If you lie about your hometown, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is for people who, when asked where they're from, will say the current city they live in, rather than where they grew up.

Aka someone who grew up in Utah, but is living in NYC, and when they meet someone new and asked, the say "New York".

Why do you do it? Is it shame about your hometown? Wishing you could have grown up in someplace more sophisticated?

I can't imagine what this looks like when some native New Yorker says something like, "cool. I grew up on the Upper West Side, how about you?"

Mega embarrassing for Provo.

I'm from NY and this happened to me. I asked someone at work where they were from and they said "New York." Except I wasn't quite as subtle as your post. I immediately answered "No you're not." (There's that New York directness.) They were a bit shocked that I knew immediately (from their accent), stammered something about saying how much they loved living in Manhattan for two years of grad school and dodged me. It was very awkward and I wish I hadn't outed them but it was weird.

I'm also from NY and this has happened to me several times. I am polite, but I've usually just been like, "No, I meant where are you from originally." It basically translates to, "well, you're certainly NOT from NY and are lying, so here is your opportunity to correct yourself and retain some grace." It is a little awkward because you can tell they think NO ONE can tell and when it happens that instantly it's a call out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is for people who, when asked where they're from, will say the current city they live in, rather than where they grew up.

Aka someone who grew up in Utah, but is living in NYC, and when they meet someone new and asked, the say "New York".

Why do you do it? Is it shame about your hometown? Wishing you could have grown up in someplace more sophisticated?

I can't imagine what this looks like when some native New Yorker says something like, "cool. I grew up on the Upper West Side, how about you?"

Mega embarrassing for Provo.

I'm from NY and this happened to me. I asked someone at work where they were from and they said "New York." Except I wasn't quite as subtle as your post. I immediately answered "No you're not." (There's that New York directness.) They were a bit shocked that I knew immediately (from their accent), stammered something about saying how much they loved living in Manhattan for two years of grad school and dodged me. It was very awkward and I wish I hadn't outed them but it was weird.

I'm also from NY and this has happened to me several times. I am polite, but I've usually just been like, "No, I meant where are you from originally." It basically translates to, "well, you're certainly NOT from NY and are lying, so here is your opportunity to correct yourself and retain some grace." It is a little awkward because you can tell they think NO ONE can tell and when it happens that instantly it's a call out.

You handled that way better than I did! I love NY but it didn't really occur to me that people would lie about such trivial matters. It's just small talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is for people who, when asked where they're from, will say the current city they live in, rather than where they grew up.

Aka someone who grew up in Utah, but is living in NYC, and when they meet someone new and asked, the say "New York".

Why do you do it? Is it shame about your hometown? Wishing you could have grown up in someplace more sophisticated?

Interesting thread. I noticed my daughter's college friends who grew up in less "premier" places seem to remove it from their social media profiles. While the gals from NYC, London, Singapore and California seem to boast about where they grew up. The kids from less premier places just put the name of the college in their profiles and/or the name of the college town. Example:

Flyover country --> Duke '23 -or- Durham | Duke

New Yorker --> NYC | Duke

Californian --> La Jolla | Duke -or- LA | Duke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is for people who, when asked where they're from, will say the current city they live in, rather than where they grew up.

Aka someone who grew up in Utah, but is living in NYC, and when they meet someone new and asked, the say "New York".

Why do you do it? Is it shame about your hometown? Wishing you could have grown up in someplace more sophisticated?

I can't imagine what this looks like when some native New Yorker says something like, "cool. I grew up on the Upper West Side, how about you?"

Mega embarrassing for Provo.

I'm from NY and this happened to me. I asked someone at work where they were from and they said "New York." Except I wasn't quite as subtle as your post. I immediately answered "No you're not." (There's that New York directness.) They were a bit shocked that I knew immediately (from their accent), stammered something about saying how much they loved living in Manhattan for two years of grad school and dodged me. It was very awkward and I wish I hadn't outed them but it was weird.

I'm also from NY and this has happened to me several times. I am polite, but I've usually just been like, "No, I meant where are you from originally." It basically translates to, "well, you're certainly NOT from NY and are lying, so here is your opportunity to correct yourself and retain some grace." It is a little awkward because you can tell they think NO ONE can tell and when it happens that instantly it's a call out.

These anecdotes are so hilarious. I do think there are "tells" where you just know someone is from an area. Southerns give off a kind of evasive energy to me, Midwesterners are kind of polite and unassuming, west coast people can seem kind of uber-relaxed about things /passive aggressive, and east coast people are very direct. Those distinctions heighten even more if you are in a place with a distinct personality like New York. It's very easy to tell who is really from that place and who isn't. Why not tell the truth? I dont understand lying about something so basic- it would be like lying about eye color or the college you went to or the language you speak. Just strange, baffling, and easy to detect when it's not the truth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When visiting the MIL in Chevy Chase, one of the busy bodies in the neighborhood stopped me to ask "Where are you from?" This was the second question after ascertaining I was the son in law. It was very odd. But, I think all of Chevy Chase residents are pretty odd.

Why in the world did this bother you? Is it because you feel where you're from is inferior to Chevy Chase?

The busybodies in Chevy Chase? Hardly. Does your second question about my entire existence have to be my hometown?

And that is a standard "getting to know you" question so I'm curious why you're so offended by it? I sense you're not being honest about the inferiority issue. Cause this is really bizarre.

When asked in Chevy Chase, by a random busybody yenta no less, it's a passive-aggressive attempt to tease out if he comes from money or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My hometown (entire home state, really) is a national embarrassment full of backwards rednecks, and I got tired of the stereotypes. Much easier to say I've lived in DC longer than anywhere else than to grit-smile through ignorant comments about not having an accent or seeming well-educated.

Every state has nice areas.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's small talk- it's not that deep. Unless someone is engaging in "Dirty John" or Lifetime movie/Snapped episode level lies and manipulations, stop being so literal and let the convo flow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If someone asks “where are you from?” I would assume they mean “where do you live?” rather than “where did you grow up?”

Uh, no, where are you from means where did you grow up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When visiting the MIL in Chevy Chase, one of the busy bodies in the neighborhood stopped me to ask "Where are you from?" This was the second question after ascertaining I was the son in law. It was very odd. But, I think all of Chevy Chase residents are pretty odd.

Why in the world did this bother you? Is it because you feel where you're from is inferior to Chevy Chase?

The busybodies in Chevy Chase? Hardly. Does your second question about my entire existence have to be my hometown?

And that is a standard "getting to know you" question so I'm curious why you're so offended by it? I sense you're not being honest about the inferiority issue. Cause this is really bizarre.

When asked in Chevy Chase, by a random busybody yenta no less, it's a passive-aggressive attempt to tease out if he comes from money or not.

And you know this how? because you're a psychic? How do you know the person is a "yenta", either? The very bizarre projection says it all.

Besides, if someone did come from money, they wouldn't mind the question. Or if they didnt come from money but were fine with it. It's only someone who wants to hide something that gets angry about being questioned. Notice that poster refused to say where he was from... exactly. Shame.

[Anonymous]

“ where are you from means where did you grow up”

Only if asked to someone who’s “at home”. If someone in a plane or when I am traveling in the US asks where I am from I assume it means where I live (near DC). If I am in the DC area and someone asks then they mean where did you grow up and I name my home state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:? It’s not a lie, it’s a different way of answering the question.

It is a lie, ESPECIALLY if it's asked in that same city they're currently living. The obvious implication is "where did you grow up/ where are your roots". People trying to find out the town that truly raised and shaped you.

it's disingenuous at best, and I'm curious why anyone would engage in it.

Assuming that everyone grew up in one place is limiting at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When visiting the MIL in Chevy Chase, one of the busy bodies in the neighborhood stopped me to ask "Where are you from?" This was the second question after ascertaining I was the son in law. It was very odd. But, I think all of Chevy Chase residents are pretty odd.

Why in the world did this bother you? Is it because you feel where you're from is inferior to Chevy Chase?

The busybodies in Chevy Chase? Hardly. Does your second question about my entire existence have to be my hometown?

And that is a standard "getting to know you" question so I'm curious why you're so offended by it? I sense you're not being honest about the inferiority issue. Cause this is really bizarre.

When asked in Chevy Chase, by a random busybody yenta no less, it's a passive-aggressive attempt to tease out if he comes from money or not.

And you know this how? because you're a psychic? How do you know the person is a "yenta", either? The very bizarre projection says it all.

Besides, if someone did come from money, they wouldn't mind the question. Or if they didnt come from money but were fine with it. It's only someone who wants to hide something that gets angry about being questioned. Notice that poster refused to say where he was from... exactly. Shame.

^Wrong if someone truly comes from money they rarely talk about it.

[Anonymous]

i dont lie, i just dont tell people my whole life story, which includes a lot of moving around and a parent with tendencies toward abusive situations.

i normally answer the question with where i live now

[Anonymous]

I do it because I live in a different country than the one where I was born/spent most of my childhood. People I know here won't have heard of my actual place of origin, and this leads to multiple questions about where it is. If I just name the nearest major region, they have usually heard of that and it is enough for the conversation to move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When visiting the MIL in Chevy Chase, one of the busy bodies in the neighborhood stopped me to ask "Where are you from?" This was the second question after ascertaining I was the son in law. It was very odd. But, I think all of Chevy Chase residents are pretty odd.

Why in the world did this bother you? Is it because you feel where you're from is inferior to Chevy Chase?

The busybodies in Chevy Chase? Hardly. Does your second question about my entire existence have to be my hometown?

And that is a standard "getting to know you" question so I'm curious why you're so offended by it? I sense you're not being honest about the inferiority issue. Cause this is really bizarre.

When asked in Chevy Chase, by a random busybody yenta no less, it's a passive-aggressive attempt to tease out if he comes from money or not.

And you know this how? because you're a psychic? How do you know the person is a "yenta", either? The very bizarre projection says it all.

Besides, if someone did come from money, they wouldn't mind the question. Or if they didnt come from money but were fine with it. It's only someone who wants to hide something that gets angry about being questioned. Notice that poster refused to say where he was from... exactly. Shame.

^Wrong if someone truly comes from money they rarely talk about it.

They wouldn't mind answering a very vague and standard question about where they're from, that's for sure