Cultural Diversity....Upstate vs. Northern vs.Downstate New York

We live in "Northern" New York state, not "upstate".  Upstate usually refers to folks who live just north of New York City, like Westchester County and the like.  We Northerners don't consider "Westchester"  north at all.

When we travel anywhere we're cautious to say, we're from "Northern New York" not Western New York or Upstate New York.  We in Northern New York don't like to get clumped into the "upstate" group.  There's a good reason for it.  We are very different than our lower state neighbors.   We are certainly more rural and more like our New England neighbors to the East of us....For crying out loud, I have been know to make left or right  turns and end up in Vermont, it's happened more than once, I might add....I have this disability called "directionally challenged". I bet if I wrote a paper for a grant to research this disability I'd get the grant money in no time.

There are more than geographical differences though, a lot more.  We are truly a different culture. We like things to stay simple.  We don't like a whole lot of change.  And...we don't like people from downstate telling us what's good and what's bad, especially when they come up here to get away from all their things downstate, then decide to tell us how we can make it better up here.

Most of us, in the North, are loca-vores.  You know, we try to eat local, shop locally and buy things from our neighbors and the stores we can go to "downtown".  Yes, we have a downtown, and it's vibrant, ask all the folks from downstate who frequent our downtown regularly.

Here's the rub: I get it that they like this area, we're clean, we're calm and we're alive. But honest we're not dumb.  We know what we want and what we don't want.   The problem is, some of these folks who regularly come up here think they know what's best for us.   Never mind that they thought by coming up here they were getting away from some of the things they hated down there...

They come up here for all the amenities we can provide, without the craziness they're leaving behind, at least that's what they're thinking.  The problem  is, they don't seem to realize when they "suggest" to bring in some of the "essential to life" things like Starbucks, Eddie Bauer, Chico's and high rise buildings, they're making the place they came to, to get away from where they were, more like where they came from...

I know all about progress and continuing to get along with the times and all that hooey, but that's not what most of this is about.  It's about money, greed, and taking something away from folks who've lived here for years.

We were once a small town, small community, small population, that lit up during the Thoroughbred racing season.  The craziness of the invasion of the masses would last about 21 days.  However, because of greed and money making the season is almost 90 days now.   The town almost bursts at the seams with folks from all walks of life. The good, the bad and the ugly...although not so many ugly.....It's a true representation of the haves and the have-nots, most of us being the have-nots and most of them being the haves...or wanna be haves.

As a general rule most of the downstate folks are very nice.  You have certain ones though who can ruin everything in a matter of minutes.

I used to war a button on my lapel that said, "Ask me I'm local".  I don't wear it anymore after some incidents I was involved with, or one of my friends.  I took the button off and tossed it into the circular file.

Wearing the pin, I was walking downtown when a man about my age poked me in the shoulder and said, "Hey! YOU'RE supposed to help me!!"  I looked at him and said, "OK, what can I help you with?"  He said, "Where the fuck is the place (snapping his fingers.....and tapping his foot) that....you know.....where you get that fucking rotten egg crap water?" I have to tell you I can swear with the best of them, but not to a total stranger who I'm asking for help. We live in a town with lots of mineral springs and some is like "fucking rotten egg crap" water.  I tried to figure out which of the springs he wanted to go to when her said, "What the fuck? Why bother with you fucking idiots up here. You're all a bunch of fucking faggots."

That was my first experience with the cultural diversity of us vs. them....I know I can't generalize but it got better...

The next incident for me was when I was nearly tackled by a couple of women who were shouting so loud and talking at the same time I couldn't understand what they wanted of me.   I asked if one of them would repeat what they were asking, The result of the request was: "Gees what're you deaf or somethin? Why bother." As they walked away.

After that I decided I would not be going downtown any time soon.  I'd wait until the masses of humanity left the town and went back to wherever they were from and leave us alone.  I haven't decided if I'll wear the pin this year or not....