Charlize Week 6: Honk Honk!
Ah, the United States. Home to great cities like Boston, Houston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago…what am I missing?
Los Angeles and New York. Major American cultural hubs, fashion centers, tourist must-visits, celebrity hotspots; you’d think maybe the people and culture would be just a little similar. New Yorkers on par with Angelenos? No way! Californians are just… so slow… like can they be any slower??? They walk slow, talk slow, drive slow; it’s unbearable. Often viewed as self-centered people, they often express subtle displeasure through body language and sarcasm. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are brash, obnoxious and a little too honest. Anyone heard of NYC road rage? Better move it or lose it (I think I’d lose it)! They’re not afraid to cuss you out for blocking the road and wasting their time. No room for dilly-dalliers “in the greatest city in the world”! Not even mentioning the sports team rivalries (let’s go Dodgers!), hip-hop rivalries, taco vs. pizza, and so much more.
This one tweet has garnered lots of attention, claiming the East Coast is “kind but not nice” while the West Coast is “nice but not kind”—those in the East Coast might criticize you for forgetting your jacket but give you theirs, while the West Coast will express sympathy but leave you alone, freezing in the cold. The audience seems to share OP’s attitude, suggesting many people have developed same viewpoints after firsthand experiences with citizens of both cities.
Illustration by renowned cartoonist John Callahan that captures the very essence of the tweet.
And while these “coastal elites” are doing their own thing, you also got condescension from both of them towards rural middle America. And what even is Iowa? Potatoes??? Wait, that’s Idaho… People from the Big Apple or the City of Angels often look down on the middle expanses of America consisting mostly of farms and farmers, so out of touch with the rest of the world.
This polarization is growing with every election. How could it not, when geographically, Republicans tend to occupy the middle states while the Democrats mostly reside in coastal urban areas. In a rather fiery opinionated article, Masciotra claims the viewing of these middle U.S. citizens viewing the rest of the country as “elitist America” is “anti-intellectualism.” These “real Americans”—the “white working class” composed of those “without college degrees” and “practicing Christians” view these “East Coast elites” and “West Coast Hippies” as pretentious people who can’t relate with their problems. Those in the Midwest and South have concerns with how the Democrats run their cities; California and Oregon, blue states, have the highest rates of homelessness and in the media, Democrats are often blamed for “unaffordable zone housing” policies.
It really feels like the sectionalism you read about in (AP)USH. Ever since the beginning, New England vs. the West, then North vs. South, the United States just loves being divided. Although generalizations are not inherently true and don’t always apply, the cultural differences definitely factor into differing ideologies, behaviors, identities, and so many other fun human things! While it’s nowhere near extreme prejudice as you may seem with America’s racial groups, there’s still this shared sentiment of people in certain cities or parts of the U.S. being superior to others wedged into so many American hearts. But one thing’s for sure—the U.S. does come together when rooting against Canada (let’s go Dodgers)!
Hi Charlize! The tweet from Jordan Green that you reference is definitely accurate. People from the West Coast are usually described as shallow and artificial, and I think a lot of that has to do with the influencer culture that is especially prevalent in Los Angeles. I have heard so many people say before that interacting with one of these typical influencers in real life is really not that fun of an experience, as they tend to be quite rude and snobbish. And then on the opposite side of the country, people are more concerned about you internally, but they can be brutal outwardly. I’ve been to New York a couple of times, and I’m thankful to say that I have not personally experienced a lot of the things that you describe, such as people cussing at me in the street.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the stereotypes and perceptions surrounding the middle states, I do admit that I am not as well-educated about them as I would like to be. I am aware of the basics, but I don’t think that is enough. It's definitely not fair for us as Americans to represent the coastal regions of the United States accurately, but then group all of the middle and southern U.S. together like they’re all the same. Each state has its own unique qualities that deserve to be recognized and respected. And this goes both ways too, as I think that there is a lot more to both the East and the West than the attitudes held by the Republican regions of the U.S. Like you said, this is not unrelated to the sectionalism that has consistently existed throughout American history. We might be called the “United” States, and we are united to some extent, but true unity and harmony could exist to a much greater extent if each region would stop viewing themselves as a separate entity, and instead consider themselves in relation to each other.
On a side note, I am curious if your blog this week was inspired by the two years you spent in New York when you were little.
Hi Charlize! Sectionalism especially between the states is definitely present in our country. I think it’s honestly really funny when states make light-hearted fun of each other such as when states claim that we have a Californian accent (I think we definitely do), but I do agree that sectionalism can pose an issue in serious cases and in the long run. Part of the reason why stereotypes are so present between states is because there are so many, big and small, short or long, and it’s really hard to keep track of 50 states let alone learn information about each of them. I think that’s why many people just associate random objects or concepts with states, like you mentioned with the polarization between Californians and New Yorkers. To be honest, I’m not the best at it either. Like Florida.. peaches? Nevada… Las Vegas… gambling? Although I do think that the stereotypes are based off of the environments there like how the bustling cities of New York can almost make it inevitable to always be in a rush, education should also properly give people an idea of what each state is represented as.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so ironic that as a country, we do not seem united at all because we conflict with one another across state lines, but we band together as a country if it’s for the purpose of hating on another one. In this way, being aware of these stereotypes and properly educating ourselves not only on our own states but also other countries as well (I also don’t know much about the other states) is important.
A lot of this division, in my opinion, is the direct responsibility of a few in power who aim to widen it. Dividing the people is always an excellent tactic used by those who aim to grow or maintain power. It was done by the Aztecs, the British, the Spanish, and even American colonists. Typically this division was done against multiple enemy groups to gain total advantage; however, as you discussed, it has become an issue within the nation itself. As someone who has only very briefly been to the east coast, I cannot speak on attitudes there, but the assessment of those in the west as superficially polite but not truly kind is made with scathing precision.
ReplyDeleteIn regards specifically to the divide between conservatives and liberals (stereotypically represented by those middle-state farmers and so-called “coastal elites”) in the nation, I find it incredibly ironic that the self-proclaimed conservative party that aims to represent ordinary, working-class Americans is the very group that insists on a system that allows for their exploitation. Many of those beliefs are inherently built on “othering” groups of people: turning them into opponents that need to be removed and not cooperated with.
Finally, to present yet another source of division: go Giants!