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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!clyde!tgd
From: tgd@clyde.UUCP (Thomas G. Dennehy)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Regional Snobbery
Message-ID: <184@clyde.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Sep-83 09:44:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: clyde.184
Posted: Thu Sep 29 09:44:49 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Sep-83 22:43:19 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs Whippany NJ
Lines: 28

I was born 'n' raised in DiTROYT and spent six years in Ann Arbor
(the Paris of the Midwest.)  After having spent more than a year
a north central New Jersey, I can only conclude that the grass is
never greener where you haven't been.

New Englanders detest New York (City).  Manhattanites hate New
Jersey, and New Jerseyans feel there is no civilization west of
the Delaware.  The reactions I have gotten from telling people I'm
from DiTROYT have ranged from "Oh, Illinois.." to "thank god you
escaped."

Let's get serious.  Let's talk choices.

No matter how I pine for Ann Arbor (not DiTROYT) I must own up to
the fact that I (alone) made the decision to move to NJ.  At the time,
working for Bell Labs was more attractive than any opportunities
in that area.  A year later, second thoughts are creeping in, but the
ties back to Michigan are growing weaker.  My family is spreading
out all over the country, as are my friends.  Any decision can't be
based on how nice A2 was two years ago - what would it be like now?

Lifelong residents of a region shouldn't look down on newcomers for
despoiling their utopia, blahblahblah.  If people are welcomed when
they come, they won't lionize where they've been.  This kind of
tension is feeding the regional debate.  Local pride is one thing,
but let's all have good attitude about The Great Elsewhere.
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	Tom Dennehy	AT&T BL Whippany, NJ	{clyde!tgd}