Space Travelers, I have a question. It's not uncommon for me to meet a new yorker here in DC, and it's also not uncommon for a new yorker to talk about New York. I experienced the same thing with Los Angeles. The mentality is this: New York is the only city in the world. If no that specifically, it's just that it is just more important, and by transitive properties, THEY are also more important. Being that I'm from the Midwest, I get some fairly odd comments about Missouri or any of the "fly-over" states.
"Wow, you speak so well!" "Did you like... um... grow up on a farm?"
This is of course ironic because this low class understanding of something different is being espoused by those claiming to be more upper class and enlightened. I'm briefly reminded of politics and geography. I'm a progressive, yet I feel like I can relate with many rural conservatives in the way they perceive these large urban centers. I share their feelings of being culturally obscure. I am forced to blush a little guilt out for those times I put down "red necks" but honestly they are people too. It's a shallowness in my character, I'd like to be absolved of honestly. How we view each other is often tinted with the filter of insecurity. I found so many of the people in beautiful California to be dull and boring despite their effort to be culturally in tune via osmosis.
Today, the roommates and I are packing up our belongings, and going to New York for the weekend. I suspect, that despite the claims of my new yorker friends, that it is in fact just a city. I'm not playing down the fact that it will probably have a distinct character, but lots of cities have character.
We will be staying right near Penn Station, and are close to lots of things. I'll be uploading pics multiple times a day to
my snaplog account, so keep an eye out for updates. As always, I will have my trusty camera Sunny with me. I'm hoping to get some cool footage.
So, after all of that, here is my question: In modern society, does a center of the world exist, and if so, where is it?Peace and thanks for reading Space Travelers,
~Chi
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