Friday, September 12, 2008

"Florida Lacks Character"

Those were the words of one of my roommates who happens to be from a certain state in the Northeast U.S. I will share with you the full discourse of our short conversation that occurred tonight.

...I'll give you some time to guess how the conversation went...In the mean time I'll share some more thoughts...

When I decided on attending FIT this past summer, I knew that I would be in the minority here. This is an acclaimed private school well-known for its aeronautics/astronautics and marine biology programs. Private is the key word there. This school is packed with northeastern students from affluent families...Now my family's not poor, but we certainly couldn't afford FIT's astronomical tuition if scholarships didn't help ease the pain...And we all know about my little Southern streak.

...Have you guessed how the conversation went?...

"Florida lacks character. Up North we have all of the colonial buildings and everything that adds character."
"You've never been to North Florida. Melbourne has no character. My hometown does."
"No it doesn't. Florida has no character."
"Ummmm...My hometown is the oldest city in the U.S. It was established in 1565. We have some old buildings and a little history, too."
So? [Something was said here, which I forgot]"
Well, [classic St. Augustinian line here] my hometown was undergoing urban renewal when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock."
"Yeah, but they have Southern accents where you're from. I hate Southern accents."

Are some of my northern readers getting a better understanding of why it's hard for me to erase the word "yankee" from my vocabulary? This was not the first time blatant ignorance has reared its ugly head, and I know it won't be the last :-D

I was going to post some beautiful pictures of my characterless hometown, but I just realized that those pictures were left behind during my annual seasonal migration.

10 comments:

Joey B said...

Just be glad you don't have to live around those jackasses like I do.

They don't know how to drive either.

Moultrie Creek said...

If you need some ammunition until you can retrieve your collection, you're welcome to use these photos. ~Another St. Augustine native

Paintsmh said...

Wow what a conceited uhm ask me for the rest of that statement on Facebook! I'm sorry that a fellow, erm I am so not calling myself a Yankee, was such a bloody jackass...I would strongly recommend you expect him to start braying any day now!

Anonymous said...

Just think of it as an opportunity to educate more than yourself! I have a friend who graduated from FIT. Much like your roommate, he came down from northern climes and at first glance, HATED Florida. I grew on him and now, he lives on a 40 acre parcel in the middle of no where and with his wife is working to keep it native and get rid of exotics that have taken root. I find that very amusing, but he loves Florida now so I will let him stay even though he might be classed as one of those exotics himself.

Anonymous said...

Oop, meant IT grew on him, not I grew on him. My husband would not appreciate that inference! LOL

Anonymous said...

Oop, meant IT grew on him, not I grew on him. My husband would not appreciate that inference! LOL

R.Powers said...

I had the exact same conversation (more than once) in dorm 68 at UWF in 1979.
Don't sweat it ... but don't stop.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

joey - Thanks for visiting the Minorcan Factor! Ha, ha, well I've lived around them for about a decade now...10 years ago they all decided that it would be a good idea to come to my beautiful, rural hometown and turn it into the place from which they moved. And, you're rigt, they are the worst drivers in the world.

moultrie - It's good to hear from you again! I appreciate the photo offer! I might jus take you up on that :-D

paint - ha ha, okay. I'll tell him you said for me to watch for him to "start braying." Don't worry...he won't know what that means!

cathy - That's exactly the way I look at it. The problem is they don't listen to pure facts...Ignorance. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement :-D

FC - I just dismiss it as ignorance and move on. It makes me feel smart and open-minded :-D But, garrinteeya, if it comes up again, I'll still defend the greatest state in the U.S.

Florida Native Musings said...

If they don't like Hank Jr. they can kiss my a--..

Damn Yankees (ones that won't go back)

Yours in the Bond

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

scott - "Ya can't stop us out and ya can't make us run. Cause one of ‘em old boys raisin ole shotgun. We say grace and we say ma'am, if ya ain't into that we don't give damn!"
I try my best to remain tolerant. But their blatant intolerance makes it tough to do that.