The Salad Days

One of the interesting things to witness having lived in a few
different cities in my life is local snobbery. Some
places are more provincial than others. Boston and New York are at the
top (having spent more time in Boston than in any other US city in
which I have not lived, I feel I can say that, while NY just emits it),
while a place like LA is on the other end of the spectrum. No one in LA
really cares if you're from there or not, whereas Bostonians count it
as two strikes against you if you are not from there.

But being provinical does not equal beings a snob. Snobbery equals snobbery. Bostonians are snobs because you are not as smart or cultured as them. New Yorkers are similar, but since they feel they are the center not only of our
country, but also the world, everyone is not as good as them. In LA,
there is a general sense of cluelessness . Being the center of the
entertainment industry, it does not know whether it is better than
others, nor does it care. Its inability to care what others thinks
amounts to the snobbery of LA.

So, you may ask, how are Chicago and The Twin Cities snobbish? Fascinating question. They are of the the same genus, but not the same species. They are both affected by the snobbery of the Midwest Mind, but it manifests itself in more subtle
ways. Chicago's hard edge and City of Big Shoulders mentality make it
feel that NY may think its better, heck, it may even be better. But no
one works as hard as us, and no one looks after the little guy like us.


Which brings me to the Twin Cities. It is hardly a flashy,
provincial place. Chicago is, after all, a big city, and one that does
have all of the NY amenities, without being, well, New York. It doesn't
have the same brag about work ethic that Chicago does. But the two
cities share one trait: harsh weather. And that affects everything.
Here, snobbery is found in two ways: selfdeprecation and cold weather.
The charm of self effacing is great, and it greatly endears Minnesota
to me. But that attitude chiefly comes from the weather here, which
makes people think they are tougher (but they would never say they are
tougher here, because that is the opposite of selfdeprecation ). It is
best put by Garrison Keillor, who linked all great thinking in humanity
to cold weather. Only here on the frozen tundra can we be forced to
truly face the vicissitudes of life, for in the harsh winter, we must come to grips with matters of survival! Sound kind of snobbish?

Only in a Minnesota way :)