East coast bubble views are hard for me to listen to as a ‘fly over’ state transplant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you in DC? If so, it's weird that people are like that because this city is full of transplants from all over the country and the world. As former military, we've lived all over the place and haven't encountered people saying anything disparaging. The most I get asked is how living in Kentucky was an LGBT person (completely fine, if you're curious).

Very true. We're European living in DC. I have gradually come to understand that the USA is a very heterogeneous place, but when I first came here, I didn't know that some people looked down on others because they came from the midwest. You know where I got that? DCUM. No one in real life has ever said anything like this. I know people from many geographic origins in the US (west, midwest, east, south) and they've never criticized other states.

Sounds like you're not picking your friend group correctly.

I’m from the Midwest, and people say stuff like this to me all of the time.
My college roommate thought the golf course behind my parents house was a farm.
My BIL (life long east coaster) said that he could never consider living anywhere other than NY or LA because he isn’t interested in practicing “farm law.” (To be fair, my dad and brother have a fairly lucrative real estate law practice that involves a lot of building on farmland).
When I was interviewing for residency in NYC, a physician told me that they see things there that you don’t see in the Midwest: like trans people and opiate addiction.



People hart

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol, I live in flyover country now but was born in CA and lived in MoCo twice for a total of 8 years.

It's nice here. There is enough high culture. DMV people are trying to get into my flagship alma mater.

But some of them want me to get off this board and have said so. Those people also think the NYCers are ruining the college forum because their top privates have different strategies and results than DC privates. I think that's funny. They are not even tolerant of fellow East Coasters. If they were more careful readers and question-askers they would be fine.

One thing I can say is true is that establishment elites with their free market globalist tendencies did a lot of damage to Rust Belt communities. They thought globalization was great and protectionism was a big mistake. They thought it was fine to send a lot of US industry and jobs off-shore. Because they were thinking with their wallets and not about people's lives and community wellbeing. Their policies were basically economic enshittification.

And now the insanity of the Trump administration is the harsh political consequence. Incoherent protectionism, hatred towards diverse groups, etc. To me it's mostly an antagonistic reaction to decades of economic policies that benefitted wealthy coastal elites. The owner class. To fix things, we need to go back towards policies that ensure the true middle class succeeds (UMC is fine under Trump).

My flyover county is actually skewing more Democrat now. It used to be centrist Republican.

Yes, I feel similar. Despite thinking of themselves as multicultural and open, many have no clue about others and assume all those fly over places got what they deserved because they’re dumb. Now that it’s hitting more of them - h1b visas, AI etc- and Dems are losing elections, they are noticing more. They also don’t appreciate that people in fly over states are often much smarter in certain ways (most of my city friends and I have to call for help for almost any manual or physical task) and they often have strong communities (the thought of asking my city friends or neighbors to come over to help me pack or paint is laughable, yet it happens in my former fly over home, same with meal trains when someone is sick, etc) and the people are lovely, including to POC who have been a part of their communities for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to the east coast 20 years ago but I’m still bothered by all the stray insults I hear from my ‘liberal’ friends about the ‘flyover states’ which they assume are full of uncultured idiots. For the most past, they’ve never visited these places. I had lunch with a friend this week and she made comments like this ‘I can’t help it, those places are awful, I’m a proud snob, I like art and culture and education’ - as if others don’t? We also discussed politics, taxes, etc and even though she claims to be a socialist leaning Dem, she noted that she has ‘carefully saved and invested and why should I need to support others who haven’t been as careful?’ Meanwhile she has only worked intermittently her entire adult life, spends lavishly much of the time, and primarily lives from her now ex husbands money.

She talks a lot about how terrible Trump is and how he needs to be stopped. I noted that it seems to be people from a flyover state who are out on the streets more than where we live…

How do you deal with snobby clueless people like this? Any good comebacks?

And no, slow fade isn’t a good response. If I slow faded everyone who bugs me af times, I wouldn’t have any friends!

This was exactly my experience when I moved from the Midwest to the Boston area. Few Northeasterners have spent much time in the Midwest, but almost all think they know all about it.

Note that when there are questions on Jeopardy about flyover state geography or the Great Lakes, the coastal people usually have no clue.

You are generalizing in the same way, so I don't feel sorry for you one little bit, PP.

Nobody’s asking for pity. But it would be nice if people wouldn’t be so dismissive of whole regions about which they know almost nothing.

That also goes for people in rural states that like to criticize coastal “elites”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to the east coast 20 years ago but I’m still bothered by all the stray insults I hear from my ‘liberal’ friends about the ‘flyover states’ which they assume are full of uncultured idiots. For the most past, they’ve never visited these places. I had lunch with a friend this week and she made comments like this ‘I can’t help it, those places are awful, I’m a proud snob, I like art and culture and education’ - as if others don’t? We also discussed politics, taxes, etc and even though she claims to be a socialist leaning Dem, she noted that she has ‘carefully saved and invested and why should I need to support others who haven’t been as careful?’ Meanwhile she has only worked intermittently her entire adult life, spends lavishly much of the time, and primarily lives from her now ex husbands money.

She talks a lot about how terrible Trump is and how he needs to be stopped. I noted that it seems to be people from a flyover state who are out on the streets more than where we live…

How do you deal with snobby clueless people like this? Any good comebacks?

And no, slow fade isn’t a good response. If I slow faded everyone who bugs me af times, I wouldn’t have any friends!

This was exactly my experience when I moved from the Midwest to the Boston area. Few Northeasterners have spent much time in the Midwest, but almost all think they know all about it.

Note that when there are questions on Jeopardy about flyover state geography or the Great Lakes, the coastal people usually have no clue.

I'm a DC transplant from the Boston area and my generalization about New Englanders is that they are generally provincial and can be shockingly racist. Is everyone that way? Of course not.

[Anonymous]

They drive me crazy too. Mostly I feel sorry for them, as they reveal themselves to be uneducated and clueless. I push back some, but most are too stupid to get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to the east coast 20 years ago but I’m still bothered by all the stray insults I hear from my ‘liberal’ friends about the ‘flyover states’ which they assume are full of uncultured idiots. For the most past, they’ve never visited these places. I had lunch with a friend this week and she made comments like this ‘I can’t help it, those places are awful, I’m a proud snob, I like art and culture and education’ - as if others don’t? We also discussed politics, taxes, etc and even though she claims to be a socialist leaning Dem, she noted that she has ‘carefully saved and invested and why should I need to support others who haven’t been as careful?’ Meanwhile she has only worked intermittently her entire adult life, spends lavishly much of the time, and primarily lives from her now ex husbands money.

She talks a lot about how terrible Trump is and how he needs to be stopped. I noted that it seems to be people from a flyover state who are out on the streets more than where we live…

How do you deal with snobby clueless people like this? Any good comebacks?

And no, slow fade isn’t a good response. If I slow faded everyone who bugs me af times, I wouldn’t have any friends!

This was exactly my experience when I moved from the Midwest to the Boston area. Few Northeasterners have spent much time in the Midwest, but almost all think they know all about it.

Note that when there are questions on Jeopardy about flyover state geography or the Great Lakes, the coastal people usually have no clue.

You are generalizing in the same way, so I don't feel sorry for you one little bit, PP.

Nobody’s asking for pity. But it would be nice if people wouldn’t be so dismissive of whole regions about which they know almost nothing.

That also goes for people in rural states that like to criticize coastal “elites”.

As someone from flyover, yes, this does happen but it’s mostly less educated people. And they certainly don’t think of themselves as sophisticated.

What’s interesting about the the reverse snobbery is that the coastal people who are often like this consider themselves to be elite, well educated and worldly. Yet they’re not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very sus of states that voted for Trump with 60+ percent of the vote. I can’t help it.

That's really stupid. Some of the most far left liberal people I know live in red states.

So it’s a thing that people of the opposite party in a state that is more than 60% the other party are more extreme. This is why you see more extreme far right and militia nuts coming out of Michigan and CA.

Hate to break it to you but there are lots of gun nuts in rural areas near the DMV. PA, WV, and rural VA come to mind.

You're just bolstering PP's point...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very sus of states that voted for Trump with 60+ percent of the vote. I can’t help it.

That's really stupid. Some of the most far left liberal people I know live in red states.

So it’s a thing that people of the opposite party in a state that is more than 60% the other party are more extreme. This is why you see more extreme far right and militia nuts coming out of Michigan and CA.

Huh? Isn’t it population

[Anonymous]

Most people living in DC are transplants from fly-over states so those are your people

[Anonymous]

I’m an east coast native from a working class white ethnic background. DH grew up comfortably middle class in the midwest. He and I met in college and have lived for many years in DC. When I first met my MIL she asked lots of offensive questions about my family’s religion and on my first visits home with DH the awful, flavorless food and the flatness of everything made me feel lonely. In hindsight a lot of this was just my own provincialness—I didn’t realize there were places in America where you couldn’t get a decent bagel! It has also changed a lot in the past 20 years. DH’s hometown is no longer 100% white protestant, the local grocery stores stock a wider variety of items, etc. But I think a lot of brainy east coast women reject “flyover” because they sense it may also reject them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an east coast native from a working class white ethnic background. DH grew up comfortably middle class in the midwest. He and I met in college and have lived for many years in DC. When I first met my MIL she asked lots of offensive questions about my family’s religion and on my first visits home with DH the awful, flavorless food and the flatness of everything made me feel lonely. In hindsight a lot of this was just my own provincialness—I didn’t realize there were places in America where you couldn’t get a decent bagel! It has also changed a lot in the past 20 years. DH’s hometown is no longer 100% white protestant, the local grocery stores stock a wider variety of items, etc. But I think a lot of brainy east coast women reject “flyover” because they sense it may also reject them.

😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to the east coast 20 years ago but I’m still bothered by all the stray insults I hear from my ‘liberal’ friends about the ‘flyover states’ which they assume are full of uncultured idiots. For the most past, they’ve never visited these places. I had lunch with a friend this week and she made comments like this ‘I can’t help it, those places are awful, I’m a proud snob, I like art and culture and education’ - as if others don’t? We also discussed politics, taxes, etc and even though she claims to be a socialist leaning Dem, she noted that she has ‘carefully saved and invested and why should I need to support others who haven’t been as careful?’ Meanwhile she has only worked intermittently her entire adult life, spends lavishly much of the time, and primarily lives from her now ex husbands money.

She talks a lot about how terrible Trump is and how he needs to be stopped. I noted that it seems to be people from a flyover state who are out on the streets more than where we live…

How do you deal with snobby clueless people like this? Any good comebacks?

And no, slow fade isn’t a good response. If I slow faded everyone who bugs me af times, I wouldn’t have any friends!

This was exactly my experience when I moved from the Midwest to the Boston area. Few Northeasterners have spent much time in the Midwest, but almost all think they know all about it.

Note that when there are questions on Jeopardy about flyover state geography or the Great Lakes, the coastal people usually have no clue.

You are generalizing in the same way, so I don't feel sorry for you one little bit, PP.

Nobody’s asking for pity. But it would be nice if people wouldn’t be so dismissive of whole regions about which they know almost nothing.

That also goes for people in rural states that like to criticize coastal “elites”.

Do the math and figure out who is in charge. Look at all the MAGA Ivy Leaguers. Trump, Vance, DeSantis, Cruz, Hawley, Kavanaugh. Even the guys born in "flyover country". You can look at the Dems too.

People on this board are desperate to get into Ivy Leagues because it improves (does not guarantee) access to wealth, power, and high-paying jobs. Which are not evenly geographically distributed. These are facts. Not biases. That is why there is the perception of coastal elites. Because they exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very sus of states that voted for Trump with 60+ percent of the vote. I can’t help it.

That's really stupid. Some of the most far left liberal people I know live in red states.

So it’s a thing that people of the opposite party in a state that is more than 60% the other party are more extreme. This is why you see more extreme far right and militia nuts coming out of Michigan and CA.

Hate to break it to you but there are lots of gun nuts in rural areas near the DMV. PA, WV, and rural VA come to mind.

You're just bolstering PP's point...

Those are too close to be flyover. PA is Mid-Atlantic and Eastern seaboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very sus of states that voted for Trump with 60+ percent of the vote. I can’t help it.

That's really stupid. Some of the most far left liberal people I know live in red states.

So it’s a thing that people of the opposite party in a state that is more than 60% the other party are more extreme. This is why you see more extreme far right and militia nuts coming out of Michigan and CA.

Hate to break it to you but there are lots of gun nuts in rural areas near the DMV. PA, WV, and rural VA come to mind.

You're just bolstering PP's point...

Those are too close to be flyover. PA is Mid-Atlantic and Eastern seaboard.

East PA is east coast. Central and Western can be considered "fly over"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very sus of states that voted for Trump with 60+ percent of the vote. I can’t help it.

That's really stupid. Some of the most far left liberal people I know live in red states.

So it’s a thing that people of the opposite party in a state that is more than 60% the other party are more extreme. This is why you see more extreme far right and militia nuts coming out of Michigan and CA.

Hate to break it to you but there are lots of gun nuts in rural areas near the DMV. PA, WV, and rural VA come to mind.

You're just bolstering PP's point...

Those are too close to be flyover. PA is Mid-Atlantic and Eastern seaboard.

East PA is east coast. Central and Western can be considered "fly over"

-DP