, etc. I moved to Pittsburgh and everyone just things along the same lines. There isn't such a difference in opinions.

I also found that since I'm from Jersey, we debate. Here if you have an opposing view/opinion, you keep it to yourself. I've often had peopel offended by the fact that I didn't like the Steelers or the Penguins. I think that's just ridiculous. At home one person states their opinion and there's bound to be someone else that thinks differently. They say so and you discuss then move on. That is not the case in Pittsburgh.

Finally it depends on how willing you are to change yourself. I was raised to believe in myself and to be true to every part of my being. When I came to Pittsburgh I didn't follow the norms (i.e. like the right sports teams, I thought to much about politics, I wanted to live in many places and explore the country). Pittsburgh is a very deep rooted city. As someone else said everyone knows everyone. I grew up in a town like that, but I was raised to go where you need/want to. Family is always your family no matter what and the same goes for good friends.

I was told it would be better for me to live somewhere that has a more transient population; which is what I'm used to.

[chris1219]

You talk about it like it's a high school. No, not everyone knows everyone. That's absurd. Your individual experience is not indiciative of anything except what events and people happened upon you. If you find people consistently getting offended at things you are saying, maybe it's you, not them.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by Blackbird1985

I also found that since I'm from Jersey, we debate. Here if you have an opposing view/opinion, you keep it to yourself. I've often had peopel offended by the fact that I didn't like the Steelers or the Penguins. I think that's just ridiculous. At home one person states their opinion and there's bound to be someone else that thinks differently. They say so and you discuss then move on. That is not the case in Pittsburgh.

Funny because my experience is not that at all!

I have been in and observed MANY a heated debate... with everyone still liking each other when it is over.

I also know many people who are not into any sports at all, without offending anyone.

Sorry you are having this trouble fitting in...

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Blackbird1985

I've often had peopel offended by the fact that I didn't like the Steelers or the Penguins.

I often follow Stephen Fry's advice when it comes to offended people.

http://i.imgur.com/EX5v4.jpg

[steindle]

Originally Posted by Blackbird1985

I know this is from several years ago, but I'm going through the very same thing right now. I realized that it all depends on where you come from and how willing you are to change to fit in. I came from New Jersey where there are so many different types of people you're just used to it. Between myself, my friends and my family there are several different, and opposing, opinions on everything from religion, sports teams, music, politics, etc. I moved to Pittsburgh and everyone just things along the same lines. There isn't such a difference in opinions.

I also found that since I'm from Jersey, we debate. Here if you have an opposing view/opinion, you keep it to yourself. I've often had peopel offended by the fact that I didn't like the Steelers or the Penguins. I think that's just ridiculous. At home one person states their opinion and there's bound to be someone else that thinks differently. They say so and you discuss then move on. That is not the case in Pittsburgh.

Finally it depends on how willing you are to change yourself. I was raised to believe in myself and to be true to every part of my being. When I came to Pittsburgh I didn't follow the norms (i.e. like the right sports teams, I thought to much about politics, I wanted to live in many places and explore the country). Pittsburgh is a very deep rooted city. As someone else said everyone knows everyone. I grew up in a town like that, but I was raised to go where you need/want to. Family is always your family no matter what and the same goes for good friends.

I was told it would be better for me to live somewhere that has a more transient population; which is what I'm used to.

Like many criticisms of any city, this sounds like a product of limited social environment and not the fault of the city itself.

Really, no opposing viewpoints? No willingness to argue? In a population of almost 2 1/2 million people? That's stunning, statistically impossible consistency.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by Angorlee

I lived in pittsburgh about 15 years ago and I found that people won't accept you if arn't born and raised there. Of course that is true of all places to a certain degree. But Pittsburgh is more that way than most places, I think. I think the reason has something to do with the fact that Pittsburgh was a very hard town to build with its many valleys, rivers, hills, etc so a newcomer is coming into to town just settles in without any sort of ancestral ties to the building of the place. Also, Pittsburgh was a rough and tough steel town. a real blue collar place with distinct neighborhoods. These are just my ideas.

Catholic, too. You'll find the same attitudes in Shenango Valley, New Castle, Youngstown, all the old mill towns. The Catholics stick with their blood relatives, and don't mix too much with outsiders. A very closed and suspicious society. No matter who you are, you are not a blood relative, and that is simply that. Go only as far south as Charleston, WV, where it's all Protestants, and they are some of the friendliest and open people on the face of the Earth. People up here tend to be uptight, bitter, and hostile, about life in general.

[groar]

Originally Posted by TomDot

Would I be OK if I walked around in a Patriots jersey?

my husband wears his bruins stuff all the time and rarely if ever hears anything negative about it. he works in a factory and a few years ago when the steelers were playing the patriots in the... superbowl? or playoffs? he made a big PATS #1 sign and everyone just laughed at him (partly cause they know he actually doesn't care about football).

i don't care about sports at all, especially not football and while that's greeted with mock horror sometimes, no one seems to actually sincerely care.

i never felt very connected to my neighborhood til i moved to wilkinsburg (although part of that is probably that we were never homeowners before) but i've had no problems fitting in with people from all walks of life and all parts of the metro area who i know through my work and social life. and i certainly have found no shortage of people who care about politics, have different opinions, like to debate, like to travel, have lived or want to live somewhere else, etc. i mean, just look at this board, clearly people have opposing viewpoints here!

i've definitely met people who've never left the city and sometimes have barely even been around the whole city, but i've also met people who've literally spent their entire lives below 14th street in manhattan. provincial attitudes are pretty prevalent here but they exist everywhere. and i'd say the minority of the people i associate with on a regular basis have them.