@ Emily: I do not think you are being snobbish toward me. I have never thought that. I am not taking this personally as I said before. I just cannot stand snobbery, bias and regionalism from anyone against anyone. To me it is akin to any other prejudice and equally as harmful. It says far more about the person making the statements than it does about the people they are discussing. I dislike snobbery period, particularly myopic snobbery that takes one issue and projects it into a ton of other (relatively unrelated) issues. It is like saying all NYC dwellers are rude, ultra-liberal, hipsters. It simply isn't the case. Both positions are equally snobbish and equally wrong.
EDIT: Every area and every person has flaws. The "my shit don't stink attitude" just doesn't fly with me. Discussing issues and delving into data colored by personal anecdotes is great. Making generalizations based only on limited personal experience and bias based on relatively unrelated subjects is just prejudice.
To me it is akin to any other prejudice and equally as harmful.
How about when you gripe about Conservatives and Republicans? Isn't it the same thing?
No, because I am discussing it based on facts, figures and people that are making a choice I strongly disagree with. I do not set up false comparisons in order to make them look bad. I do not call them stupid except in a tongue-in-cheek way, because there are just as many stupid Liberals as there are Conservatives. I also do not use their conservatism to project on to other aspects of their lives (claiming they are fat, religious, hateful, etc.) Have you not heard me admonish Adam when he goes too far in his conservative bashing? Like I said, I am not targeting you.
EDIT:
Edit: This is the original comment
The weird thing is that many Americans won't eat things that are too ugly either, like squid and eels.
How is that snobby? How is that prejudiced? As an American, I had noticed this.
And this was my original response.
LOL, wut? Calamari is a fairly popular item, particularly if it is fried. Also, eel is fairly popular in many Asian dishes consumed in the U.S. I don't have figures, but both are items that are easily available in the States.
Exactly! See, George is a "Conservative" but how many times have we bitched about "Conservatives" in general and said how much we are frustrated by them. Not all Conservatives are Godbags, but many are. Same goes for my griping about rural attitudes.
No, because I am discussing it based on facts, figures and people that are making a choice I strongly disagree with. I do not set up false comparisons in order to make them look bad.
Now look, I can do that too. Polls say: most moral conservatives and ideological racists live in rural areas. Hey Hey!
Exactly! See, George is a "Conservative" but how many times have we bitched about "Conservatives" in general and said how much we are frustrated by them. Not all Conservatives are Godbags, but many are. Same goes for my griping about rural attitudes.
Not really, because rural attitudes vary a lot more than a self-designated political group. Also, see my post above. I bitch on an issue by issue basis. There are some aspects of conservative agendas that I have liked. Just not many.
EDIT: Emily, I wasn't saying you couldn't use facts and figures, but I was saying that you weren't. You are confusing the issue with griping about a self-designating ideological group and bemoaning an entire culture (rural American) which encompasses entire lifestyles and not just political ideals.
The evidence is that rural people are in fact more obese and more religious on average. They are also, vote-wise, more conservative. Obviously not everyone in these places is this way, but statistics are statistics.
I do not call them stupid except in a tongue-in-cheek way, because there are just as many stupid Liberals as there are Conservatives.
How about the "Tea Party?" Considering the stances represented by this movement, I would argue that, without exception, every single member of this movement is either stupid, ignorant, or a combination of the two. They're no more stupid than "truthers," but stupid nonetheless they are.
But currently, it is the right, and not the left, that is preventing most meaningful change in government. It is the right, and not the left, that is attempting to reduce the rights of the citizenry and instill their religion in politics. The right consists predominantly of rural Americans (per election results), which split deeply down rural/urban lines. There is something about the rural setting that either causes, or is caused by, general social conservatism. Social, not fiscal, because fiscal conservatism enacted would destroy much of "red" America simply for the fact that "red" America can only exist with extensive subsidy from the cities.
Not everyone in rural communities is conservative. But the majority are verifiably so, and they are preventing meaningful change.
@ Rym: My statements were in regard to conservatives, not rural Americans. I also rankle at people claiming that all rural communities are equally afflicted with these issues. While there is a trend, some areas are far worse or far better than others. Also, being religious, overweight, or conservative does not in and of itself mean that the people are stupid, ignorant, lazy, uncultured, etc.
But currently, it is the right, and not the left, that is preventing most meaningful change in government. It is the right, and not the left, that is attempting to reduce the rights of the citizenry and instill their religion in politics. The right consists predominantly of rural Americans (per election results), which split deeply down rural/urban lines. There is something about the rural setting that either causes, or is caused by, general social conservatism. Social, not fiscal, because fiscal conservatism enacted woulddestroymuch of "red" America simply for the fact that "red" America can only exist with extensive subsidy from the cities.
While I do not disagree with you, that "subsidy" also ensures that the cities have enough cheap food to sustain themselves, enough manufacturing of goods to meet its needs (as manufacturing often requires lots of low rent spaces), and enough raw and processed materials to create the manufacturing that meets the cities needs. It is an interdependent relationship.
I have lived in/near Atlanta my entire life, most of it spent in a rural-ish (we did have a wally world) redneck county. Looking back, some of the more negative aspects of southerners mentioned on this thread seemed to be true (sadly). Most people are religious (southern baptist, you are all going to hell, etc), don't go to college, get married and have babies early, etc. There are also particularly popular foods that, well, tend to put on the pounds. My personal experience in my particular town (not trying to say every town is like this in the south!) was that people tended to not be super willing to try "exotic" foods. Some of it was the gross factor, some of it was ignorance, and probably much of it was due to lack of funds. People were just happy with their chicken fingers, pizza, and beer. Why bother going through the extra effort to try something strange and new like eel? In fact its kinda like how children tend to be. I used to be extremely picky about eating new foods, but now I love trying different stuff.
Interestingly, I remember in grade school, food actually played a tiny part in popularity. Nobody ever got salads or baked potatoes in the lunch line, it had to be chicken fingers or rectangle pizza, or you just weren't cool. In fact, I vividly remember someone seriously making fun of one my best friends for eating a baked potato. What a strange world that was. (Yes, I know salads and baked potatoes aren't "exotic," but the realm of kids doesn't always make sense.)
At best, something is new and cool, or previously unexperienced, but I never get theexoticfeeling from anything.
That's probably a byproduct of the Internet. Part of something being "exotic" is that it's unheard of, but the Internet ruins that. We can learn about the existence of almost any food product, so things go from being "exotic" to being "obscure" or "a challenge to find."
EDIT: Progress is fucking fantastic. My sister was looking for recommendations for lunch places around her new workplace, and I suggested 10 different restaurants all with different ethnic focuses within 2 blocks of her building.
Honestly, it depends on what sense of the word you mean.
Exotic 1 : introduced from another country : not native to the place where found 2 archaic : foreign, alien 3 : strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual 4 : of or relating to striptease
Really now? Exotic is just stuck at the hip to stripteasing? I always viewed that link as unofficial. It makes me kind of sad that it is linked. I mean, what about salsa, ballroom, merenge, stomp, break, tap? Are these all not technically exotic? Why does taking my clothes off get a free link? Not fair.
Really now? Exotic is just stuck at the hip to stripteasing? I always viewed that link as unofficial. It makes me kind of sad that it is linked. I mean, what about salsa, ballroom, merenge, stomp, break, tap? Are these all not technically exotic? Why does taking my clothes off get a free link? Not fair.
Those fall under:
1 : introduced from another country : not native to the place where found 2 archaic : foreign, alien 3 : strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual
They indeed are. I still don't see how the link between stripping and the exotic was made. Perhaps, I should wiki and stop pulling this thread off topic. Ha.
They indeed are. I still don't see how the link between stripping and the exotic was made. Perhaps, I should wiki and stop pulling this thread off topic. Ha.
You have never heard of exotic Dancers? A note that they are not usually called erotic dancers but I'm sure that's what your thinking... :-p
Apparently my friend decided to break his meatless streak yesterday with a turkey sandwich. He said after going without meat for so long, the saltiness was overpowering.
Comments
EDIT: Every area and every person has flaws. The "my shit don't stink attitude" just doesn't fly with me. Discussing issues and delving into data colored by personal anecdotes is great. Making generalizations based only on limited personal experience and bias based on relatively unrelated subjects is just prejudice.
Edit: This is the original comment How is that snobby? How is that prejudiced? As an American, I had noticed this.
Like I said, I am not targeting you.
EDIT: And this was my original response.
EDIT: Emily, I wasn't saying you couldn't use facts and figures, but I was saying that you weren't. You are confusing the issue with griping about a self-designating ideological group and bemoaning an entire culture (rural American) which encompasses entire lifestyles and not just political ideals.
But currently, it is the right, and not the left, that is preventing most meaningful change in government. It is the right, and not the left, that is attempting to reduce the rights of the citizenry and instill their religion in politics. The right consists predominantly of rural Americans (per election results), which split deeply down rural/urban lines. There is something about the rural setting that either causes, or is caused by, general social conservatism. Social, not fiscal, because fiscal conservatism enacted would destroy much of "red" America simply for the fact that "red" America can only exist with extensive subsidy from the cities.
Not everyone in rural communities is conservative. But the majority are verifiably so, and they are preventing meaningful change.
Interestingly, I remember in grade school, food actually played a tiny part in popularity. Nobody ever got salads or baked potatoes in the lunch line, it had to be chicken fingers or rectangle pizza, or you just weren't cool. In fact, I vividly remember someone seriously making fun of one my best friends for eating a baked potato. What a strange world that was. (Yes, I know salads and baked potatoes aren't "exotic," but the realm of kids doesn't always make sense.)
Damn you vegetarian thread, there are no oysters, crayfish, or jerked chickens in the middle of Illinois!
"Hard to come by" doesn't exactly make something exotic.
Maybe the Zebra Storyteller has gotten to me.
EDIT: Progress is fucking fantastic. My sister was looking for recommendations for lunch places around her new workplace, and I suggested 10 different restaurants all with different ethnic focuses within 2 blocks of her building.